15 December 2011

Mulled Cranberries

 I've never really understood the whole cranberry jelly thing. It tastes nothing like cranberries, and when it slides out of the tin, it has these rings on it that remind me of a block of dog food straight from the can. 

It's so easy to make your own cranberry sauce, and I make it each year to give as gifts. This is my most popular variety - inspired by one of my favourite winter drinks, mulled wine. It has such a lovely balance of sweet, spicy, bitter and sour - it's simply amazing with salty turkey with gravy or a well seasoned ham. 
The alcohol is burned off during cooking, but I make another version replacing the wine with half water/ half orange juice that also works beautifully.   

Ingredients:
  • 340g cranberries (standard 12 oz packet size)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup red wine
  • rind of 1/2 an orange (as little pith as possible)
  • 1 large cinnamon quill
  • 5 cloves
Instructions
  1. Throw all ingredients into a pot and bring to the boil.
  2. Simmer, stirring occasionally for about 1 hour, or until nicely reduced (but not blackened and stuck to the bottom of the pan)
  3. Pour into pretty sterilized jars (link here), get like Martha Stewart and make it pretty.


Provided the jars are full and sterilized properly, this sauce should keep on the shelf for at least a couple of months, but if you want to be safe, probably best to keep it in the fridge and use it within a couple of weeks.

5 comments:

  1. Oh yum! I'm going to try this one - thanks!

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  2. This is just yummm .............i love the color n the cute jars too...........:)

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  3. It looks delicious! I am all for doing homemade jams and preserves! This is a must try!

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  4. Where did you find fresh cranberries here? and can you substitute the wine with something else?

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  5. Hi arwa, cranberries at spinneys, and yes, absolutely you can substitute the alcohol. I made one at the same time in a different pot with water and a squeeze of fresh orange juice. It didn't have the sourness of the wine one, so next time id use half orange juice, half water.

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