Cranberry Sauce with Orange and Vanilla
Homemade cranberry sauce fragranced with freshly squeezed orange and the warm autumnal notes of vanilla bean.
Servings: 0
Ingredients
- 24 oz whole cranberries
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice from about 2-3 large oranges
- 1 vanilla bean
Instructions
- Rinse the cranberries and sort through them discarding any unsightly berries and any stems.
- Add the cranberries to a large saucepan. Over low-medium heat, add the sugar and the orange juice, gently lift and stir to combine.
- Split the vanilla bean down the middle using the sharp point of a paring knife. To scrape out the seeds use the back, dull side of the knife, and scrape down the length of the bean collecting the seeds onto the knife. Add the vanilla seeds to the cranberries.*
- Raise the heat a bit to obtain a low boil, stir often until the sugar fully dissolves and the cranberries become quite tender and break down, about 15-20 minutes - they'll take awhile at first, rest assured, they will burst and break open. Adjust the heat, lowering if necessary, to keep the mixture at a low boil/full simmer. Continue simmering until the mixture is a jam-like consistency.
- The sauce will thicken as it cools. Add a little water to stir in and loosen before keeping it tightly covered in the refrigerator if making it ahead of time. Note that that the final check for consistency should be after it has cooled and before serving.
- If the sauce was made in advance, let it stand a few hours before serving. To loosen, add fresh, warm water mixing well to thin as desired - it should be jam-like, but loose enough to spoon and serve. Serve warm or room temperature.
Notes
*COOK'S NOTES:
If making ahead of time, consider leaving the scraped vanilla pod in the cranberry sauce to infuse more flavor, before serving, remove the vanilla pod and discard.
Note that traditional cranberry sauce is thick and sauce-like, slightly jellied, while still retaining movement. Therefore, it is suggested not to over-thin with water. If water is needed, always add a little at a time and stir before adding more.
If you accidentally thinned the sauce too much, simply add it back to the stovetop to cook it down some more. Too thick? Add a little warm water, just a little at a time, and stir to combine.
Cranberry sauce can be made up to 4 days ahead of time, tightly covered, and refrigerated. Let it stand for a few hours before serving. Stir well.