I thought I'd see if I could find one of the fun "50 people try to make..." videos from Epicurious that would Thanksgiving-related. And I did, and it was perfect for a few reasons. And those reasons mean, too, that this will be a bit different than the others we post here. This is for making cranberry sauce. The main reason this is perfect is because making cranberry sauce seems to scare people off and instead they buy it from a can. And making cranberry sauce is SO mind-numbingly easy -- I mean truly brain-dead easy, literally not much more difficult than opening a can, though it takes a little more time -- and it is SO much better than canned that it's almost like eating a different food. In fact, cranberry sauce is even easier to make than the professional Epicurious chef describes it at the end, since he says you should keep stirring it all the time, and I've never done that. I stir it a few times at the beginning and a couple times as it cooks, but I don't stand over the pot stirring. Also, this was perfect because it allows me to present a recipe to show how easy it is. And it's perfect too since it lets me present my own twist on the easy recipe that is almost as easy, and soooooooo much better. I love making cranberry sauce not only because it's so easy and people are impressed that he actually made it, but also because the end result is so much better than people think it will be. First, here's the video. It's a lot of fun, especially when knowing ahead how bizarrely and ridiculously easy it is -- and delicious. Okay, first, here's how actually easy it is to make. Ingredients: I package of cranberries 1 cup of water 1 cup of sugar Yes, that's it. Pour the water and sugar in the pot, stir and bring the mixture to a slow simmer. Then, dump in the bag of cranberries, stir, cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. And that's all. Really. It truly isn't much more difficult than opening a can. And it's delicious, and tastes like a real fruit, because it is. To even think of gelatin cranberries makes me shudder. You could probably eat it hot, but I refrigerate it until its cool. But here's my recipe to make it even better. You can adapt the amounts according to your taste. Ingredients: I package of cranberries 3/4 cup of water 1/4 cup of sherry 3/4 cup of sugar 1 apple In this version, start by cutting the apple into cranberry-sized pieces. Why apple rather than orange peel and orange juice like many recipes suggest (including the Epicurious chef)? A few reasons. First, orange peel is bitter and orange juice is acidic, and since cranberries are bitter to begin with, I think the sweetness of apples are a better complimentary mix. Second, because apples are so sweet, you can use less sugar (which also brings the calories down). Third, apples have natural pectin, so it creates it's own "gelatin." And finally, I think the mixture of cranberries and apples is SO delicious because (to me) it almost tastes like strawberries. And to give full credit, I got this tip as a little kid from my Grandma Rose. Her main focus was on the natural pectin. And to those concerned about the alcohol from the sherry, know that boiling the sherry cooks the alcohol out of it. But if you don't want the sherry, fine, leave it out and just use a cup of water. But I think it adds a rich flavor. You make the dish almost the same way. Bring the water, sherry and sugar to a slow simmer. (Let it boil enough to cook the alcohol out.) Mix in the bag of cranberries and the chopped up apples. Stir, cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. And that's it. Ideally, let it cool. And taste it -- if you feel that the apples didn't sweeten it enough for your taste, just mix in some more sugar until it's how you like it. But that's how easy it is to make cranberry sauce. And to make it even better.
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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