Saturday, December 22, 2012

Whole cranberry sauce



4 cups water
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
4 tbsp vanilla extract
4 tsp salt
2 tsp coriander
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp almond extract
1 bag cranberries (12 cups)

Bring water and sugar to a boil. Some people like up to 4 cups sugar, but I like it more tart. Add other spices to create a "swich licour." You can leave out whatever spices you want, it's just to make the flavor more interesting. Add the berries to the boiling water. Pull out any that look freakish. Bring it to a boil again and cook it for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The cranberries have their own thickening agent (pectin, I think) to turn it into jelly as it cools. Makes something like 8 cups of sauce, enough for a really big party. It also makes the house smell really nice when you're cooking it.