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.
Printable Recipe
Cranberry Sauce Recipe with Port Wine & Cloves
Ingredients
- ¾ cup port wine
- ½ cup water
- 12 whole cloves
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- ½ 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:
Turkey Cranberry Wrap Sandwich
Glazed Cranberry Quick Bread with Crystallized Ginger
Crockpot Apple & Cranberry Sauce with Orange & Crystallized Ginger
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Kelly Senyei (Just a Taste)
You had me at "boozy!" This looks so fantastically fruity, and I love the kick from the cloves!
Leah @ Whitefoot Blog
Ooo, looks delicious (and potentially dangerous! 😛 ) Thanks for sharing!
Gerry @ Foodness Gracious
Ummm, booze and anything suits me fine. A large vessel of this to my table please 🙂
Frank @Memorie di Angelina
Wow! Now this is my kind of cranberry sauce!
Kari@Loaves n Dishes
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!
Charlie
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)
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.
Ilan
So much better than regular cranberry sauce!
Barbara | Creative Culinary
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.
claire @ the realistic nutritionist
OH DARA!! This is so gorgeous!!!
KalynsKitchen
Sounds delicious. I was never a cranberry fan until the last few years.