Tired of the same Cranberry sauce I have been making for years, I decided to jazz it up this year by adding toasted pecans and diced, dried apricots and the results were delicious!
These beauties are straight from my cousins farm in Maine where she and her husband (Stan the Cranberry Man) cultivate and harvest several thousand pounds of cranberries each year. These particular berries are called Stevens Cranberries, larger than the old traditional Howe’s, which you mostly se in grocery stores. These berries are spray-free, unlike most cranberries. No pesticides or herbicides, which means a lot more work pulling weeds. They are dry-harvested, too, as opposed to water-harvested. Cranberries are native to Maine and Massachusetts and are very healthy being high in antioxidants. What is your favorite cranberry recipe?
- 4-6 cups of washed cranberries
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 orange, zest and squeezed
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 short cinnamon stick
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 – 1 cup diced apricots
- 1/2 – 1 cup chopped toasted pecans
- In large saucepan, add water, orange juice, orange zest and sugar and bring to a boil.
- Add the cranberries, reserving 1/2 cup to add whole berries at the end. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until berries pop and start to break down.
- Add honey, spices, apricots and pecans and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool. Sauce will thicken as it cools. If too thick, add small amounts of water to thin it out. once cool, store in refrigerator. Serve cold or at room temperature.
- Cranberry sauce will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge, so this is great to make in advance. You can also freeze the sauce to have some for Christmas dinner too!
Bon appétit
compliments of my cousin, Jennifer Wixson
French For A While! 