I know the hilarious noises ready-made cranberry sauce emits while extracting itself from the tin next to the roast turkey might be your only glimmer of humour at the annual family feast. I realize that as a kid your only distraction in a time before i-gizmos was wobbling the tray while your whacky uncle in the background was droning on with yet another story about his time in Borneo. All I can say is buy a tin to satisfy that nostalgia. Then make a batch from fresh berries and actually enjoy what cranberries are supposed to taste like.
The basic recipe couldn’t be simpler to remember – three parts fresh berries, one part sugar, one part water – then simmer until they begin to burst, about six minutes. Continue to reduce briefly then mash until you get to your desired consistency. Chill for a few hours in the fridge using whatever shape container gives you the most humour and joy. That’s it. You’re done. And days ahead of any feast-prep madness. One more thing off that dreaded checklist I see people waving about their heads in the market this time of year like it’s the end times of cooking and the earth is bound to explode if they don’t get the sweet potatoes just right.
In my neighbourhood we have cranberry bogs aplenty making the devilishly good little tart jewels in such quantity that I get to use them fresh nearly year round. Not just for the traditional but other sauces and glazes both sweet and savoury; roast pork loin with rosemary and cranberry glaze for example. I make ‘everyday’ jams to spread on toast or to sit atop creamy fresh goat cheese with homespun crackers and even dry a few bags in autumn when they’re cheap for use in baking and breakfast yogurt the rest of the year.
Because of this local abundance I often stretch ‘cranberry sauce’ farther than the basic recipe even in the face of stodgy tradition. For me that means spice and chai spice is a perennial favourite. The combination of cardamom, cinnamon, black peppercorn, orange, ginger, and a litany of other flavours normally found in the famous Indian milk tea work just as well to liven up my holiday cranberry habits. I even make batches with hot chiles and fresh mint although some of those experiments might not sit so well around a table full of grumpy relatives expecting the norm.
The only real trick is how to get those flavour into the mix without turning it into cranberry curry. My answer is to take the spices, crushed from whole as recently as possible, and steep them into a ‘tea’ to use in place of the water. The sugar and berry ratios stay the same. Make it as simplistic or complex as you think your dinner guests can bear. For that matter, make a batch in April when no one is looking too.
Chai Spice Cranberry Sauce
350 g (roughly 3 cups) fresh whole cranberries
200 g (1 cup) sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
300 ml (1 1/4 cup) boiling water
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon whole cardamom seeds (or 2 tablespoons green cardamom pods)
1 inch of fresh ginger root, sliced thin
4 inches cinnamon (cassia) stick
Optional spices – adjust to preference:
1/4 whole nutmeg, freshly grated
4 whole cloves (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (cassia)
1/2 teaspoon dried chile flakes
1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
Peel or juice of any citrus desired (or substitute spoonfuls of marmalade)
Yield: Roughly three cups of finished ‘sauce’. Easily scaled up to any amount needed but cool in several smaller containers if in a hurry to get it to a waiting table of dinner guests.
Place the berries, sugar, and salt in a heavy-bottom sauce pan with ample room. The berries will tend to boil over initially so don’t use a pot too small or shallow for the task.
Lightly crush the remaining ingredients and make a ‘tea’ of them in boiling water for at least ten minutes and up to an hour. Strain and add 1 cup of the infused liquid to the berries. Bring to a low simmer stirring constantly until the berries begin to pop open, about six minutes. Tend the pot carefully to avoid boil over.
Remove from heat and mash any berries remaining intact to your desired texture. Chill in a shallow dish for at least two hours before serving. Can be made several days ahead of serving for low maintenance holiday meals.
