When You're a Little Bit Epicurious

Since we're nearing Thanksgiving, I figured it was a good time to bring back my ​Thanksgiving-related piece from last year that starts with one of the fun "50 people try to make..." videos from Epicurious.  It was perfect for a few reasons -- and one of 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.  Usually the one that's gelatin-style, which is a very unfair thing to do to a cranberry.  And the thing is, 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 just a very-little more time (and by "just a very-little more" I mean that in every sense of the words) -- and it is SO much better than canned that it's almost like eating a different food.  Indeed, it tastes like the fruit it is.  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 (I believe) soooooooo much better.  I love making cranberry sauce not only because it's so easy and people are impressed that "You actually made it?!", but also because the end result is so much better than people think it will be.  And they don't realize how easy it was.

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 washed 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.  As I said, that truly isn't much more difficult than opening a can.  And it's delicious, and tastes like a real fruit, because it is.  You could probably eat it hot, but it's probably best to refrigerate it until it's cool and gels on its own from the sugar.

But here's my recipe to make it even better.  You can adapt the amounts according to your taste.  You'll note that it uses apple -- I got that trick from my Grandma Rose.  I'll explain more about that in a moment.

Ingredients:
I package of cranberries
3/4 cup of water
1/4 cup of dry sherry
3/4 cup of sugar
1 apple, cut to cranberry-sized pieces. (I use Red Delicious)

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.

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, what Grandma Rose knew is that because apples are so sweet, you can use less sugar (which also brings the calories down). Third, she also knew that the blended flavor of apples and cranberry was especially delicious, tasting almost like strawberry (or strawberry-rhubarb).  And finally, the main reason Grandma Rose liked to use apples is because they have natural pectin, so it creates it's own "gel."  So, way to go, Grandma Rose!

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.

But that's how incredibly easy it is to make cranberry sauce.  And to make it even better. ​