Do you like cranberry sauce with your Thanksgiving turkey, or "just because"?
I love cranberry sauce. And therein lies a story:
When I was a little girl, the only cranberry sauce I ever ate was the jelled kind you get in the can. That's what my mother served. Later, when I had Thanksgiving at an aunt's house, that's what she served. But as I grew older, my tastes changed.
I graduated, first, to whole berry sauce, and then to making my own. It's so easy, even someone who hates to cook (me) can do it.
This year, though, added a new element to cranberry sauce. I live in the Southern Tier of New York. One of our farm stands (now closed for the season) was selling "Local" cranberries. We questioned them further. They weren't exactly local but they did come from New Jersey. We bought a box, which contained nearly a pound.
One major brand, Ocean Spray (which is a grower's cooperative) gets berries from (according to Wikipedia): Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, Florida, Canada, and Chile).
My spouse thought they looked a little different - more oval - than the cranberries you get in the supermarket bag.
I used a variation of a recipe I've used before. I am using a "bag" as that is what most people purchase. I weighed mine.
1 bag (12 oz) fresh cranberries, rinsed. If any stems in bag, remove.
1 cup sugar (I used a stevia/raw sugar baking blend called Whole Earth) you only use 1/2 cup. But then again, I have to watch my
weight. Cranberries are quite tart and need a lot of sweetening.
1 cup water
small amount lime juice (normally use lime rind but we didn't have any).
Method
In saucepan, mix cranberries, water. (I accidentally put the sugar mixture in at the beginning, which is why the water looks brown.)
Add the sugar or sugar/stevia, mix, lightly boil some more until the other berries have mostly popped. Then, add the lime juice or zest, and finish boiling. Cool, refrigerate, and serve.
If this doesn't interest you, you may want to try some Cranberry Apple Orange Sauce.
I liked these berries. They seemed to cook down a little quicker and had a nice, bright taste.
Wishing my American readers an early Happy Thanksgiving next Thursday, when I will have my normal Thursday Tree Love post.
Please follow the guidelines for a safe Thanksgiving.
...yesterday I bought 4 bags at Aldi and will cook it up and sweeten it with xylitol.
ReplyDeleteNothing better than homemade ~ Your cranberry sauce sounds delish!
ReplyDeleteLive each moment with love,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
I have been making homemade Cranberry Sauce for years, however, I stopped adding Orange Juice and sugar once I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. I will never ever eat canned sauce again - Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteI also don't like to cook, but can whip up a mean batch of cranberry sauce. Yours looked great!
ReplyDeleteYES!!!
ReplyDeleteMy wife and MIL are nuts about cranberries. I like a small bit of it on the plate. It is festive looking.
ReplyDeleteI have never made cranberry sauce. I like it best whole on a leftover sandwich of turkey, lettuce, and Havarti cheese, melted. Best if it's a nice roll.
ReplyDeleteMy sister makes her own. I will be missing that on Thursday,
ReplyDeleteI've made it, too, but now that we are having our groceries delivered, all I can get is the canned stuff.
ReplyDeleteI did that one year. I found the taste too tart. But I'm weird that way. I've never really been a fan of cranberries, especially not the canned kind.
ReplyDeleteWe do our own. I just bought a bag of cranberries and there in freezer.
ReplyDeleteStay Safe and Coffee is on
Hi Alana - glad you're making your own - sounds good. We have cranberry sauce for Christmas - take care - Hilary
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving to youall too.
ReplyDelete