Cranberries have been a part of Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember. But there is something unnatural about pushing that jellied cranberry sauce out of a can. And the flavor is not all that.
Many, many years ago I ran across this recipe from Martha Stewart. I love it! It make a lot. I fill my mould and a plastic storage container. It is delicious on turkey sandwiches the next day.
Ingredients
4 cups cranberries
2 cups cranberry juice
2 sticks cinnamon
4 cloves cloves
2 whole allspice
2 tablespoons orange zest
2 envelops gelatin
2 cups sugar
Method
1. Combine 1 cup of very cold water with the 2 envelops of unflavored gelatin. (Really this means sprinkle the gelatin on top of the cold water and leave it alone while you do the rest). This is called proofing the gelatin.
2. Create a spice packet using cheese cloth or a coffee filter.
Place the cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, whole allspice, and the zest of one orange in the cheese cloth and ties it closed (or place in a coffee filer and use a stapler to close into an envelop).
3. In a medium sauce pan combine the fresh cranberries, cranberry juice and the spice packet.
Cook on medium heat until the berries pop (you can hear them popping. Let this go for a couple of minutes so most of the berries have popped).
4. Place a food mill over a medium mixing bowl and pour the contents of the sauce pan into the food mill.
Remove the spice packet and discard.
Mill the cooked berries. Be sure and scape the bottom of the food mill to get as much of the berry puree as you can.
5. Return the berry puree to the sauce pan. Add the sugar and cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat.
6. Use a soup ladle and remove about 1 cup of the berry mixture and add it to the gelatin mixture. Stir.
7. Add the gelatin mixture to the berry mixture.
8. Spoon into wet moulds and place in the refrigerator and allow to set up.
9. Once the cranberry sauce has fully set remove it from the mould on to a plate. There are several techniques to accomplish this. I normally fill a mixing bowl partially with hot water and dip the mould into the hot water (not over the edge though) to melt just a bit of the jelled sauce. Then I place a place upside down on top of the mould and turn the whole thing over (now the plate is right side up and the mould is upside down). The sauce should come right out. If it you let it sit in the hot water too long you will get excess liquid.
Source: Martha Stewart