Thursday, November 18, 2010

A Berry Good Sauce for the Holidays

Cranberries on a slow simmer.
Cranberries as most folks know them.
This sauce makes a nice holiday gift too
 As Thanksgiving approaches I am trying to take the proactive approach & make as many things ahead as I can so I am not in a rush on the day of our big feast. No holiday meal would be complete without homemade Cranberry Sauce. I've had an infatuation with cranberries since I was a kid.  We lived in Alaska for several years & we used to enjoy picking wild berries as a family. Alaska has endless varieties of berries & actually more than one variety of cranberry.  My mother used to make jams, jellies, syrups & baked goods with the fruit.  The wild cranberry is much smaller than the variety we often see in the store which are commercially grown for sauces & juice. Whichever you are most familiar with this sauce is both simple & perfect for holiday entertainment. 





Lemony Cranberry Sauce
1 (12- ounce) bag cranberries, fresh
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Lemon juiced & seeds removed then dice pulp
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1/4 cup of Paula's Texas Lemon Liqueur*
1/8 teaspoon, fresh grated nutmeg
1 whole cinnamon stick**

Rinse cranberries, place in large saucepan along with water, sugar, lemon juice, lemon pulp, lemon zest. Bring berry mixture to a low boil, once the berries start to burst then reduce heat to slow simmer.  Add Lemon Liqueur, nutmeg & whole cinnamon stick.  Simmer about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.  Once the mixture has a syrup like texture & all the berries are soft then remove from heat & cool to room temperature.  I like to make this 1 week before holiday meal.  It keeps for 2 to 3 weeks & tastes better a few days after it sits chilled.  Leftover sauce freezes well. *Paula's Texas Lemon Liqueur also has an orange liqueur which is good for this recipe.  **The cinnamon stick can be left in till served as it imparts a slight spicy flavor.

16 comments:

P.B. Lecron said...

Yum! Yum!

Dee said...

Sounds DELICIOUS! I will have to try this. I actually live in Alaska. Just moved here from Southern California in April.

Dee said...

A French Education~ I hear you on missing Tex-Mex. Whenever we have lived away from Texas I have missed it too. There is just something about it.
Dee~You should be able to locate some great highbush or low bush cranberries up there next summer. We used to pick the berries & freeze them for using later.

Hornsfan said...

Can't wait to try this next week ;)

Anonymous said...

Cranberry sauce with lemon flavor sounds wonderfully delicious!

Dee said...

Thanks for the heads up! By the time I heard about the berry picking there is to do out here, it was a little late in the season. So I hope to get to do plenty of that next summer. I'm totally clueless about it :P

Chef E said...

Ummm- what a dish, and saw the Tuesday Tacos too! I bet you guys are having a fantastic holiday season together!

Dee said...

Hornsfan~you betcha!
5 Star~ I thought the lemon would blend well with the cranberries.
Dee~I know you will enjoy the berry variety there. It is positively endless. Get a good guidebook for knowledge of which berries are good.
Chef E~It should be a good holiday with the whole family together.

Taste of Beirut said...

Love cranberry sauce made from scratch; I just dont get people who prefr the canned variety; looks like this one is my pick!

Chef Fresco said...

Mmm great sauce! Like the lemon addition!

Shaheen said...

Beautiful colour. I am lookign forward to making my own this season. Just waiting for the cranberries to appear at the supermarkets here.

Jill said...

Very similar to mine. I used orange marmalade and grand marnier.

Dee said...

Taste of Beirut~I don't get it either. Although some people do prefer it, it is a mystery to me.
Chef Fresco~thanks, the lemon seems to work somehow & the liqueur isn't bad either! ha,ha!
Mangocheeks~I hope you locate them soon over there in the UK.
Jill~ yours sounds truly wonderful!

Angie's Recipes said...

Looks really appetizing and yummy!

Shaheen said...

Beautiful colour.

I'm Just waiting for the cranberries to hit the U.K supermarket shelves.

Diana's Cocina said...

What a lovely sauce. Something I can share with my friends for the holidays.