Cranberries with Orange and Port

Cranberry sauce is a must have for me anytime I have turkey. It is one of my favorite holiday treats.  A basic cranberry sauce consists of 1 cup of liquid, between 3/4 and 1 cup of sugar (no less or it won’t thicken) and 4 cups or 1 12 oz bag of cranberries. (Fresh or frozen).

I have played with this recipe over the years starting with just simple syrup (1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar) and adding the berries.  I found that too sweet and one note. My father had the idea of adding port as half the liquid so I stole that right away.  I tried using all port but that threw off the water content (because of the high concentration of alcohol) and when the booze evaporated it didn’t set up right.

I finally came upon the perfect balance for me.  I cut the sugar down to 3/4 of a cup, used half orange juice and half port and put the zest of one orange into the pot.

The orange flavor with the rich port compliments the berries nicely. I like the tang of the berries so I don’t want too much sugar but that is up to you.  However like any jam or jelly don’t cut the sugar too much or you will not get a sauce you will get a soup.

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Ingredients

3/4 to 1 cup of sugar

The zest of one orange

1/2 cup of good quality Port

1/2 cup fresh squeezed Orange Juice

a pinch of salt

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Add the berries, orange juice, port and zest into a pot and bring to a boil.  The berries will soften and pop and at that point you are almost done.  Allow the mixture to gently boil until it coats the back of a spoon. To test dip a spoon into the mixture and then when it cools a little run your finger down the middle of the spoon.  The line should hold.

Once that is done chill down the mixture remove the orange peel and enjoy.  If you find it is too runny just pop it back into the pot and boil a little longer.