Cranberries are one of the few traditional Thanksgiving foods that may plausibly have been eaten at the first Thanksgiving celebration. These days, though, most Americans eat cranberries heavily doctored with high fructose corn syrup in the form of jellied cranberry sauce or canned whole berry sauce. But if you're allergic to corn, you can still enjoy cranberries on Thanksgiving. This recipe is easy and can be made up to five days ahead. Double or triple it for large crowds.
Prep Time: 0:0
Cook Time: 0:20
Ingredients:
- 1 c orange juice
- 1 (12 oz.) bag fresh cranberries (about 4 c)
- 1 c sugar, plus more to taste
- 1 1-in. piece fresh ginger, peeled, or 2 tsp powdered ginger
- 1 Tbsp honey (optional)
- zest of 1 fresh orange or lemon, or 2 tsp dried orange zest (optional)
Preparation:
- In a large non-reactive saucepan, heat orange juice over medium heat until boiling. Add cranberries. Add sugar, stirring constantly until dissolved. Add ginger and, if using, honey and orange zest. Immediately reduce heat to low. Partially cover with a lid to leave a little room for steam to escape.
- Simmer gently, stirring every few minutes, for about 15 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened a bit and the berries' skins have broken. If you run out of liquid before the berries cook completely, add water as necessary and reduce the heat (the sauce should bubble gently as it cooks).
- Turn off the heat. Taste for sugar and adjust as necessary. If using the large fresh ginger piece, remove at this time. Serve warm, or move to containers to chill in your refrigerator.
Serves 8 to 10 as a condiment with a large dinner.
