“The Cranberries”
I love a can of cranberries for its jellied texture and too-sweet flavor — it feels good to be bad, no? But I love a DIY sauce for the punch of acidity and undeniable, much needed hit of freshness.
SERVES — 6 to 8
The Cranberries are a classic 90’s alternative rock band most famous for their hit “Dreams,” among other wonderful songs. They’re also a saucy condiment that we eat pretty much exclusively at Thanksgiving and no other time of year.
I love a can of cranberries for its jellied texture and too-sweet flavor– it feels good to be bad, no? But I love a DIY sauce for the punch of acidity and undeniable, much needed hit of freshness. Cranberries in their raw state are extremely high in pectin, making them very easy to turn them into a perfectly textured sauce with little more than some sugar (or honey) and a brief boil on the stove. I make mine simply, with no additions of spice or ginger, no orange rind to simmer alongside. The sweet, acidic, lightly bitter cranberries themselves are providing all you need, and the nuance of a single pod of star anise is likely lost (or worse– clashes) with whatever else is on the table
Ingredients
- 12–16 ounce bag of fresh or frozen cranberries
- ¾ cup granulated sugar or honey (or use some combination of the two to total ¾ cup sweetener)
- 2–4 tablespoons fresh tangerine, orange, grapefruit, lemon or lime juice
- Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- In a medium pot, combine half the cranberries, sugar and/or honey, citrus juice, and a splash of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to break down and look a little jammy, about 3–5 minutes.
- Add the rest of the cranberries and cook, just until they burst, another 3–5 minutes or so. Remove from heat, season with just the smallest pinch of salt and a crack of pepper. Transfer to a bowl or resealable container and chill completely.
DO AHEAD: Arguably better if made at least the night before but can be made up to 5 days ahead. Stored in a resealable container, refrigerated.
LEFTOVERS: No wrong answers, but I don’t have a suggestion that will reinvent the wheel here. If I had cranberry sauce right now, I’d make biscuits to put them on.
Discussion