Clementine Cranberry Sauce

Copyright 2011 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

Cranberry sauce is one of those dishes that is always a part but is never really the star of any Thanksgiving feast. It does play an important role as it really enhances the flavor of roasted turkey. I once thought that the sauce was just a waste since my first introduction to it is the gel version that you get in grocery stores and are sold in cans by the truckload. Not a very good introduction to an already maligned dish, I might say. It took me some time to realize that when you actually take the time to make one yourself, the flavor is a lot different and the taste is really a very good foil to the rich flavor of turkey and the fixins that go with it. 

Copyright 2011 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

My recipe is from the Bromberg's Thanksgiving Feast spread on Food and Wine with a bit of a twist. I like to cook it a little bit longer since I have a hard time eating food that squirts when you bite into it so I made sure that the berries are at least cooked to the point where they retain their shape but is also soft and gooey. The recipe recommends that the cranberries be whole and just bruised and it seems just a tad raw for me. The sauce also improves with time so make it at least a day ahead. The acrid taste from the clementines mellows down and the sweetness of the sugar syrup and the tartness of the berries are enhanced.  

Clementines Cranberry Sauce - Adapted*

12 oz fresh cranberries
4 clementines
1 cup sugar
2 cups orange juice

1. Wash the clementines and cut into quarters. Take one half of the sugar 
    and sprinkle over the clementines. Seal with cling film and store in 
    the fridge overnight. 

2. Heat the orange juice in a deep pot over medium heat and add the 
    remaining sugar. Once it starts to boil, add the sugared clementines and 
    simmer for about an hour until the clementines are soft and the liquid is 
    syrupy. 

3. Add the cranberries and keep an eye on it and cook until it just starts to 
    bruise. Keep simmering until most of the berries have softened while the 
    rest still retain their shape, about 15 minutes. 

4. Spoon out the cranberries and the clementines and set aside. Increase the 
    heat to medium high and boil the syrup until it is thick. This will take 
    about 15 minutes. Return the berries and clementines and mix well. Allow 
    to cool.   

Copyright 2011 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

The sauce can be made ahead of time and can be stored in air-tight jars in the fridge for up to one week. Serve warm or at room temperature. The sauce is also good served with roasted pork and chicken although it is traditionally served as an accompaniment to roasted turkey. It can also me made pretty enough to give as gifts which is what I did for two of my friends. 

* Food and Wine, November 2000, p 232