JELLIED CRANBERRY-APPLE SAUCE

CRANBERRY-APPLE SAUCE

This is a recipe for those jellied cranberry sauce lovers out there. It has only 4 ingredients, PLUS it couldn't be easier to make. My picky-picky husband loves 100% jellied cranberry sauce, but it is just a little too tart for me.

With the addition of a couple of medium sized Gala apples.....that "pucker-tart" cranberry taste is mellowed just enough...and picky-picky husband really likes it too!! 

Whether you make half a recipe or a double a recipe, this is quick and easy. Did you know you can freeze jellied cranberry sauce?  I just put the leftover sauce in the freezer. 

Simple Ingredients:
12 ounces (3 cups) fresh cranberries (frozen is OK)

2 medium size Gala apples (cored but NOT peeled)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup pineapple juice (or water in a pinch)

Wash and sort the berries, throwing away any light pink or mushy ones. If I'm using frozen cranberries, I don't even thaw them.

Core (but don't peel) 2 medium sized Gala apples. Chop fine in the food processor.

Put the cranberries, chopped apples, sugar and juice in a heavy pot and bring to a boil(cover the cooking cranberries with a splatter screen to reduce any potential mess). After it boils for a minute or so, turn the heat WAY DOWN to just a MILD SIMMER and cook for 20 minutes (stirring occasionally). 

After 20 minutes, remove from heat and PRESS the berries through a strainer, into a bowl (I just press on the berries with a big spoon). It takes a couple minutes, but just keep pressing until all you have left in the strainer, is skins and seeds (throw that part away). 

Stir, the strained cranberry sauce,then chill in the fridge (sauce will thicken as it cools). 

Cranberry sauce freezes well too!! We are "empty nesters", so I freeze small containers of leftover cranberry sauce and none of it goes to waste.

ENJOY !!! 

 

MINI ORANGE-CRANBERRY LOAVES

 Looking for a new mini-loaf for the holidays? This is a VERY tasty one that is easy to make (it doesn't even take a mixer). It freezes well (if there is any left) AND....it's just a little different than the routine banana breads.

Orange-Cranberry mini-loaves

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup sugar

zest of (1) orange (see note)

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs slightly beaten

1 tablespoon orange juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup cranberries - roughly chopped (see note)

In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking powder (set aside)

In a small bowl, mix the sugar and orange zest (rub these 2 ingredients together with fingers, then mix it into the flour mixture.

In another bowl, mix the buttermilk, vegetable oil, beaten eggs, orange juice and vanilla. 

Slowly add the wet bowl to the bowl of flour-sugar. Stir just until well mixed, but don't over mix.

Gently fold in the flour coated chopped cranberries (see tip)

Divide into 3 (greased) mini loaf pans (mine are 5 3/4" x 3")

Bake in preheated 350° oven 30-35 minutes (my electric oven takes exactly 35 minutes.

Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then gently tip out and wrap in plastic wrap while still hot. Frost when completely cool.

FROSTING: 2 cups powdered sugar + 3 tablespoons orange juice + 1 teaspoon orange zest + 1 1/2 teasoons vanilla.  Mix well and drizzle over loaves. If it seems a little thick, add a tablespoon of milk.

TIP: I always wrap my baked goods like these sweet loaves or ANY cake, in plastic wrap while it's still HOT. Yes, you can wrap a very hot cake with plastic wrap without melting the plastic. When you cool a cake in plastic, it comes out super moist. I've done it that way for decades.

TIP: Roughly chop the cranberries (not too small) I use my food processor and just pulse in a couple of times.

TIP: I remove a scant tablespoon of the flour called for in the recipe and toss the chopped cranberries with it. That keeps them from floating to the top when the loaf bakes.

TIP: Be careful when you zest your orange. Don't get ANY of the white pith from under the bright orange skin because it's bitter. 

TIP: When you put the zest into the sugar, take an extra few seconds to really rub the sugar and zest together with your fingers.

ENJOY !!!!!