I always hated that jelly in a can that people serve for Thanksgiving and was pretty turned off to the taste of "cranberry sauce" until I learned how super easy it is to make your own. Here goes - probably the shortest recipe I will ever write:
1 12-oz bag fresh cranberries, rinsed and any bad-looking ones removed
1 orange, zested and juiced
1 cup sugar
water as needed
In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries, orange zest and sugar. Measure the orange juice and add water to bring it to 3/4 cup. Heat on medium-high to boil, then reduce to medium-low, cooking approximately 10-12 minutes until all the cranberries pop open and the liquid starts to thicken a bit. Remove from heat and refrigerate for at least an hour. The natural pectin in the fruit will help to "set" it into a gel, but it will ultimately be more like a jam, not jell-o.
Serve with thanksgiving dinner and stir leftovers into yogurt or use in a cocktail. Yeah, that's right, there's a cocktail that uses cranberry sauce. People are so clever.
Sometimes I vary by adding a little chopped apple or using maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar, but this is essentially the recipe I use too. Homemade cranberry sauce is so delicious on its own and very tasty as a spread on leftover sandwiches. Yum!
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