Sunday, December 7, 2008

probably the most delicious thing you will ever ingest

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So, I have a friend, Leah, who makes an absolutely AMAZING cranberry sauce.  She was gracious enough to share some tips with me (as well as the whole recipe, but my memory is so awful I was forced to Google for cranberry sauce and adjust according to what I remembered!).  And let me tell you...I will never nay say cranberry sauce again!

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I did NOT used to be a fan of cranberry sauce - I had tried the canned version on turkey one year for Thanksgiving, and was sorely disappointed.  The concept sounded delicious, but I did not like the way the flavors played out in the canned version.  This recipe has SO restored my faith in cranberry sauce though!

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Leah's tips included adding zest of lemon and orange, as well as nutmeg, cinnamon, and a little less sugar that is usually called for.  This stuff is so good, I guarantee that you'll be eating it straight from the fridge with a spoon...not that I'm speaking from personal experience or anything ;). 

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My interpretation on Leah's Amazing Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
12 ounces of fresh cranberries 
zest of one orange 
zest of 1/2 lemon 
1/2 tsp nutmeg 
1 tsp cinnamon

Combine juices, water, sugar and salt to a large sauce pan.  Stir pan on medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Add in the cranberries,  spices, and zest and stir to combine.

Put a lid on the sauce pan, with a tiny gap at one edge for steam to escape.

Cook for 10 to 12 minutes. The longer the cranberry sauce is cooked, the less the cranberries will be a uniform texture.  So, if you want a more uniform texture, cook longer.  Personally, I like mine to be rougher and have some whole cranberries in it, so I took mine off on the earlier side.

The sauce is ready to eat warm, but tastes even better if you refrigerate it overnight.  Enjoy!

1 comment:

Jessica said...

actually, I am kindof obsessed with the canned jelly-ish version of cranberry sauce. How barbaric of me hahaha. I have just not tried too many homemade ones and the ones I have were gross. I should try this recipe though!