Cranberry Sauce From Scratch
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Servings: Makes 2 cups
If you walked into someone’s house and you smelled this homemade cranberry sauce, you’ll automatically know that the holidays are here! This year, ditch the can of cranberry sauce and fill your house with a winning combo of bright citrus and warming aromas of cinnamon, ginger, and star anise. The pear adds a sweetness that will balance the tartness of the cranberries. This recipe is easy as opening a can of that gelatinous cranberry sauce you get in a tin-can.
Ingredients
Juice and zest from 1 medium navel orange
1 ripe pear peeled and diced into 1/4 inch cubes (remove core and seeds)
12 ounces of fresh cranberries (frozen may be substituted)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon of water
1 3"-long cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1/2 inch nub of ginger peeled and lightly smashed
Pinch of sea salt
Directions
Wash and zest the orange in a small bowl, then set aside.
Juice the orange you just zested into a saucepan, add dice pear, cranberries, sugar, water, cinnamon, star anise, and salt and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar.
Lower the temperature to medium-low. Cook, often stirring (reducing heat as needed to avoid scorching). The cranberries will start to burst ( juices are high in pectin so it will naturally thicken the sauce).
Allow the cranberry sauce to simmer on low heat for 20-25 minutes until the pear becomes soft and almost disintegrates into the sauce.
Fish out the cinnamon stick, star anise, and ginger.
Add the orange zest at the end to brighten up the flavor.
Make the night before, cover, and allow the sauce to thicken while it chills.