Rinse & pick through your bag of berries, then dump the good ones into a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and watch the berries pop open. Now add sugar - start with 1/2 cup. Squeeze one juicy orange into the cranberries. Taste for sweetness - but be careful not to burn your tongue! - and add sugar until you're happy.
Let the berries cook down for a while, keeping an eye on the consistency. Some people like it to be a saucy, pourable texture with the berries still having a bit of form, others like it nearly smooth with the berries completely cooked down to mush but still thin enough to pour out of a small ladle, and still others like a firm jelly-like texture more like the canned variety. So you just play with it - add more water if it's getting too thick; let it cook longer, uncovered, to make it smoother &/or firmer. Remember that it will thicken as it cools, too, so if you want to make it ahead of time, you can warm it to thin it or even add more water (or orange juice) before serving. Add chopped pecans if you like, near the end of cooking, for that wow factor.
We just had Thanksgiving here in Canada, but you have plenty of time in the States to think about your Thanksgiving menu. Keep an eye on this blog - I'm considering sharing my grandmother's green bean recipe. It's not what you're expecting - stay tuned!
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