Cranberry sauce with Artisan Blackberry Vinegar

Jewel-bright festive cheer in sauce form

Sure, Thanksgiving has officially been and gone. However, why restrict jovial celebrations of gratitude and abundant dinner parties —or the deliciousness of cranberry sauce, for that matter— to one day per year?

This recipe brings together lots of different punchy flavours that, somehow, all combine into the cranberriest cranberry-ness ever. Perfect with turkey. Perfect with your Thanksgiving leftovers. Perfect as a dessert, warmed up and topped with rich custard or vanilla ice cream, à la Rote Grütze!

Ingredients

• 1 kg fresh cranberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 oranges, zested and juiced
• 10 or so cardamom pods’ worth of seeds, freshly ground in a pestle and mortar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup Artisan Blackberry Vinegar
• pinch of salt

Method

1. Wash the cranberries well and pick over for any already soft (and therefore rotten) ones. Drain and place in a large saucepan.
2. Add the sugar, orange juice, half the orange zest, cardamom, cinnamon, vinegar, and salt. Stir well.
3. Cover and bring just to the boil over a medium heat. Allow to simmer for a maximum of 5 minutes until slightly thickened. You want a decent proportion of the cranberries to soften and pop, but you’re not making jam.
4. Take off the hear, stir in the remaining zest, and taste for sweetness. Keep in mind that it will taste a little less sweet when cold; this recipe is intended to be pleasingly tart.
5. Allow to cool fully and ideally chill in the fridge for a while before serving. Can be made days in advance. Enjoy!

— Beatrix Swanson