Cranberries and Thanksgiving are almost considered inseparable and the festive
dinner is incomplete without the incorporation of recipes containing these sweet
delicacies. Ever since the historic Thanksgiving feast in the year 1623,
cranberries have appeared alongside the turkey on almost every festive table.
The sauce made from these sweet berries is like a must-have and adds a seductive
zing to the mild flavor of the roasted turkey. Some people even use these
ruby-red berries as a theme for their Thanksgiving celebration, by making
wreaths and garlands out of these berries or by garnishing various dishes with
them. You can also use cranberries to make salads, mixed drinks or even desserts
for the occasion. For preparing the traditional cranberry sauce, you have to
start the preparations several hours before the festive meal. This is because
apart from the preparation time, the sauce has to be chilled in the refrigerator
for about 4 hours, to attain the desired consistency. A very simple and easy
technique to make this festive delicacy has been given below in this article.
How To Make Cranberry Sauce
Basic Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
* 1¼ cup Sugar
* 1¼ cup Water
* 16 oz Fresh Cranberries
Method
* Pour the water in a saucepan and add sugar to it.
* When they start boiling, add cranberries to the syrup.
* Let the mixture boil and them put them on low heat and let them cook for
another 10 minutes while stirring at the same time.
* Cranberries will split open from the heat.
* Pour everything in a strainer put over a bowl and use the back of the spoon to
push the sauce through the strainer and there is no juice left in the pulp.
* Stir the cranberry sauce well and cover it with a plastic lid.
* Let the sauce cool in the fridge for more than three hours before serving.
Cranberry Sauce Extraordinaire
Ingredients
* 1 cup water
* 1 cup white sugar
* ½ teaspoon salt
* ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 cup pecans (chopped)
* 1 cup dried mixed fruit (chopped)
* 1 orange (peeled and pureed)
* 1 apple (peeled, cored and diced)
* 1 pear (peeled, cored and diced)
* 1 packaged fresh cranberries
Method
* Wash the cranberries properly and add them to a pan containing boiled water
and sugar. Bring the pan to a boil once again and then reduce the heat allowing
the contents to simmer for ten minutes.
* During this stage, add in the pureed orange, apple, dried fruits, pear, salt,
cinnamon and nutmeg.
* You can also add in a pint of fresh or frozen blueberries for added sweetness.
* Cover and allow simmering for 30 minutes more stirring occasionally in
between.
* Once done, remove the pan from the heat and allow the contents to cool at room
temperature. After this, transfer the contents in a bowl and then chill in the
refrigerator for about 3 to 4 hours.
* Once chilled, the sauce will thicken to the desired consistency and can be
taken along with the roasted turkey.
