Homemade cranberry sauce or jelly is always made the day before and allowed to set and chill in the refrigerator covered overnight. At least any that I’ve ever known that were really good — except for the one I call my cranberry dip because I use it so frequently for dipping flat breads but is really just another cranberry sauce — so they have a chance for the flavors to meld really well and to properly set. Also, any excess non-jellied liquid, if any, is going to separate in that time and can be poured off.
The following is the family recipe for a very traditional chunky sauce. Below it I have included my “cheat” recipe for this same flavor of chunky sauce with less fuss when I am not up for doing much else, but which is also great for making an easy cranberry orange jelly.
Most will not add any thickening or gel agents and allow the sauce to cook down naturally. It doesn’t take terribly long — but it usually done at the end of a very long day in order to set up overnight and allow the flavors to meld really well for the next day.
It is done at the end of the day when I am at my least best and not getting around very well. If I can manage the traditional family recipe I will do so, but I have a handy “cheat” that I devised a long time ago for a backup — from another family recipe for plain cranberry jelly — but which incorporates the flavors of the other recipe and it can then be used for making either a chunky cranberry sauce or a jelly with those same great flavors.
If that next day is an important holiday you may already be tired and looking forward to getting to bed a bit faster if at all possible. The thought of an otherwise simple recipe but which takes time to cook down and thicken may be daunting.
Some to hurry things up but avoid being left with a watery sauce will add things like corn starch or fruit pectin.
I don’t care for the consistency myself and have my own trick — which is to use apple sauce, cider, or juice which contains natural fruit pectin to help thicken the sauce or jelly a bit quicker and ensure the sauce doesn’t turn out watery — but it does so without making it overly stiff or hard set. It adds very little apple flavor but what little it does add is complimentary and makes the sauce or jelly even better tasting. It creates that nice soft set as is expected — but lessens the cooking time a bit. You can use any of those apple products in the chunky sauce but be sure to use the clear apple juice for making the jelly.
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Not everyone, I’ve discovered, knows that to make apple jelly all you have to do is boil pure apple juice or even apple cider with sugar — 1 cup juice to 3/4 cups sugar — or you can make sugar free by boiling with nothing added at all and simply boil longer to reduce. Chill to set and serve. No fruit pectin is required because apples and the juice already contains it naturally — provided it isn’t overly processed juice in which case add applesauce.
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Cranberry Orange Sauce
Yield: between about 2 and 2-1/2 cups
3/4 cups water
1 cup plus 1 Tablespoon granulated white sugar
2 cups (12 ounces) cranberries, fresh OR frozen (thawed) OR dried
1/8 teaspoon corn starch or fruit pectin
1 Tablespoon lukewarm tap water
1/2 of a lemon, juiced OR 1 Tablespoon bottled lemon juice OR 1 Tablespoon frozen lemon juice concentrate (thawed)
2 large oranges, zest and fruit, OR zest of one orange plus 1 can mandarin oranges, well drained
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/16 teaspoon (a pinch or dash) of ground cloves
Note:
This is the original family recipe, however, I actually prefer not to use the cornstarch or pectin and lukewarm water. Instead, I prefer to add about 1 Tablespoon unsweetened apple sauce, OR 2 Tablespoons apple cider OR 2-1/2 Tablespoon pure apple juice. The natural fruit pectin of these apple products helps jelly the sauce so it isn’t too watery but without the risk of making it too stiff.
Preparation:
If using dried cranberries, blanch by placing in pot and covering with water. Bring to a full roiling boil then remove from heat and set aside until they have plumped and softened for 5 minutes. Reserve 3/4 cups of the blanching water and discard the rest. Drain the cranberries to remove any excess liquid and set aside.
If using two oranges, remove the zest from the two oranges using a zester, very fine shredder, or a small knife. Remove and discard the pith (white spongy skin remains), seeds, and thick membranes from the remaining fruit.
If using zest of one orange and a can of mandarin oranges, zest the orange and drain the can of mandarin oranges.
To make the cranberry sauce:
Place the orange zest, sugar, and 3/4 cup of water into a saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer (not a full roiling boil) and cook for 5 minutes. If blanched dried cranberries, use 3/4 cups of the blanching water.
Add cranberries and continue to cook at a gentle simmer until the cranberries start to pop open, about 3 minutes if using fresh or thawed frozen.
If using blanched dried cranberries, cook for 6 to 9 minutes to soften and plump further and infuse additional flavor into the water; they may or may not plump enough to pop at all.
Transfer mixture to the bowl of a food processor or to a mixing bowl. Add the orange fruit and to the mixture. Pulse to process or mash by hand until mixture is combined and reaches the desired consistency — may make it very chunky or less chunky as desired.
Whisk corn starch into lukewarm tap water. Combine in pan with cranberry sauce, seasonings and lemon and bring to a full roiling boil. Reduce heat and gently simmer 60 to 90 seconds or until just begins to thicken slightly (it will thicken much further as it cools). Remove from heat.
When cool enough, transfer to storage container and allow to finish cooling completely.
When fully cooled, cover and refrigerate overnight. To serve, pour off any pooled non-jellied liquid, then stir very well and spoon into serving dish.
If desired, add the non-jellied liquid, if any, to fruit or garden salads and toss to incorporate.
Tam’s Easy Orange Cranberry Sauce
When not up for zesting and squeezing, etc. this is how I make a quick, easy chunky cranberry sauce — and it is also great for making a jelly only cranberry sauce.
3/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons bottled lemon juice concentrate
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 cups (12 ounces) frozen cranberries, thawed
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
a pinch or dash of ground cloves
For chunky, cook everything together in pot over low heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved and the cranberries are soft. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil. Reduce to a low-medium and cook until at least half to three-quarters of the cranberry skins have popped open.
Mash some of the berries– in the pot or may remove some to a bowl if preferred — with a potato masher. At least 1/2 cup of cranberries mashed is needed for a chunkier sauce and mash more for less chunky. Stir mash to mix well with the rest of the cranberries.
Simmer until reduces and thickens stirring occasionally. If desired, speed things up a bit by adding a 1/4 cup of apple juice.
When cool enough, transfer to storage container and allow to finish cooling completely.
When fully cooled, cover and refrigerate overnight. To serve, stir very well and spoon into serving dish.
For jelly only, boil everything as above — except the sugar — then as soon as skins have popped mash or puree then strain and return the jelly juices to the pot. Add the sugar plus 1/4 cup of clear apple juice, bring to roiling boil, reduce heat and simmer until reduced and thickened. If required, add 1/4 cup more of apple juice to thicken to desired consistency.
Tips:
For jellied, it can be strained easily without getting any seeds if you place a lint free linen or cheese cloth (warning: it will become stained) over a bowl, pour the mash after cooling so safe to handle into it, bring the ends together and firmly squeeze the juices into the bowl. If you don’t mind the little cranberry seeds or tiniest bits of skin and pulp, then just use a fine wire mesh strainer.
When cooked, pour hot jelly into a heat safe serving dish and allow to cool completely before covering and putting in the refrigerator. It will set up in the serving dish and be a beautiful clear jelly molded right inside of the serving dish.
Alternately, you can use a jelly mold. When fully set and chilled, place the mold into hot water to loosen being careful not to get water over the top edge and into your jelly then turn it out onto a serving dish. Or, you can simply upturn the mold onto the serving dish and blow dry it with a hand held hair dryer on its highest heat setting.
For my Cranberry Dip — which is really just another type of cranberry sauce but I call a dip because I usually make for dipping flat bread — and that is equally very good for holidays if you cool then chill covered for 2 hours before serving:
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