Like many of us, I grew up with canned cranberry sauce as part of some, if not all Thanksgivings. Inspired by the thread on Pecan pie, I thought it may be interesting to discuss the cranberry and how it fits in.
My mother only used fresh cranberries in a sort of raw, slaw-like relish. I was never much of a fan of that type of dish.
As an adult, i abhor the canned sauces. Fresh cranberry sauce is so easy to make and tastes considerably better than the canned.
Cranberries, sugar and water. Boil. Even a non-cook can pull this one off.
For those who are looking for something more interesting, the cranberry lends itself well to many other flavors. Apples, orange, lemon, jalapeno, and rhubarb have all found their way into fresh sauce at my house. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves have as well. A little alcohol can really enhance the flavor. Something fruity like Triple-Sec or Grand Mariner or even smoky like bourbon can add depth of flavor as the sauce boils.
I now end up making two batches every year with different flavor combinations. This year, we are going to convert one batch into fresh cranberry oatmeal bars…a layer of sauce between a brown sugar oatmeal crust and similar topping.
I look forward to hearing how y’all use cranberries for your holiday tradition.
I do the cooked version with orange zest, the juice from the orange and freshly minced ginger. My mom is bringing a fresh relish version and my niece insists on having the canned jellied kind. So…I will have three types of cranberry sauce on the table next week.
I also can a few jars of cranberry sauce - a more basic and less sweet one - for use as a glaze for pork tenderloin throughout the year. I love buying the big bag of cranberries at Costco, though I planted some cranberry bushes this year. The two cranberries on them won’t do much for me but they are awfully pretty. Maybe in five years or so I will be able to produce enough to make sauce.
I admit to using the canned sauce, but only the whole berry type, not the jellied. No one else in my family eats it so not worth making it from scratch.
@FallGirl We had the same problem until we started making the fresh kind. The 1st time we had to mandate everyone try some. Since then, it has been a hit…plus the leftovers keep for months and can be used for flavoring meats or even as a schmear for an English muffin or toast.
Our cranberries are in a jello type salad. My grandmother always made this for the holidays and I absolutely love it. My kids however do not like it one little bit. I still make it though. It’s fresh cranberries, jello, crushed pineapple and juice, and walnuts.
My son-in-law loves canned Ocean Spray sauce, so I get a can for him every year. Everyone else says, he/she hates it but at the end of the meal, lots of people have had some of the Ocean Spray stuff!! I make the recipe below as well. Warning–the resulting cranberry relish is a pinkish color, which makes it a great conversation topic.
I make cranberry sauce (almost as easy as boiling water) with orange juice, zest and a splash of Grand Marnier. DH needs to see the can lines on cranberry jelly at the table, too. We have both.
I use the canned whole cranberry sauce but it gets mixed with other things. You start with raspberry jello diluted with hot water until dissolved, add the cranberries, chopped pecans, apples and celery. Jell. Delicious!
I love cranberries. Grew up on the canned version (still love it, probably the only canned product I ever purchase), but now make my own sauce adding whatever seems right for the moment - celery, orange zest, tangerine segments, walnuts.
Fresh cranberries work great in dishes with roasted vegetables like butternut squash or sweet potatoes, just throw them whole into the mix. Here’s my favorite recipe for non-squash eaters. They usually can’t identify the squash because of the nice spices. http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/almond-cranberry-squash-bake
I grew up with the fresh cranberry sauce made from the recipe on the bag of Ocean Spray cranberries – cranberries, sugar and water. I’m always disappointed with anything else – no matter how much more sophisticated. That simple fresh sauce is a primal flavor of Thanksgiving to me.
We have both homemade and the canned jelly kind on the table and I always take some of both. I’d love to have even more varieties on the table but my sets the menu and the agenda so best to go with the flow…
The best is schmearing it on a turkey sandwich the next day.
