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
Booze? Cranberry sauce? Count me in at your table this Thanksgiving!
Karly says
Who needs turkey when you have boozy cranberries?
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
Love these boozy cranberries!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
We 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
Love this boozy version!! Great call on the cloves… yum. Happy Friday!
gina @ skinnytaste says
Thanks for your kind words! Doesn’t this look incredible, never thought to add booze to my cranberries.
addie | culicurious says
YUM, I love cranberry sauce and this looks tasty!
Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles says
Excellent! This sounds so tart and warm and cozy. Love it, Dara!
Annalise says
How 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
Love boozy cranberry sauce! I can’t wait for the Thanksgiving dinner!!!
KalynsKitchen says
Sounds delicious. I was never a cranberry fan until the last few years.
claire @ the realistic nutritionist says
OH DARA!! This is so gorgeous!!!
Barbara | Creative Culinary says
We 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
So much better than regular cranberry sauce!
Charlie says
Hi 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
Hi 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.
[email protected] n Dishes says
It 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
Wow! Now this is my kind of cranberry sauce!
Gerry @ Foodness Gracious says
Ummm, booze and anything suits me fine. A large vessel of this to my table please 🙂
Leah @ Whitefoot Blog says
Ooo, looks delicious (and potentially dangerous! 😛 ) Thanks for sharing!
Kelly Senyei (Just a Taste) says
You had me at “boozy!” This looks so fantastically fruity, and I love the kick from the cloves!
foodwanderings says
Ooh 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
Hi~ 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
Ack! Thank you for bringing that to my attention. It should read “cloves”, not cinnamon. I hope you enjoy it!
Lianne says
YUM! 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
Coming 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