Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Fifteen minutes on the stove and you will never open a can again. Whole cranberries pop in orange-scented syrup, thicken on their own pectin, and set to a glossy ruby spoonable condiment as they cool. Tart and bitter where it counts, barely sweet, built to cut through roast turkey and gravy rather than sit beside dessert.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings: 12 Servings

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Calories: 95

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

12 oz fresh or frozen whole cranberries about 3 cups, rinsed and picked over for soft or shriveled berries
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
2 strips orange zest wide strips peeled from the orange, no white pith
3 tbsp fresh orange juice from the zested orange
1 stick cinnamon stick optional
1 pinch salt

Equipment

1 medium non-reactive saucepan stainless steel or enameled, not bare aluminum or cast iron
1 Wooden spoon
1 vegetable peeler for wide strips of orange zest
1 serving bowl or glass jar for chilling

Method

Rinse the cranberries in a colander under cold water and pick through them, discarding any that are soft, shriveled or split. Set aside about 3/4 cup of the firmest berries in a small bowl. These go in at the end so some stay whole.
Peel two wide strips of zest from the orange with a vegetable peeler, taking only the colored skin. Juice the orange and measure out 3 tablespoons.
Combine the sugar, water, orange zest strips, cinnamon stick and pinch of salt in a medium non-reactive saucepan. Set over medium-high heat and stir until the sugar dissolves completely, about 2 minutes. Bring to a full boil.
Add the larger portion of cranberries and return the pan to a boil, stirring once. You will hear the first berries crack within a minute or two.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Most of the berries will burst and split and the liquid will darken to deep ruby and look visibly syrupy on the back of the spoon.
Stir in the reserved 3/4 cup of cranberries and the orange juice. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes more, just until these berries soften and a few begin to split but most hold their shape.
Pull the pan off the heat while the sauce still looks looser than you want it, roughly the consistency of warm maple syrup with whole berries suspended in it. It will set considerably as it cools.
Fish out and discard the orange zest strips and the cinnamon stick. Taste. If it is aggressively sour for your table, stir in another tablespoon of sugar while the sauce is still hot, but keep it on the tart side.
Let the sauce cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then transfer to a serving bowl or jar, cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours and preferably overnight. Serve cold or at room temperature, never warm.

Notes

Make it at least one day ahead. It thickens in the refrigerator and the flavor rounds out overnight.

Pull the pan off the heat while the sauce still looks too loose. It firms up considerably as it cools, and cooking to a thick consistency in the pan gives a stiff, overcooked sauce.

No pectin, gelatin or cornstarch needed. Cranberries carry more than enough natural pectin.

For jellied sauce, use all the berries at once, simmer until every one bursts, then press through a fine-mesh sieve, pour into a mold and chill until firm.

Frozen cranberries work exactly as well as fresh. Do not thaw them, just add a minute or two to the simmer.

Resist adding more sugar. The acidity and faint bitterness are the whole point against rich meat.

Serve cold or at room temperature alongside roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, or roast ham. Spread the leftovers on a turkey sandwich the next day.

Keeps 2 weeks covered in the refrigerator and freezes for 3 months.

For the oldest Acadian version, swap the granulated sugar for 3/4 cup pure maple syrup and cut the water to 3/4 cup.