Thanksgiving: Cranberry sauce and beyond. November 22, 2009
Posted by ourfriendben in homesteading, recipes, wit and wisdom.Tags: cranberries, cranberry sauce, Thanksgiving recipes
6 comments
Silence Dogood here, kicking off a week of Thanksgiving recipes with that classic, cranberry sauce. Our friend Ben and I grew up in households where our mamas lovingly made cranberry sauce for every Thanksgiving and Christmas. Their recipes were pretty similar—fresh cranberries, oranges, sugar, cinnamon sticks, and cloves, cooked up into a glittering but bitter dish served up in elegant cut-crystal dishes. Yes, they looked gorgeous. No, we didn’t like them. We’d take that canned cranberry jelly any day.
So, how do you make cranberry sauce without making it bitter? I saw a recipe in the Parade magazine last week that I thought would do the trick, from noted food author Dorie Greenspan. I plan to try it this Thanksgiving (with the changes I’ve noted in the recipe). You might want to as well.
Dorie Greenspan’s Cranberry Sauce
2 bags (12 oz. each) fresh cranberries [Note from Silence: I have read emphatic assertions that frozen cranberries are actually better than fresh cranberries in cranberry sauce. I didn't even realize there were frozen cranberries, but I might try them if I find them and see what I think.]
1 cup orange juice
1 cup apricot jam
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. powdered ginger [Note from Silence: No way! I'd mince either fresh or crystallized ginger and add it instead.]
1/4 pound dried apricots, finely diced
[Note from Silence: I'd at least think about adding 1/2 cup of dried cranberries---aka "craisins"---or dried tart cherries, too. And I know plenty of folks add a splash of Grand Marnier in their cranberry sauce. We've never done it, but can't hurt, might help should you choose to try it.]
Stir all the ingredients together in a large, heavy pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the berries pop and the sauce starts to thicken—it will thicken much more as it cools—about 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature, cover, and chill.
Okay, sounds easy and good, right? But you might want to halve the amount—Dorie claims this recipe serves 20. (It certainly wouldn’t here! We love our cranberry sauce.)
FYI, we posted lots of great Thanksgiving recipes and resources back in November 2008. To access them, use our search bar to look for the ones that speak to you: “Putting some heat in your Thanksgiving celebration,” “Curried pumpkin soup,” “Try this with turkey,” “Cookbooks to be thankful for, parts 1-3,” Silence’s Chili Surprise,” “Fabulous easy salad dressing,” “A good day for baking cookies,” “Pumpkin chili, glazed carrots, and sweet potato souffle,” “Time for pumpkin bread!”, “Picking pumpkins,” and “Silence’s Amazing Cranberry Stuffing.”
Meanwhile, keep an eye on this site for recipes and lore that will take you to Turkey Day and on towards Christmas! And please, we’d love it if you’d share some of your own favorite Thanksgiving recipes with us.
‘Til next time,
Silence
