We’re getting ready to take time off and visit our family for the holidays. We’re going to have a traditional roast for Christmas lunch. I’ve packed my bags with cranberry sauce, kugelhopf dough, chocolate chip cookie dough, chestnuts, chocolate, Comté, and my knife kit.
I made the cranberry sauce a day before and bottled it. It is my first time making it and I am surprised at how incredibly easy the process is. Cranberries are quite tart to eat on their own and they need a whole lot of sugar to mellow their flavour. It works surprising well with roasts. I can imagine making a sandwich with the leftover meat, cranberry sauce, rocket and some sharp Pecorino Romano.
Cranberry Sauce
300g fresh cranberries
200g sugar
180g water
1 cinnamon stick
1 orange, zested
- Put the cranberries, water and sugar and cinnamon stick in a bowl. Cook on a medium heat until the cranberries have burst and it looks like a ruby red jam, about 10 minutes. You can cook it longer if you want it to be more spreadable or cook it just until the berries have burst for a chunky sauce.
- Once it has thickened, stir in the zest of 1 orange.
- Bottle and seal until you want to use them.
- Note: Because of the high pectin content in cranberries, the sauce may firm up to a solid on cooling. Rewarm with a little bit of water to make it spreadable again.