This fresh cranberry sauce, with port wine and cloves, adds a grown-up touch to your Thanksgiving feast.
Let the Thanksgiving planning begin! Last week I kicked off the holiday cooking with Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Blue Cheese Breadcrumbs. But as we all know, the sweet potatoes are just the tip of the iceberg. There’s the roasted turkey (and how to carve it), the gravy, the mashed potatoes, the green beans, the stuffing and the pumpkin cheesecake. And none of this is complete without a fantastic fresh cranberry sauce.
If I’m making a cranberry sauce for the whole family, then Maple & Brown Sugar Cranberry Sauce will be on the menu. The kids eat it by the spoonful…no kidding. However, if I also want a side of something boozy, then this recipe fits the bill. The fresh cranberries are simmered in port wine and cloves, and slightly sweetened with brown sugar.
Boozy sauce = happy turkey.
The recipe:
In a medium saucepan, combine the port wine, water and cloves. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the cloves and discard them.
Stir in the cranberries and brown sugar, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until the cranberries pop, stirring frequently. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely.
Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.
Cranberry Sauce Recipe with Port Wine & Cloves
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup port wine
- 1/2 cup water
- 12 whole cloves
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the port wine, water and cloves. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the cloves and discard them.
- Stir in the cranberries and brown sugar, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until the cranberries pop, stirring frequently. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely.
- Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Other recipes with fresh cranberries:
Cookin’ Canuck’s Glazed Cranberry Quick Bread with Crystallized Ginger
Cookin’ Canuck’s Crockpot Apple & Cranberry Sauce with Orange & Crystallized Ginger
Simply Recipes’ Cranberry Glazed Turkey Meatballs
Use Real Butter’s Turkey Cranberry Green Chile Sandwich
Skinnytaste’s Pistachio Cranberry Biscotti
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Whitney @ The Newlywed Chefs says
Nov 8, 2012 at 6:25 pmBooze? Cranberry sauce? Count me in at your table this Thanksgiving!
Karly says
Nov 8, 2012 at 7:06 pmWho needs turkey when you have boozy cranberries?
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
Nov 8, 2012 at 8:06 pmLove these boozy cranberries!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
Nov 8, 2012 at 11:39 pmWe can’t get fresh cranberries way over here but occasionally (rarely) we can get them frozen. I’m assuming we could make this sauce with frozen? I’m dying to try it.
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
Nov 9, 2012 at 5:27 amLove this boozy version!! Great call on the cloves… yum. Happy Friday!
gina @ skinnytaste says
Nov 9, 2012 at 6:06 amThanks for your kind words! Doesn’t this look incredible, never thought to add booze to my cranberries.
addie | culicurious says
Nov 9, 2012 at 6:46 amYUM, I love cranberry sauce and this looks tasty!
Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles says
Nov 9, 2012 at 6:54 amExcellent! This sounds so tart and warm and cozy. Love it, Dara!
Annalise says
Nov 9, 2012 at 9:30 amHow come I’ve never thought about making a boozy cranberry sauce??? Brilliant! Adding this to my Tday menu for sure!
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
Nov 9, 2012 at 9:53 amLove boozy cranberry sauce! I can’t wait for the Thanksgiving dinner!!!
KalynsKitchen says
Nov 9, 2012 at 12:19 pmSounds delicious. I was never a cranberry fan until the last few years.
claire @ the realistic nutritionist says
Nov 9, 2012 at 1:34 pmOH DARA!! This is so gorgeous!!!
Barbara | Creative Culinary says
Nov 9, 2012 at 1:44 pmWe live on the same page evidently where cranberry is involved. I love it made with maple syrup and a 2nd made with wine; in my case Merlot last year but I’ve got some port so I’ll have to give it a try. I just LOVE cranberry sauce.
Ilan says
Nov 9, 2012 at 5:26 pmSo much better than regular cranberry sauce!
Charlie says
Nov 10, 2012 at 7:38 amHi Dara:
Hope you are well.
If I was to make this to a jelly, what would I do different?
Have a Joyful Day :~D
Charlie
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
Nov 10, 2012 at 8:44 amHi Charlie – To tell you the truth, I never make mine into a jelly, so I’m not the best person to ask. However, I think the process will involve cooking the cranberries without the sugar, draining the sauce in a colander (preferably overnight). The next day (or later that day) cook with the reserved juice and more sugar, and boiling the mixture. I would suggest looking up some recipes online to get more precise instructions.
Kari@Loaves n Dishes says
Nov 10, 2012 at 11:35 amIt is amazing that anyone would want to eat cranberry sauce from a can. This recipe is so simple, yet it’s sophisticated. The port gives the sauce such a deep, rich color, really pretty!
Frank @Memorie di Angelina says
Nov 10, 2012 at 9:50 pmWow! Now this is my kind of cranberry sauce!
Gerry @ Foodness Gracious says
Nov 11, 2012 at 11:34 pmUmmm, booze and anything suits me fine. A large vessel of this to my table please 🙂
Leah @ Whitefoot Blog says
Nov 12, 2012 at 11:29 amOoo, looks delicious (and potentially dangerous! 😛 ) Thanks for sharing!
Kelly Senyei (Just a Taste) says
Nov 14, 2012 at 12:50 pmYou had me at “boozy!” This looks so fantastically fruity, and I love the kick from the cloves!
foodwanderings says
Nov 14, 2012 at 8:43 pmOoh Miss Dara this boozy cranberry sauce would definitely jazz up the holiday. I might give it a try next week for a change! 🙂
Sarah says
Nov 21, 2013 at 6:31 amHi~ found you on Pinterest and am making this for Thanksgiving…it looks delicious! On the recipe card it says “Cranberry sauce with port wine and cinnamon”– am I missing some ingredient (I don’t see cinnamon on the list) or is it just a typo and is meant to say “cloves”?
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
Nov 21, 2013 at 4:10 pmAck! Thank you for bringing that to my attention. It should read “cloves”, not cinnamon. I hope you enjoy it!
Lianne says
Nov 26, 2013 at 3:16 pmYUM! Just made this (it’s not even cool yet) and it’s delicious. I couldn’t find white port, so I used ruby which gives it a gorgeous purple color. The port and brown sugar add wonderful depth of flavor. I may top it with a little orange zest for serving. Thanks for the recipe!!
Sophia says
Dec 3, 2015 at 12:09 pmComing from a non Turkey non cranberry summer in the sun country (NZ) to Ireland I just love your boozy cranberry sauce and am making a double recipe for the third year in a row! As plenty of it is destined for pre Christmas presents!
Cranberry sauce is always the best part of the Christmas meal for me!
I have added a stick of cinnamon and 2star of nice to the mix and this year a squeeze of lime juice!
Thank you for your lovely recipe! Wishing you an enjoyable Christmas