Cranberry Orange Sauce & How To Dress Up A Gift Jar

I made one – a food gift in a jar, that is! It was for our Thanksgiving hostess this year, put together late at night, and hence all that harsh glare in the pictures. Oops! But – the star here is the cranberry sauce. So let’s get to it.

I know Thanksgiving is almost over, but cranberries are here to stay throughout the holiday season. They are a funny kind of fruit. They look absolutely stunning with their vivid red color and shiny skin, but raw cranberries are not for everyone. Dried cranberries are kind of like raisins and can be used in baking, like you would use raisins or other dried fruit.

I love a good cranberry sauce. While some prefer the canned, jellied version, I like the lumpier homemade kind. It is really easy to make, taking at the most 20 minutes. All you need are fresh cranberries, water and sugar. Add some citrus juice and some aromatic whole spices like cinnamon, cloves or cardamom, to fancy them up a bit.

I whipped up a jar of cranberry sauce infused with orange zest and cinnamon. The aroma while it simmers on the stove is to die for…mmm… let’s get to the recipe now!

CRANBERRY ORANGE SAUCE

You will need:

Cranberries – 12 oz
Orange – 1, zested and juiced
Water – 1 cup
Sugar – 1 cup
Cinnamon – 2″ stick

How to:

Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. The cranberries will soon burst open with a distinctive popping sound.
Lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, till the sauce thickens to your liking. Taste and add more sugar if the sauce seems too tart. But remember, cranberries are inherently tart and bitter. It’s just how they are, no point in hiding their flavor with more and more sugar!
Remove and discard the cinnamon stick (or other spices) at this point. Cool the sauce completely and store in a clean, sterilized jar or container in the refrigerator. It will keep for a few days (or even weeks) if you store it properly.

Pair the sauce with roast meat or fresh bread. I love to eat it with my favorite Hawaiian sweet rolls.

GIFT IN A JAR

As for the gift, I dressed up a mason jar to gift this sauce to our Thanksgiving hostess.

All I did was stick some pretty paper (using double-sided tape) around the glass jar and on the lid. You could spray paint the lid, but I was not sure if it would be food-safe then. Tie a length of twine or ribbon around the neck, add a pretty tag if you want, and you have a yummy ‘gift in a jar’!