powdered or liquid pectin to get the requisite jell level,
cranberries already contain the perfect amount. That means
that all you’ve got to do is cook them down with some
sugar, and just a touch of water to get them started, and they
basically do all the work themselves, setting into a jelly all
on their own.
Cranberries and cranberry sauce also have an extremely
long shelf life. In part due to their high acidity, in addition to
naturally high levels of antimicrobial phenolic compounds,
fresh cranberries can keep for weeks (if not months) in the
refrigerator. I make my Thanksgiving cranberry sauce at
least a week ahead of time. Then it sits in the fridge, no
problem, and saves me from having to think about it on
Turkey Day. Which is not to say you should restrict yourself
to serving cranberry sauce only on Thanksgiving: it makes
an awesome accompaniment for grilled or roasted pork and
chicken, sausages, or meatballs.
Finally, making cranberry sauce yourself lets you adjust
the flavorings any way you like ’em. I’m a purist at heart, so
my sauce most often contains nothing but cranberries and
sugar, with perhaps the occasional hint of cinnamon
(cranberries contain spicy phenolic compounds similar to
those in cinnamon, so the flavors go quite well together).
But here are a few more ideas:
- Orange. Replace the water in the recipe with orange juice.
Add a couple teaspoons of grated orange zest along with
the cranberries. - Ginger. Add a teaspoon of grated fresh ginger along with
the cranberries, then finish the sauce by stirring in a