This is a super-simple way to make cranberry sauce.  Just stir the three (or four) ingredients together, simmer, and cool.  That’s it!  A perfect accompaniment for your Thanksgiving turkey.

Ingredients
1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries (about 4 cups)
½ cup orange juice (preferably freshly squeezed, from 2 small oranges)
1 cup sugar, plus a bit more, if necessary
½ orange sliced (optional)

Instructions

1. Pour the cranberries into a strainer or colander and rinse them off.  Transfer cranberries to a small saucepan.  Add the sugar, orange juice, and orange slices (if using) and stir to combine.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower to a simmer.  Cook 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until thickened, stirring only occasionally—you want there still to be whole cranberry pieces in there.  (Stir too much, they’ll break apart.)  While the sauce cooks, you can (carefully) give it a taste to see if it needs a bit more sugar.
3. Remove saucepan from the heat and allow to cool at room temperature.  Transfer cranberry sauce to a container and refrigerate until use.  Can be made several days ahead of serving.

Notes:

• You don’t have to cook the sauce for as long as I do (a 20 minute simmer will suffice), but I find that cooking a bit longer gives it a nice, jam-like consistency.
• Recipe featured at Bottlerocket’s 2011 Thanksgiving Workshop

Tags: bottlerocket, cranberries, cranberry, cranberry sauce, thanksgiving