Cranberry Sauce/Jam & Juice
Long time ago, when I roasted my first Christmas turkey, I used to buy canned cranberry jam from the grocery store and heat it up according to directions. I thought that was the only way I could get cranberry sauce for my turkey. Fresh cranberries are meant for decorating the platter then. After reading several cook books, I realized how easily one can make cranberry sauce/jam and cranberry juice and will never go back to the canned and bottled stuffs after my first try. Please give this a try and you can have cranberry sauce all over the place - on your turkey, ham, pancakes, ice cream, and whatever you fancy - even on your toasts because cranberries are so Good!
Cranberry Sauce/Jam
Utensils:-
Stainless steel saucepan
Sieve
Wooden spoon
Large measuring cup
Stainless steel ladle
Ingredients:-
6 cups or (680 g or 24 oz) fresh or frozen cranberries
(buy them while in season; fresh cranberries freeze well)
1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
1-3/4cups cold filtered water
zest of one lemon
Methods:-
1. Rinse and drain cranberries and wash lemon before you zest.
2. Place all ingredients into a heavy stainless steel saucepan that has lots of room for cranberries to expand and pop.
3. Bring to a boil over high heat and turn heat to low. Let cranberries simmer until they are soft and most of them are popped, approximately 20 - 25 minutes. Watch the pot as mixture can easily boil over and make a mess!
4. Turn heat off and let it cool off for 15 minutes.
5. Ladle and strain mixture over a sieve using a wooden spoon to press the pulp. Let juice pass through the sieve into a clean bowl or mason jar. Mixture will thicken as it cools. Allow it to cool completely before refrigerating. May keep up to two weeks.
(Makes approximately 4 cups of cranberry sauce/jam).
6. Reserve the pulp in the sieve and return pulp to the saucepan when all is strained, to make cranberry juice! (Waste not, want not)!
To make cranberry juice:
1. Add 1 to 2 cups of cold filtered water to the strained pulp, that which was left after making the sauce, in the saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Strain the juice over sieve into a jug or measuring cup. Discard the pulp.
3. Pour juice into a nice glass and serve! You now have the real cranberry juice instead of drinking the cocktail that comes in a plastic bottle!
4. If you would like to make more juice anytime, just add water to one or two tablespoons of cranberry sauce/jam, dilute to your taste and serve using your favourite glassware.
If you make the sauce/jam now, it should keep well in a clean glass jar and ready for your Christmas dinner with friends and family! Enjoy!
