This recipe for cranberry sauce is a favorite in our house and is one I’ve been making for many years! Oranges, port wine, fresh cranberries, some sugar, and a touch of cinnamon. That is all you need to turn a basic cranberry sauce into something special! Why not try something a little different this year?
Like most people, I have made cranberry sauce from the recipe on the back of the bags of cranberries. It’s easy. I always have the ingredients since they are just sugar, water, and cranberries. And it’s not a bad way to make cranberry sauce. However…it’s a bit dull. It’ll do in a pinch, but I like something a little more interesting! I want cranberry sauce with a twist.
And, guess what?
There are lots of ways to change up cranberry sauce while still keeping its essential cranberry-ness. This recipe is one of those ways and one I’ve been enjoying for years now, so I hope you try it too!
Cranberry trivia: Cranberries can be dry harvested or wet harvested. Dry harvesting means completely dry. No rain. No dew. No frost. The fresh cranberries we see in the store have been dry harvested and represent about 10% of the total harvest each year.
This is a recipe I got from a good friend many years ago. We were talking about our favorite Thanksgiving recipes and she mentioned her awesome and tasty recipe for port orange cranberry sauce. Of course I begged her for the recipe! I mean, how could I resist?
Port wine sounded like an excellent addition to cranberry sauce and I loved the idea of adding diced oranges to the mix.
Cranberry trivia: Fresh cranberries are graded and screened based on their color and their ability to bounce!
It does take a few minutes to cut up the oranges, but you don’t have to be too fussy about it. Which is good, because I don’t have the patience for that! Instead, you just quickly cut the peels off and then dice the oranges, removing any thick bits of membrane. It’s pretty quick and you can do it while you’re simmering the port and dissolving the sugar.
Other than that, the process is basically the same as the usual cranberry sauce. Simmer, cook down the cranberries, and let it chill!
– Happy Eating, Annemarie
Cranberry trivia: Americans eat about 400 million pounds of cranberries each year and eat 20% of that during Thanksgiving week.
Cranberry Sauce with Port and Oranges
Ingredients
- 2-3 navel oranges
- 2 cups ruby port
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 24 oz fresh cranberries
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Cut the peels off the oranges. Then section them and cut the sections into smaller pieces. Remove any large or chewy pieces of membrane as you work. The oranges should be a easily bite size, about 1/2 inch pieces.
- In a large sauce pan, bring port and sugar to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until all the sugar has dissolved. Add cranberries and bring to a boil over high heat then lower the heat back to medium and simmer until the cranberries have burst, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for a few minutes. Add the cinnamon and the orange pieces.
- Transfer the cranberry sauce to the refrigerator and chill until the sauce is fully cold and gelled. Can be made 3 days ahead.
Notes
Cathy | whatshouldimakefor.com says
Great minds! Our family favorite is a very similar recipe that I’ll be posting soon. I love the combination of orange and cranberry, Just enough of twist while preserving the cranberry flavor.
justalittlebitofbacon says
Oranges and cranberry are a great combo!