Are you preparing for your first turkey dinner for Thanksgiving or Christmas? Or maybe you want to add something a little special to your holiday menu. Try serving this fresh cranberry sauce recipe to compliment your turkey dinner. This recipe is sweet, flavorful and the presentation is much better than any canned cranberry jelly you can buy in a store. We urge you to give it a try. You won’t regret it.
According to the History Channel, cranberry sauce was probably not on the menu on the first Thanksgiving meal back in 1621. Although cranberries were definitely native to that region, the sugar supplies of the early settlers were too low from their voyage to be used on the tart berries. It was believed to be nearly 50 years later that sweetened cranberries were served with meat at meals.
It wasn’t until the early 1900’s that cranberry sauces were first canned and shortly after companies began commercially canning cranberry sauce. This meant they could be enjoyed all year long. Until then, as with many fruits and vegetables, it could only be had seasonally.
Wikipedia reports that there are a couple of different variations of cranberry sauce. “In Europe, it is generally slightly sour-tasting, while in North America it is typically more heavily sweetened”. Our recipe is definitely of the North American variety. We use a combination of brown sugar, white sugar and a splash of wine to sweeten the cranberries. It gives them a great flavor.
Fresh Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Below are all the ingredients and instructions you’ll need to make this delicious homemade cranberry sauce. The great part about homemade recipes is you can “tweak” them a little to make them your own. We think we have this one dialed in pretty good. Give it a try and tell us what you think.
Cranberry Sauce Ingredients
Cranberry Sauce Instructions
Recipe Card
- 1 Bag fresh cranberries approx. 12 ounces
- ¾ C brown sugar
- ½ C white sugar
- ¼ C wine I usually use white, but your favorite red would also work
- ¼ C apple juice or cider
In a medium saucepan, add all of the cranberries except 1 cup. Add all the other ingredients and boil until cranberries pop (about 15 minutes).
- Add additional 1 C cranberries and boil an additional 5 minutes.
- We prefer the cranberry sauce served cooled in the refrigerator and served cold. However, it can be cooled a little and served warm.
Adding a homemade fresh cranberry sauce recipe to your turkey dinner is just one more way to make it special. And nothing brings families and friends closer together than sitting down to a delicious meal. If you need additional help with preparing the perfect holiday turkey dinner, check out our other turkey preparation related posts. The combination of these posts can help you prepare, bake and enjoy a delicious turkey dinner with your family and friends.
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