So what’s wrong with cranberry sauce made with oranges, you ask? Nothing. It’s delicious. But the slightest trace of oranges make my daughter sick for hours. So I developed a version with lemons instead. I think it works better than oranges for cutting fatty foods and providing a clean crisp taste. You will need to add slightly more sugar to this recipe to make up for the lack of sugar from the citrus.
Cranberry sauce is one of those dishes that is so easy to make I can’t understand why everyone doesn’t do it. Especially given that the canned stuff is so bland and without texture.
This recipe freezes extremely well. It also lasts in the fridge for a long time. I froze a batch leftover from Thanksgiving 2006 and served it for Thanksgiving 2007 with very little reduction in taste or texture.
No exact measurements here. Just go based on taste.
Ingredients:
Fresh cranberries, 1 bag
Fresh lemon zest, 1/2 to 1 lemon’s worth
Fresh lemon juice, 1 lemon (2 if not juicy)
Fresh ginger root, grated, 1-3 teaspoons
Salt, pinch
Stevia, pinch or two
Organic cane sugar, as desired
Rinse the cranberries in water and drain.
Put into an empty pot on the stove and heat gently while stirring until the cranberries start to soften.
Add stevia and sugar to desired sweetness. The stevia is optional but will help reduce the overall sugar level. I end up using about half of what is called for in a traditional cranberry sauce that also has a sugar boost from orange juice. Don’t use all or mostly stevia as the dish will be too bitter (I love stevia but it doesn’t mesh well with lemons).
Add salt, lemon, and ginger.
Stir and cook until the cranberries start to pop open and the texture is to your liking. Mash a bit if you wish or leave mostly whole. Adjust sweeteners if needed.
This cranberry sauce makes a great traditional accompaniment to turkey or other Thanksgiving fixings. It’s also good as leftovers with a variety of foods as a condiment. Miriam enjoyed dipping carrots in it. And for Thanksgiving 2007, some people ate it straight as a dessert.
2 responses so far ↓
1 An Organic Thanksgiving | Norwitz Notions // Feb 1, 2008 at 7:01 pm
[...] brought five offerings, all homemade (from scratch), organic, and vegan: 1) Cranberry sauce (made with lemon instead of orange due to my daughter’s allergy); 2) pumpkin pie with a pecan [...]
2 Yorick // Feb 4, 2008 at 10:43 pm
I never make cranberry sauce with oranges and I’m often told it’s the best that people have tasted. I use white grape juice instead of citrus and maple syrup.
Leave a Comment