Thanksgiving Game Changer: Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry, Maple and Orange deliciousness that will impress even the most skeptic cranberry sauce critic.
Just the Recipe | About 2 Cups
Ingredients
1 12 oz bag of Fresh Cranberries
1 Cup Raw Sugar
1/4-3/4 Cup Maple Syrup
1 Lemon, Zested and Juiced⠀
1 Orange, Zested and Juiced
1 Granny Smith Apple
1 Cup Water
Steps
Prepare the fruit:
Pick over the cranberries, discarding mushy or very dark berries. Pull off any stems and wash in cold water.
Peel and dice the apple in small pieces.
Zest the orange and lemon.
Cut the zested orange and lemon in half and juice each half. Pour the juice over the diced apple to keep the pieces from browning while you cook the berries.
Make the sauce:
Add the cranberries, sugar, maple syrup and 1 cup of water to a cast iron braiser or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir.
Cook for 5 minutes until the skins start to pop.
Add the apples, lemon + orange juice, and citrus zest. Stir.
Boil for about 15 minutes, stirring often and using a wooden spoon or kitchen masher to break down the fruit.
Remove from the heat. Stir in the dried fruit and/or nuts (see variations below) if using. The sauce should congeal quickly.
Serve! Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.
Kitchen Acumen Tips:
A note on sugar:
It is so easy to make homemade cranberry sauce and it allows you to really control the sugar. Most cranberry sauces in the store, even a lot of the premium brands, use corn syrups and often high fructose corn syrup. Here you can use more natural sugars. The citrus really takes the flavor to another level and pairs gorgeously with turkey.
We love our cranberry sauce really tangy so I go with 1 Cup Raw Sugar + 1/4 Maple Syrup but you can add up to 3/4 cup of syrup for a sweeter sauce.
You can skip the syrup and just use more raw sugar.
Only have regular white granulated sugar? That works too and is still easier on your body than corn syrups.
A note on apples: The apple is important as it introduces more pectic so the sauce gels. Don’t skip it! Granny Smith apples are high in pectin. If you can’t find that variety, opt for another firm and tart apple like a Bramley or Cortland.
Variations:
If you want to play with textures, add 1/2 cup of raisins or dried cranberries or cherries to the sauce at the end.
Top with chopped pecans or walnuts, or stir them in.
Make in advance! This sauce will keep fresh for days. Make it as early as the weekend before Thanksgiving. That said it comes together in about 30 minutes and is made on the stovetop so you can easily whip it up while the turkey is resting.
