Tangy Orange Cranberry Sauce

For some reason, I cannot imagine a roast turkey dinner, without cranberry sauce.  When I was a kid I would only eat cranberry jelly; no lumpy berries for me!  But since I discovered fresh cranberries a few years ago, I have come to love the tart taste and meaty texture of the whole berry.

In the past, I have made cranberry sauce a couple of different ways.  And at Christmas this past year, I tried a lovely Cranberry-Apple Sauce… a bit different and really good.  I wanted to use less sugar and the apples helped sweeten the sauce considerably.

But for Easter this year, I wanted something a little more unusual.. .but again without too much sugar.

We have been really enjoying the small navel oranges that are available here lately. They are very sweet and very juicy and flavor-full so I decided to make an Orange Cranberry Sauce to go with our Easter turkey.

Now I did already know that cranberries and oranges go together. In the past I have shaved some orange zest into my cranberry sauce as it cooks… and I love the dried cranberries lightly flavored with orange that I was able to purchase from Trader Joes.

So the addition of a whole orange to my cranberry sauce was not a huge stretch… and it turned out so well and is so tasty, I wonder why I never thought of it before.
I started cooking the cranberries in some water and added my spices and a bit of sugar, then whizzed up a whole orange in the food processor.  When it was broken down into small bits, I added it to the berries, which were just starting to pop, and let it all simmer for about 10 minutes.

The Captain wandered into the kitchen, wondering what I was making cause he could smell a lovely citrus scent wafting out the doors onto on the balcony…

Next time you want to surprise your dinner guests with something a bit different, try this lovely Orange Cranberry Sauce. I think it will be really nice with some roast pork too.

Orange Cranberry Sauce
Makes 2 cups

• 1 bag fresh cranberries, 12 oz.
• 1 small whole orange, cut into chunks and seeded
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 cup white sugar

1. Mix cranberries with water, spices and sugar in a medium sauce pan and set over Medium-High heat.
2. Put chunks of orange into a food processor and whizz till pieces are quite small.
3. Add the orange to the saucepan.
4. Allow mixture to boil lightly  for about 10 minutes.  The berries will pop as they cook.
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool.  The mixture will become quite thick as it cools.
6. Store in refrigerator till needed. Leftovers can be frozen.

Per 1/4 cup serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 1.
Calories 51; Protein 0g; Carbohydrate 13g; Fat 0g; Fibre 2g.

Bubbling away on the stove, steam rising and spices smelling lovely!

The Captain's dinner plate. 

Printable Recipe

Are you a cranberry sauce fan or do you prefer cranberry jelly?

Store bought or home made?