There’s canned cranberry sauce. Which really isn’t horrible. But then there’s this cranberry relish… which makes canned look like…well, canned.
I’m not going to wax poetic about how homemade is almost always better because that wouldn’t be fair. In this case, one is more of a sauce (errr, the canned) and one is more of a relish (ummm, this recipe). There’s no contest when it comes to homemade, unless it’s burnt, then the can or packaged item unfairly wins.
This recipe has been in my repertoire for a looooong time. It’s gone through several incarnations since I can’t leave anything alone like to perfect recipes. It’s so easy to make but you do need to stay with it and keep stirring otherwise (due to burning) the canned sauce will have that unfair advantage I was talking about.
Have I mentioned this whips up quickly? It does. The few moments it takes to stir this delicious side dish will be well worth it. It doesn’t hurt to have a heavy bottomed saucepan either! I mean, if we are trying to be fair here, canned can’t have an advantage like crappy cookware that burns things!
If you’re a visual person, here’s a video so we can do this together.
If you prefer, just jump to the recipe below and prepare to create Autumn in your saucepan. Yup, it’s that good!
A simple yet very tasty way to make a fresh cranberry relish that your family will love.
- 8 oz fresh cranberries; organic is best
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 cup honey crisp apples; peeled and diced
- 1 tsp fresh basil; chopped
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- Pinch salt
- Pinch pepper
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Place a medium saucepan over medium high heat and pour in the cranberries, 1/2 cup orange juice, apple cider, sugar, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Bring up liquid to a bubble then reduce the heat to medium low and cook until the berries start to pop and break apart. This takes about 5 minutes to happen.
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In a small bowl stir together the cornstarch and 2 tbsp orange juice then pour into the cranberries and stir. Add the apples and cook them until they are tender but not mushy. It will take about 3-4 minutes for the sauce to thicken.
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Put relish into a bowl or bowls. Let come to room temperature or if using the next day, refridgerate and take out to come to room temperature. Sprinkle basil over relish before serving.
I hope you relish this recipe as much as we do (you KNOW I had to go there). Believe me, it’s fair to say this side dish will win the flavorful contest hands down! Sorry canned, homemade wins again.
What side dish is part of your families Thanksgiving tradition?
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