A Little Bit Boozy Cranberry Sauce
Make this scratch recipe and you’ll never go back.
Who can forget the jellied monstrosity on the holiday table in the shape of a tin can —even if the ridges offered a slicing guide so you could have a perfectly portioned round of cranberries on your plate. (Insert shudder here.)
As always, this recipe can be tweaked and played with until you’ve made it your own. My favorite additions are Grand Marnier, fresh rosemary, and orange peel. If you’re a purist you can leave the extras out and still enjoy incredible cranberry sauce, even without the tin-shape. - CFG
Ingredients:
1 package fresh whole cranberries
1/2 cup white sugar (for tart sauce) -OR- 3/4 cup (for sweeter sauce)
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 orange
reserve one strip of peel
zest remainder of orange
pulp of orange, minced
1 cup mango juice (other orange-like juices can be used as well)
1 oz of Grand Marnier (or other orange liqueur)
Directions:
Combine 1 cup of juice with 1/2 cup sugar in a medium saucepan.
Stir constantly and bring to a medium boil to fully dissolve the sugar.
Add one package of fresh cranberries and return to medium-low boil while gently stirring.
Add in 1 oz of Grand Marnier, a sprig of fresh rosemary, one length of orange peel, zest, and pulp of orange.
Gently boil on low-medium heat for ~10 minutes. Cranberries will burst and split open as they cook. You can also use a potato masher to gently break up the berries until you have the consistency you prefer— I use the end/flat of my rubber spatula to break them down.
Remove from heat and let cool completely.
Store in refrigerator for ~1 week or serve immediately.
Notes:
I leave the orange peel and rosemary in the mixture so the flavours can really steep. For a more subtle flavour, remove and dispose the herb and peel once the mixture has completely cooled.
Don’t be afraid to play with your sugar content or types of juice to achieve the right amount of sweet/tartness you like best. I use mango juice so I can reduce the sugar amount from 1 cup to 1/2 cup (tart) OR 3/4 cup (sweet) like you find in traditional recipes.
Look at the gorgeous colour on these babies!
