Cranberry Sauce Trio

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by Nov 16th, 2010 // Recipes, Sides

Cranberry Sauce Trio

Cranberry Sauce Trio

If your family is anything like mine, cranberry sauce is the most debated topic at Thanksgiving. My dad insists there’s nothing better than classic Ocean Spray canned cranberry sauce. “Why mess with perfection?” This is a major problem when Thanksgiving occurs at my aunt’s house because she prefers to serve whole cranberry relish. Since cranberry sauce is already the center of conversation, I decided that this year we’d really turn it into a conversation piece. We made  a trio of cranberry sauces with a plan to present them at either end of the table.

Cranberry Sauce Trio

The idea came to me when I was starring at a trio of chutney in an Indian restaurant. How lovely it is to be able to enhance foods with different tastes throughout the meal. My kid and I decided on three types of cranberry sauce: Classic Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce, Cran-Apple Chutney and Cran-Orange Marmalade.

Cranberry Sauce Trio

Then we jarred and labeled each for presentation on the table. (My kid loved affixing the labels.) After the big feast we’ll just screw the tops back on and store in the fridge for leftovers. Mmmmm. Now for the recipes…

Cran-Apple Chutney Recipe

Thanksgiving Planning: Make up to a week in advance!

Prep Time: 5 min  Cooking Time: 30 mins

Ingredients
1/2 bag fresh cranberries
1 cup pomegranate juice
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 large granny smith apple diced small
1/3 cup pecan pieces
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Combine cranberries, pomegranate juice and sugar in a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add vinegar, apples, pecans and pumpkin pie spice and continue to cook for 15 minutes or until apples have softened. Let cool completely and transfer to labeled canning jars and keep cool in the fridge until serving time.

Cran-Orange Marmalade Recipe
adapted from this recipe.

Thanksgiving Planning: Make up to a week in advance!

Prep Time: 5 min  Cooking Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
pinch of ground cloves
1/2 cup whole cranberries
1 1/2 cups good-quality orange marmalade
2 1/2 tablespoons orange juice
zest of 1 orange

Cook sugar, water, and cloves in heavy small saucepan over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to boil. Add cranberries. Simmer until cranberries are soft but still retain shape, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Cool slightly. In a separate saucepan bring marmalade, orange zest and orange juice to a boil. Boil until it reaches jelly stage (about 20 minutes) and then let cool slightly. Use a slotted spoon to take cranberries out of the liquid and add them to the marmalade. (Discard cranberry liquid.) Mix gently and then transfer to jars. Store in fridge until read to serve.

Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Thanksgiving Planning: Make up to a week in advance!

Prep Time: 5 min

Ingredients:
2 cans ocean spray cranberry sauce

Remove sauce from can and use a knife to chop up until it is scoop-able with a spoon. Transfer to labeled jars and store in fridge until ready to serve.
Cranberry Sauce Trio

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25 Comments on “Cranberry Sauce Trio”

  1. 1.) Dana
    November 16th, 2010

    mmm cran-apple chutney sounds best to me! What a cute presentation idea, and such an easy cleanup!

  2. 2.) Mariela
    November 16th, 2010

    Hmm,orange cranberry on a fresh scone. Yum thanks for the idea!

  3. 3.) debbiejl
    November 16th, 2010

    We have the same discussion at our house! I love my homemade recipe and everyone else loves the canned stuff. They like mine too so we have both available. Great idea to jar it though!

  4. 4.) @ourcommon
    November 16th, 2010

    ahhhh …. the way to my heart is trough a delicious bowl of homemade cranberry sauce !

  5. 5.) jacquelinelegan
    November 16th, 2010

    My dad is going to love this idea! I will DEFINITELY be making this for thanksgiving this year!

  6. 6.) Damaris
    November 16th, 2010

    The homemade stuff is so much better. Stick to your guns!

  7. 7.) Anna B.
    November 16th, 2010

    The chutney sounds delicious! Kiddo & I do both love the classic canned, though.

  8. 8.) Jeannette
    November 16th, 2010

    Great idea! Our family insists on 2 dishes of cranberry sauce too: one for those who like canned and one for those who like “lumpy”. I love your presentation of the different sauces. I’ll have to try it!!

  9. 9.) Nicole
    November 16th, 2010

    our dads should hang – between the ocean spray and corvettes i think they'd get along great!

  10. 10.) Rebecca
    November 16th, 2010

    sounds delicious!

    Love the new background and logo! Nice!

  11. 11.) Miranda
    November 16th, 2010

    Cran orange sounds delicious.

  12. 12.) Subha
    November 16th, 2010

    i am going to give the cran-apply chutney a try.

  13. 13.) paulajakobs
    November 16th, 2010

    My husband insists on buying fresh cranberries each year and plans to make sauce from scratch and then he never does. I always keep the ocean spray on hand and we always end up using that. I might have to take matters into my own hands this year and make the cran-apple chuttney.

  14. 14.) Megan
    November 16th, 2010

    I LOVE the canned stuff! Tin marks and all…

  15. 15.) deebo
    November 16th, 2010

    yummmm!

  16. 16.) buddysaves
    November 17th, 2010

    I hate the cranberry sauce in a can…I have never seen the homemade kind served at any of my family's Thanksgivings, and I always wanted to try it!

  17. 17.) whitney m
    November 17th, 2010

    like your dad, i think nothing is better than ocean spray canned cranberry, but i am willing to try something new!

  18. 18.) Rebecca
    November 17th, 2010

    I love the idea of making up the different types all at once and labeling in pretty canning jars. Fantastic!

  19. 19.) Susan
    November 17th, 2010

    I love your idea of using the jars!

  20. 20.) Becky
    November 17th, 2010

    I love that you put the canned stuff in a pretty jar. It's so much nicer than a wiggly mass of cranberry.

  21. 21.) Vicki
    November 17th, 2010

    I'm gonna have to side with your dad on this one. Loved the canned Cranberry!! :)

  22. 22.) Ashley
    November 17th, 2010

    Which one/s did your family like the best?

  23. 23.) Holly
    November 17th, 2010

    Cranberry sauce is DEFINITELY a point of contention at my Thanksgiving table too. We've never really considered just having multiple types before. This is a great idea!

  24. 24.) Charlene
    November 21st, 2010

    Wow! I didn't realize how easy it is to make cranberry sauce like this. We usually use just canned stuff as well. My MIL loves orange/cranberry. I think I will make some for our Thanksgiving celebration!

  25. [...] oven first thing in the morning. Here’s what we are serving up for sides this Thanksgiving: Cranberry Sauce Trio, Herbed Crock Pot Stuffing, Mashed Potato Pie, Baked Sweet Potatoes and Apples, Nutty Caramelized [...]

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