Feed this to your family alongside the Thanksgiving turkey and they will never, ever, ever go back to canned cranberry sauce as long as they live. This stuff is AMAZING. Make a double batch, because the leftovers are brilliant served warm or cold over ice cream, as a filling for crepes or on top of pancakes, or just eaten straight out of a bowl.
I’ve mentioned in other recipes that when fresh cranberries go on sale in November, I buy 15 or 20 bags and keep them in my freezer for use throughout the year. You just won’t believe how amazing cranberry sauce is when you make it with whole, juicy, tart cranberries.
1 orange, zested and juiced
2 lemons, zested and juiced
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp table salt)
Put all this into a large saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until it begins to boil. Then add:
1 bag fresh cranberries (make sure there aren’t any rocks or foreign matter in the bag)
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
Reduce the heat to medium and stir constantly. The cranberries will begin to pop open. When about 1/2 of them have popped, remove the sauce from the burner. This should take less than 5 minutes. Then add:
1/4 cup Grand Marnier, Triple Sec, or another orange-flavored liqueur
This step is optional, but boy does it make a tasty cranberry sauce!
Stir, then chill in the fridge before serving. It will thicken up nicely. And you’ll be the most popular person at Thanksgiving after everyone samples it.
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