Every year before Thanksgiving, I look for fresh organic cranberries, they are not always easy to find. More recently, I no longer have to hike to the distant only "health food store", for many organic items that once were scarce, are now available in our local super markets.
Happily, my two daughters always want me to make enough of my cranberry sauce for them to serve during the holidays. This recipe can be adapted by just cutting the amounts in half.
Cranberry sauce keeps very well in the refrigerator in a glass tight fitting container, for two weeks. It also can be frozen, however, the quality is not the same, still good though.
Ingredients
4 cups fresh cranberries - one lb.
2 cups apple juice or unsweetened cranberry juice
1 Tbsp. agar / kanten flakes or one tsp. agar powder
1/2 to 3/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp. kuzu root starch or arrowroot starch mixed with 2 Tbsp. juice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cloves to your taste (start with 1/4)
Pinch seasalt
Orange zest and orange juice to taste(optional)
Directions
Place cranberries in a pot of fresh cold water, discard any berries that float to the top, use you hands and take out the cranberries to place in a strainer.
Use your fingers to check and discard any more soft or damaged berries.
Rinse the good berries once more under water. Set aside.
Bring juice and agar to a boil, lower the flame and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes.
Do not stir, strain the juice mixture to another pot. There will be a bit of sediment
from the agar, thus the reason for straining it out. If you stir the liquid then it never separates. That's how I was taught and I'm sticking to it.
You can stir if you want.
Add the berries to the cooked liquid, allow them to cook until they begin to pop and swell up, lower the flame.
Mix starch with juice until completely dissolved, slowly add to the sauce, stirring until thickened.
Add the spices, be careful with cloves, make sure it is in powder form. I like to grind my own whole cloves, so I have to be sure to sift them.
Turn the flame off. Add a little fresh squeezed orange juice and a little organic orange rind for extra zest.
Hope your enjoy this recipe, please let me know.