The holidays are the time for turkey. And this fresh cranberry sauce is the perfect condiment to enjoy with the meal. What makes it so yummy is that it is super fresh, not cooked in anyway. It acts more like a sweet and tart salsa with all the crunch and flavors that get lost in the jellied cranberry sauce. Even those who wouldn’t touch the canned sauce with a ten foot pole, will be tempted to try this fresh cranberry sauce.
Cranberry 101
Fresh cranberries are available in the produce section beginning in October and going through mid December. While you can occasional find them in bulk, most of the time are are sold in 12 ounce bags. Whether loose or in plastic, choose cranberries that are vibrant red and firm. Pass over brown or shriveled berries as they are past their prime and won’t taste good.
Cranberries can last up to four weeks in the refrigerator or up to 12 months in the freezer. To freeze cranberries, simply arrange them on a single layer on a baking tray and place the tray in the freezer for 2 hours. Remove the tray from the freezer and transfer the cranberries to zip close bags. Label and date and return the frozen berries to the freezer. This method is allows you to measure out just the amount of cranberries you need and keep the rest frozen. There is no need to defrost the frozen berries when you want to use them in a recipe. There are benefits to using frozen berries in baking as the color doesn’t bleed into the surrounding dough as much when incorporating frozen cranberries.
If you have no freezer space you can dehydrate fresh cranberries to make craisins. Substituting dried cranberries for fresh or frozen berries works in baked goods like quick-breads and muffins, this recipe calls for the un-dried version.
Navel Oranges
There are two main types of oranges, juicing oranges like Valencia and navel oranges. Look for navel oranges for this recipe. Traditional navel oranges have a small twist or bump at the opposite end of the orange from the stem that resembles a navel or belly button. The fruit is firm and sweet and usually without seeds.
Cara Cara oranges are a type of navel oranges with a deep orange flesh. Clementines are a cross between navel oranges and tangerines with the easy to peel characteristic of tangerines but a size closer to a navel orange. Blood oranges have distinct bright red flesh and a juicy flavor that contains a hint of raspberry.
When choosing an orange, look for firm, and heavy fruit first. Then choose fruit that has a peel that is smooth and dark to give you the best-tasting oranges.
How to Supreme Citrus
Any citrus can be supremed. Check out this post for a great salad that uses the technique.
Choose firm fruit to cut into supremes. Older fruit with be hard to manage and get pretty slices.
- Using a chef’s knife, slice off the top and bottom of the orange to reveal the bright orange flesh.
- Stand the orange on the flat end and starting the knife at the top of the orange, cut a curved slice from the top to the bottom of the fruit to remove the peel and the white membrane from the orange.
- Rotate the fruit and repeat until the peel, pith, and membrane are removed. You can go back and touch up any areas as needed.
- Switch to a paring knife and holding the peeled orange in your hand, slice along the membrane that divides each section. Stop when you get to the middle and slice along the next membrane to remove a wedge of orange. Set the first wedge aside and repeat until you have removed each wedge of fruit from the orange.
Important—For this recipe, you should use a micro plane or zester to remove and reserve the bright orange zest from each orange before you start to supreme the fruit.
Print
Fresh Cranberry Sauce
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
- Category: sauce
- Method: fresh
- Cuisine: American
Description
This fresh cranberry sauce is easy to prepare and a fantastic condiment for turkey.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces cranberries (about 3–1/4 cups)
- 1–1/2 cups sugar
- 3 navel oranges (supremes and finely chopped) (about 2–1/2 cups) and (6 tablespoons orange zest)
- 3 tart apples (like honey crisp, granny smith, or pink lady) finely chopped (about 3 cups)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Zest all three oranges and reserve zest to use in the recipe.
- In a food processor, coarsely chop cranberries. Remove and transfer the fruit to a medium bowl.
- Stir in the sugar and orange zest and mix to combine.
- Supreme each orange and chop orange flesh into 1/4” pieces. Stir orange flesh into cranberry mixture.
- Wash and remove the core from the apples and cut into 1/4” pieces. Add the apple pieces to the cranberry mixture and stir to incorporate everything together.
- Stir in the salt and let rest for 30 minutes to ensure all the sugar has dissolved and the flavors have a chance to meld together.
- Serve as a condiment to your holiday meal
Notes
This is the basic recipe. Add 1/2 cup finely minced fresh parsley to add a fresh herbal taste and a festive red and green condiment.
Add 1 seeded and finely diced jalapeño, 1/3 cup minced cilantro, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to the basic recipe to make a sweet and spicy condiment that is perfect for smoked turkey.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
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