Cranberry sauce is a traditional accompaniment to Thanksgiving dinner, and homemade cranberry sauce may just be the simplest Thanksgiving dish to prepare.
While opening a can of store-bought cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving may be your family’s tradition, you can make a delicious cranberry sauce from scratch in only 15 minutes. You may never serve mass-produced cranberry sauce in the shape of the can it came in after tasting this sophisticated holiday classic. Best of all, this recipe can be prepared a day or two before Thanksgiving.
If you are bringing a dish to a holiday meal and don't feel you're much of a cook or don't have the time for elaborate recipes, this cranberry sauce recipe is the ideal solution. Easy enough for cooking novices, yet chic enough to impress, you can't go wrong with port wine cranberry sauce.
Cranberries are one of only three fruits indigenous to North America, and were used as far back as the 16th century by Native Americans for food, dyes, and medicine. The Native Americans in turn introduced cranberries to the Pilgrims in the 1600s, so it is likely that cranberries, in some form, were indeed served at the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth in 1621.
These early Americans had the right idea, as cranberries are high in disease-fighting antioxidants, as evidenced by their rich red color. Cranberries are also high in vitamins A and C, and potassium. Grown in bogs from Canada and New England all the way down to Georgia, and as far west as Minnesota, cranberries are perhaps best-known for their appearance as a Thanksgiving side dish.
Cranberry sauce is one of the easiest, quickest Thanksgiving dishes, and among the most healthful. This recipe uses Tawny port wine, a fortified Portuguese red wine that is typically served as a dessert wine. The port lends a complex flavor and nice contrast to the tart cranberries.
Ingredients
- 1-12 ounce package fresh cranberries (substitute 4 cups frozen cranberries if fresh are unavailable)
- 1 cup white sugar
- the zest of ½ an orange, grated
- ½ cup Tawny port wine
- ½ cup water
Steps
- Wash the cranberries in a colander under cold water. Remove any stems.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the wine, water, and sugar, and bring to a boil.
- Add the cranberries and orange zest to the saucepan and return to a boil. Simmer for approximately 10-15 minutes, until all the cranberries burst, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and let cool—the sauce will thicken upon standing. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
This recipe yields approximately 2 cups of cranberry sauce.
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