Festive Spiced Cranberry Sauce

This lightly Christmassy spiced cranberry sauce makes a great spoonable consistency that can be used in both sweet and savoury foods. It is so easy to make but is a great way to festive up cakes, bakes, desserts, tarts, cheese boards, pancakes, toasties and muesli to name but a few ideas.

Fresh cranberries are one of my favourite things about the winter months and I find myself trying to insert them into as many foods as possible. I like my cranberry sauce fairly sour, so I am happy to rely on the sweetness given by the cranberry juice and the port, but by all means add more if you like it sweet.

This makes enough cranberry sauce to fill a ramekin for serving at a table, and slightly more than needed for my Apple, Cinnamon and Cranberry Muffins. You will need to at least double this recipe for larger baking projects.

THINGS YOU WILL NEED

Small Saucepan with a lid

Wooden Spoon

INGREDIENTS

3 Thumb-sized slices of Orange Zest

1 Massive Cinnamon Stick

2 Star Anise

15 Whole Cloves

150g Cranberry Juice

Brown Sugar to taste

100g Fresh Cranberries

10g Butter

50g Port

1) In a saucepan, combine the cranberry juice, spices and orange (and sugar if you like). Warm on a low heat with the lid on for about an hour until the liquid is well infused like mulled wine. Some of it will have evaporated off, but most of the liquid should still remain.

2) Drain the spices from the mulled juice and return the liquid to the saucepan. Add the cranberries and bring them to a simmer with the lid off. After a few minutes the berries will start to soften and the skins will burst open. Stir the cranberries occasionally to encourage them to break up.

3) After about 15 minutes or so the cranberries will form a thick, jammy consistency. It should be thick enough that you can comfortable take a spoonful without it falling off the sides of the spoon. If it is not thick enough, turn up the heat to evaporate off the excess liquid. Make sure you stir constantly for this part to make sure the bottom does not burn.

4) Stir through the butter and port to finish the sauce. If you do not want alcohol to remain, heat it for a few more minutes. Allow your cranberry sauce to cool in a ramekin.

4) Your cranberry sauce is now ready to use in any creative way you can imagine. It will keep in the fridge for at least a week and can be reheated or baked with as needed.