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Quick cranberry sauce recipe

cranberries and clementinesTwo years ago I made cranberry sauce to die for. It kept for months in the fridge and was wolfed down with everything from goat’s cheese toasties to roast chicken. I particularly loved it with brie in sandwiches. In fact we both agreed that it really comes into its own after Christmas, when it is not jockeying for position with so many other treats. Although I would feel bereft if it didn’t make an appearance on Christmas Day.

Cranberry sauce is dead easy to make and it’s quick too. Once you’ve tasted homemade you’ll probably never want to buy a jar again. I spotted a two for one offer on cranberries at the supermarket and pounced on them. It took me half an hour to make this sauce. It is not nearly as sweet as commercially produced sauce and is perfect with turkey, goose, game and cheese.

Update – 23rd December 2007. Today I made a new cranberry sauce recipe you can find it here.

Quick cranberry sauce recipe

Ingredients:

  • 300g of fresh cranberries
  • 4 clementines (juice and zest)
  • 120g white granulated sugar
  • 25-50ml of Port (to taste)

Method:

  1. Wash the cranberries and discard any iffy fruit.
  2. Put the cranberries in a saucepan.
  3. Wash the clementines and remove the zest (just a little off each fruit to give you about half a teaspoonful from them all). Squeeze the juice and add the zest, pulp and juice to the cranberries.
  4. Add the sugar and stir well.
  5. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Taste the sauce at this stage, if you find the sauce is to tart for your taste, add a little more sugar.
  6. Pop on the lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes until all the cranberries are soft and splitting. Some of them will cook more quickly than others. Stir the sauce gently every five minutes or so. When the sauce if ready, remove from the heat and stir in the port.
  7. Pot in warm sterilised jars with plastic lined screw top lids. Store in the fridge. How do I sterilise jars? See tricks and tips below.

Tricks and tips:

How do I sterilise jars?

Just before making the sauce, quickly wash and rinse the jars and place them upside down in a cold oven. Set the temperature to 160c (140c fan-assisted). When the oven has reached the right temperature turn off the heat and open the door. The bottles will stay hot for quite a while, so use oven gloves when removing them from the oven. Sterilise the lids by boiling these for a few minutes in water.


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82 Comments

  1. here you go
    all in french for you..

    300 g de canneberges fraîches
    4 clémentines (jus et zeste)
    120 g de sucre blanc cristallisé
    25-50ml de Port (au goût)
    Méthode:

    Laver les canneberges et de jeter tout iffy fruits.
    Mettez les canneberges dans une casserole.
    Lavez les clémentines et enlever le zeste (juste un peu au large de chaque fruit pour vous donner environ une demi-cuillerée à thé de tous). Pressez le jus et ajouter le zeste, de la pâte et le jus de canneberges.
    Ajouter le sucre et bien mélanger.
    Amener à mijoter doucement, en remuant pour dissoudre le sucre. Goûtez la sauce à ce stade, si vous trouvez la sauce à tarte est à votre goût, ajouter un peu plus de sucre.
    Pop sur le couvercle et laisser mijoter pendant 15-20 minutes jusqu’à ce que tous les canneberges sont doux et de division. Certains d’entre eux cuire plus rapidement que d’autres. Incorporer la sauce délicatement toutes les cinq minutes environ. Lorsque la sauce si prêt, retirer du feu et incorporer dans le port.
    Pot chaud dans les pots stérilisés avec doublure en plastique haut de couvercles à vis. Entreposer dans le réfrigérateur. Comment puis-je stériliser les pots? Voir les trucs et astuces ci-dessous.

  2. Chloe Morgan

    What the heck is 300 and 120g?? This is a UK site and most of us here in the UK use ounces. Why not go the whole hog and also give us the method in say, French?

  3. Fiona Nevile

    Hello Hannah

    Having eaten the fresh sauce I wouldn’t buy the shop version ever again. I’d rather go witout and just remember the treat of fresh cranberry sauce.

  4. I’ve just re-read the article and see now that it keeps for months. What I mean to ask really is – is it better fresh? Ta.

  5. Can anyone tell me how well this sauce keeps? Am I better off making it a couple of days before Christmas rather than now with a week to go? Thanks, Hannah

  6. thanks for your tips..will try them out..

  7. Fiona Nevile

    Hi Dorothy

    I’d add the mixed sauce incrementally – 1/4 teaspoon at a time and taste the sauce.

    Hello Fred

    That sounds like a great twist

  8. please remeber to take out the cloves befor putting it into jars

  9. I made the cranberry sauce yesterday and used a few cloves for added arroma
    tastes and smells great

  10. Dorothy Tickle

    could you please tell me how much mixed spice to use..in the sause..i want to make some with the spice and some without..to taste the difference..

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