Nov 21 2008
Traditional Cranberry Sauce
No Thanksgiving meal is complete without a bit of red—Cranberry Sauce! No one in our family is really fond of cranberries by themselves, but every Thanksgiving, we always make cranberry sauce. It was the first side dish I ever cooked by myself when I was little at one of my American grandmother’s houses.
We’re Vietnamese, so we didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving until I was about 10. I remember the thrill that I got to wash those fresh cranberries, pour the water, and sugar in and watch everyone enjoy eating. It was a very memorable experience.
Now that I’m older, this recipe is one that hits my heart. I hope you allow one of your little ones to help you prepare the cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving. You can make it ahead of time, and it’ll still be just as delicious.
This recipe yields about 2 cups of sauce.
Traditional Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup water
4 cups (or 1 12-once package) fresh cranberries
Directions
Wash the cranberries in cold water. Discard any bad cranberries.
In a saucepan, add the sugar and water. Turn heat up to high and bring the mixture to a boil, constantly stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Add the cranberries to the pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until cranberries burst.
Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature. The sauce will thicken as it cools. If making it ahead of time, store in sterilized jars in the refrigerator.
