Bring on the cranberries!
In my house there is always a BIG debate about cranberries on the Thanksgiving menu...as I mentioned my husband and I come from European families therefore our Thanksgiving experiences were somewhat stunted as children, no full blown Thanksgiving American inspired feast for us
(although we both longed for it). Our Thanksgivings were sprinkled with stuffed cabbage and pickled beets.
In my husband's home the only thing that was remotely American were the Ocean Spray canned jellied cranberries, ( now I have nothing against canned cranberries mind you) it's just that my idea of cranberry sauce has a more refined style, studded with fruit and spices. The perfect complement to my earthy Turkey recipe.
That means at our table we have my version of gourmet cranberry sauce and my husband's version of canned jellied goodness. Afterall we hold on to our family traditions, and for my husband this is a fond memory so who am I to take that away, although it took me years to give in and let him have his canned stuff. I guess I am mellowing with age, HA!
So you can crack out the can opener, and skip this recipe, or make my Kumquat Cranberry Sauce maybe you'll do both like we do in our home, in any case bring on the cranberries and the KUMQUATS to!
Kumquat~ Cranberry Sauce
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- 12 kumquats cut into circle slices ( cut the kumquat across to create pinwheel like slices)
- 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 2 12-ounce bags fresh or frozen cranberries
Preparation :
Combine water, sugar and orange peel and kumquat slices and ginger, in heavy medium saucepan. Bring mixture to simmer over medium heat. Simmer 4 minutes to blend flavors. Add cinnamon, salt, clove and simmer 2 minutes. Add cranberries and simmer until berries burst and sauce is thick, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat Refrigerate cranberry sauce until well chilled. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated)
*Quick serving note, I like to serve my cranberry sauce from a jar, it gives it a wonderful homemade quality, a pretty look for the table!