How to Make Cranberry Sauce

If turkey is the star of a great Thanksgiving dinner, then cranberry sauce is the supporting player that ties the whole extravaganza together. This page will tell you how to make cranberry sauce.

Introduction
- Since Native Americans fed the Pilgrims cranberries in 1620, cranberry sauce has been an important part of every Thanksgiving dinner. So many people get it from a can, you'd think it would be hard to make - but it's actually incredibly easy! Just follow these instructions to impress your friends and family.
Basic Cranberry Sauce
- Cranberries have a lot of pectin, which means they will turn to a jelly-like consistency once they cool. You'll need to let them cool for at least two hours before you serve in order to get your sauce to the right consistency.
Make Fresh Cranberry Sauce by Cooking.com

This video recipe for a cranberry citrus relish includes 1 1/2 cups of sugar, 1 bag of cranberries, the zests and fruit segments from a lime, lemon, and orange, and 1/4 cup of Grand Marnier. The recipe melts the sugar and then adds the zest, followed by the fruit segments before combining the mixture with the cranberries and cooking for 12 minutes. The Grand Marnier is added at the end, and the sauce is removed from the heat and allowed to cool.

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Ingredients
- Basic cranberry sauce has only three ingredients: cranberries, sugar and water. If you want a sweeter recipe, you'll want to add more sugar; if you like a more tart recipe, just cut back on the sugar.
- This recipe will serve 6-8 people. Want to serve more people? Just double the recipe.
1. 3 cups fresh cranberries
2. 1 1/2 cup sugar
3. 1/4 cup water
Equipment
1. One pot large enough to hold 8 cups
2. One bowl large enough to hold 6 cups
3. OPTIONAL: One strainer or sieve, if you like your cranberry sauce without any skins
Preparation
1. Pour the sugar and water into the pot.
2. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
3. Boil the mixture.
4. Pour in the cranberries.
5. Boil. The cranberries will pop. When they do, they release pectin, which will make the cranberry sauce gel.
6. If you like a jellylike sauce, boil the cranberries for five minutes. If you like sauce the same consistency as sauce from a can, boil them for ten.
7. Turn off the burner.
8. If you like your sauce with a smoother consistency, push the contents of the pot through a sieve or strainer.
9. Pour the sauce into a bowl.
10. If you want to serve the sauce at room temperature, leave the sauce on the counter for two hours to cool. If you want to serve it cold, put it in the refrigerator for two hours to cool.
Cranberry Sauce Variations
1. Add 1 cup raisins, 1 tablespoon crystal ginger (minced) and 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice for cranberry ginger relish
2. Add 1 cup dried cranberries to the basic recipe, increasing the water used to 1 cup
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