Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Cranberry sauce for people who hate cranberry sauce

Cranberry Sauce Extraordinaire
(from user Leeza at allrecipes)

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries
  • 1 orange, peeled and pureed
  • 1 apple - peeled, cored and diced
  • 1 pear - peeled, cored and diced
  • 1 cup chopped dried mixed fruit
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
DIRECTIONS:
  1. In a medium saucepan, boil water and sugar until the sugar dissolves.
  2. Reduce the heat to simmer, and stir in cranberries, pureed orange, apple, pear, dried fruit, pecans, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  3. Cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst.
  4. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.
Things I do differently:
  • I used canned pears. Good fresh pears are nonexistent this time of year. I use about half a can for a double recipe, drain the juice, and use that as part of my two cups of water.
  • I dump the pears in with the oranges for pureeing.
  • I use a metric ton of cinnamon. Plus a few cinnamon sticks. And a little extra nutmeg.
  • I'm using raw sugar this year. No idea how that'll work, but I know I like it better in everything else.
  • I use the crock pot. I dump all the ingredients in, mix up, and then pour the boiling sugar water over the top. This is especially handy for making the day before. You get it good and cooked on Wednesday (just check on it every hour or so until berries have burst), flavors become good friends in the refrigerator overnight, and then you plug it in when you arrive at your parents' house a few hours before dinner. And if it's not hot enough by the time you eat, you can just throw it on the stove in a pot for a while.
The only drawback to making it in the crock pot the night before is that you have to smell it all day, all night, and all morning before you can eat it. And then you pig out even more than usual at Thanksgiving dinner.

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