How To Make Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce doesn’t have to come out of a can. Make your own with these easy recipies

You can’t grow cranberries in your own backyard but some of you might wish you could. Their tart flavor is simply superb and you want to dive into cranberry recipes all year long.

Cranberries are a native American crop that grow on vines. There has to be a specific combination of minerals in the ground and the local geology has to be just right to produce this crop. They are mostly grown in Washington, Oregon, Massechusetts, Wisconsin and New Jersey.

In late spring the cranberry plant produces a light pink flower with petals that open and twist back making the flower look like the head and bill of a crane, therefore the name “cranberry”. The fruit is harvested in the fall in an usual way. The fields are flooded and the fruit disengages itself from the vine and floats to the top. This creates massive bright red ponds that are moved and corralled on top of the water then hosed into trucks which are then drained.

Cranberries freeze well so there is no excuse for using them only on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Cranberries can be used to make desserts, main dishes, breads, and other unusual recipes.

Most people know of the sauce that comes out of the can and stays in that shape. The following one is for that type of sauce and it must be molded. The mold must be a non-reactive mold. That means it can’t be metal as some of the chemicals in the fruit will change when coming in contact with it and that could be disasterous when it comes to taste. Pottery or glass molds are the best for this. The next recipe is for Whole Cranberry sauce that is just what it says, whole cranberries are kept that way.

Jellied Cranberry Sauce

Made from the real thing, this tastes better than the sauce you get out of a can

4 – 12 ounce bags cranberries (use fresh or frozen and thawed)
3 cups sugar
3 – ½ cup cold water
2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin (you will have to measure this from the commercially sold envelopes)

1. In a saucepan bring to boil cranberries, sugar, and water.
2. Stir until sugar is dissolved then reduce heat to a simmer. Stir occationally. You will hear popping as the cranberries begin to burst. After about 10 minutes they all should burst and then turn off the heat.
3. Place a fine mesh sieve over a glass bowl and pour the mixture through the sieve. Let stand about 30 minutes to make sure everything that can get through the sieve gets through then you can gently press the rest of the juices through. Be careful not to let any of the cranberry skins into the mixture. There should be 3 cups.
4. Add gelatin and stir to combine well.
5. Pour into a lightly oiled non-reactive 3 – ½ cup mold, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 12 hours.
6. To unmold place a thin knife under warm tap water then run the tip between the edge of the mold and sauce. Tilt mold slightly sideways tapping against the edge of the countertop turning it evenly as you go so the seal is broken. Invert a plate over the mold and plop it out. If that doesn’t work fill the sink with warm water and place the mold in the warm water. Be sure not to let the water get into the mold. Run the knife around the edges again and invert onto a plate.

Whole Cranberry Sauce

This sauce gives you a lot of flavor. Add the pecans for a different punch.

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
4 cups cranberries (fresh or thawed frozen)
1 Tablespoon grated orange rind
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup chopped pecans (optional)

1. In a saucepan bring to boil water and sugar, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar.
2. Add cranberries and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat (you will hear popping of the berries) and simmer for about 10 minutes or until all berries burst.
4. Add orange rind, cinnamon, nutmeg and pecans.
5. Remove from heat and cool completely to room temperature.
6. Place into refrigerator for at least 12 hours. The sauce will thicken as it cools.

Enjoy your home made cranberry sauce with your turkey during Thanksgiving or Christmas or use it in other main dish recipes.