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Fresh Cranberry Sauce
Making cranberry sauce for Christmas day.
We get through bucket loads of cranberry sauce in December, every night across the UK, merry office workers are dredging their turkey and sprouts with the stuff and every night I wonder why.
If, God forbid, I was to sit down to a roast turkey dinner then my accompaniment of choice would be bread sauce and possibly a savoury jelly such as sage, tomato or redcurrant.
The thing about cranberries is that they are so tart you have to drench them in sugar and cook to a pulp to make them edible. For Christmas day I like to garnish the turkey with a compote of cranberries and I want the fruit to retain its shape.
Getting cranberries to absorp the sugar and still look like a cranberry is easier said than done and requires some forward thinking. First of all I start off with the cooking syrup; two bottles of red wine, a quater of a bottle of aged balsamic, two cinnamon sticks, a few bay leaves, the juice of an orange, some cloves, thyme, juniper berries and peppercorns. To this I add an obscene amount of brown sugar and leave to marinade for two days.
The fresh cranberries are washed and picked through for the odd stalk and left to drain. The marinade is brought to a boil and the sugar whisked until dissolved, I check the consistency before passing it through a sieve. The cranberries are added along with a couple of big scoops of sugar and gently folded through the mixture. As soon as it all comes to a boil I turn the heat right down and simmer. Just before the fruits begin to split I take the pot off the heat and leave the fruits to finish cooking in their own heat.
What you want to end up with is a compote of cranberries rather than a jam. Is it worth doing? in terms of cost, no. The cranberries are relatively cheap but you could buy a second hand car with the money the sugar is going to cost you. Will it look good on Christmas day? Yes, so it will be worth the effort, and the sugar.
Miles,
Like everything you make, it’s art on a plate. I’m a big fan of redcurrent or quince jelly and could eat either with just about anything. This afternoon I shall be wheeling my sports version of a trolley to the grocers to load up … along with lots of other things I fancy some aubergines but don’t know yet what to make with them.
Cid
December 22, 2007 @ 1:15 pm
Cid,
Aubergine masala is good with some chick peas and spinach or pan fry some discs of aubergine, brush with olive oil and honey and top with roasted peppers and some chumks of feta-a bit of oregano or thyme wouldn’t hurt either.
Miles
December 22, 2007 @ 3:20 pm
Miles,
That sounds delicious, I’ll try it. I had an aubergine topped pizza slice from Comestibles recently … very different from the supermarket offerings and how marvellous to wander around the Bailgate without the crush of high street shoppers. What I really want is to park my little sporty car in the Bailgate and dash in and out of my favourite shops … with this in mind I asked a trusted male friend (a great authority on gougere as a matter of fact
) what sort of car I should have. He thought carefully taking into account all the various parameters and then said… ‘on those earnings, none at all’. So it occurred to me to take his advice and go and look at a BMW Z3! We shall see what the new year brings…
Cid
December 22, 2007 @ 4:55 pm
Will this sauce go with my Sainsbury’s Chicken Madras ?
Rod
December 22, 2007 @ 6:44 pm
Miles,
I confess to have bought a jar of Cranberry Sauce with Port and expect the dinner guests not to notice as it will be served in a pretty dish. It is to be hoped that they have not had a taste of your amazing compote.
The Cranberries do look tempting in your photo.
December 22, 2007 @ 7:32 pm
Cid,
You can’t go wrong with a beemer! Go for it.
Miles
December 22, 2007 @ 10:45 pm
Rod,
Er, no.
Miles
December 22, 2007 @ 10:46 pm
Elsie,
Nothing wrong with that, I am sure they will aprove!
Miles
December 22, 2007 @ 10:47 pm
EN,
Slacker
December 23, 2007 @ 8:54 am
CID,
Mercedes Benz SLK
The Laaayydies car of choice !
December 23, 2007 @ 8:56 am
Rod,
I’ll look into this MBSLK but frankly I’m thinking of designing my own… one with at least five wheels, the fifth sliding automatically into place should I encounter a puncture
There would be a hot hair iron point rather that a vile cigarette lighter and enough space for fabulous purchases and no excess baggage! Built into the dashboardthingy, a small screen with keyboard so that I’m never too far from Miles’ site 
Cid
December 23, 2007 @ 10:38 am
Rod,
“Slacker” - neither have I reared the turkey, grown the sprouts, carrots or potatoes
December 23, 2007 @ 3:02 pm