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Home » Side Dishes » Cranberry Sauce with Warm Spices and Orange Zest
November 3, 2020 by Kerry

Cranberry Sauce with Warm Spices and Orange Zest

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Cranberry Sauce | The Easiest Thanksgiving Side Dish
Cranberry Sauce | The Easiest Thanksgiving Side Dish
The Easiest Thanksgiving Side Dish

I’ll admit, I don’t tend to waste space on my Thanksgiving dinner plate for cranberry sauce. However, it’s a must-make side dish for the next day; I must have a good layer of cranberry sauce on any turkey sandwiches following the big dinner.

I’ll also admit that the canned stuff creeps me out. I think it’s the way that it holds the shape of the can that seems very unnatural and not food-like.


♥ Related: Restaurant-Style Salsa in 10-Minutes

The good thing is that cranberry sauce is probably the easiest Thanksgiving side dish to make. It takes about 10-minutes to pull together and you can make it many days ahead. Making your own cranberry sauce also allows you to customize it however you like.

Instead of just a flat flavored jam from a can, you can add some extra pizzazz in the form of aromatics during the cooking phase. I like to add star anise, a cinnamon stick, and some orange peel; some slices of fresh ginger would also be great. And maybe add a couple of cloves if you’re into that sort of thing. But, adding some combination of aromatics guarantees a cranberry sauce with some extra depth of flavor that you won’t get by just opening a can.


And be creative with the leftover sauce. It would be great on pancakes or in oatmeal; or even just on buttered toast. I’ve never tried it, but I feel like it would make a great topping for vanilla ice cream, too. Hmmm, maybe I should stock up on cranberries to make sauce all year long?!

Video: Cranberry Sauce 2-Minute Tutorial

Cranberry Sauce | The Easiest Thanksgiving Side Dish
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Cranberry Sauce with with Warm Spices and Orange Zest

Cranberry sauce is so easy to make and much better when you can add a few special ingredients to the recipe. This is my favorite version with warm spices and orange zest.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword Cranberries, Fruit, Jam, Sauce
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 12 oz fresh cranberries
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 star anise pod
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3 slices orange peel
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt

Instructions

  • In a medium pot, add all of the ingredients. Heat over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil.
  • Lower the temperature slightly to a hard simmer. Let simmer for about 10 minutes until most of the cranberries burst and the sauce gets thick.
  • Remove from heat. Remove the aromatics from the cranberry sauce and discard.
  • Store cranberry sauce in an air tight container and cool down in the refrigerator. Cranberry sauce will be good for about a week.

Notes

  • Feel free to make this recipe your own by adding your own favorite aromatics. I think a few slices of ginger would be nice or a couple of cloves. Lemon peel might be tasty too!

Star Anise

Cinnamon Sticks

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Category: Appetizers & Snacks, Side DishesTag: Cranberries, Quick & Easy, Sauce, Thanksgiving
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Hi! I’m Kerry, a life-long food and cooking enthusiast. I’m drawn to bold flavors, global ingredients, and recipes with a little twist. Welcome to my kitchen!

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