The Freshest Cranberry Sauce for Thanksgiving

I like the canned whole cranberry sauce just like everyone else, but, for Thanksgiving, why not go the extra quarter mile and make it fresh. 

It's really easy! And hard to go back to the canned product after making this just one time. This recipe comes from my friend Georgia Davis, a great cook.

Fresh Cranberry Sauce      

Two navel oranges

One 12 oz. bag fresh cranberries

One 8 oz. can crushed pineapple (do not drain)

One cup sugar

One tsp. vanilla extract

Rinse the oranges and using a grater, grate the orange part of the peel of both oranges. Set grated peel aside. Cut the oranges in half and squeeze out enough juice to make ½ cup.

In a food processor, coarsely chop the cranberries. Add pineapple (with the juice), ¾ cup of the sugar, and the orange juice to the cranberry mix. Pulse about 7 times to mix and chop. Don’t make it too mushy. 

Pour into saucepan and add the remaining ¼ cup sugar. Heat over medium heat stirring occasionally for 20-30 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool. Add the vanilla and the orange zest, then refrigerate.

You can make this up to three days ahead of your event, and it serves about 8-10.  This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled for a crowd.

As a side note, I've heard about some tasty additions to cranberry sauce including Chambord liqueur, chopped nuts of any kind, raisins, finely chopped fresh ginger, blueberries, mangoes and even jalepenos!  Try one for a change.