Cranberry sauce is fine as a side dish on Thanksgiving, but cranberry JAM is amazing on toast, English muffins, or stirred into yogurt.Try it on that English muffin with a little smear of cream cheese. Spread it on the bread for a turkey sandwich.
Or how about on quesadilla? Yeah, that's good too! Or as a filling for jam thumbprint cookies.
Cranberry season is fleeting, but I'll bet you can find them on sale now, fresh, and maybe even a better deal frozen.
Speaking of frozen, you might want to toss some in the freezer so you can make this any time. It's so simple and soooo good. You don't even need pectin to make this!
I like mine more tart than sweet, but you can certainly add more sugar, if you like. And you can also experiment with flavors. Or add other fruits, like apples, pears, strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries. Have fun with it!
Cranberry Jam
Makes about 2 1/2 pints
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| Why yes, that IS a lot of cranberries! |
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt.
Put everything in a saucepan. Heat, stirring as needed until the cranberries pop and the mixture boils and becomes thick. It doesn't take a long time, so don't wander away from it. Give it a taste and add more sugar if it's too tart for you. Stir to combine and taste again.
Use a stick blender to blend the mix smooth. Or, transfer to a blender.
Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds and any unblended skins.
Transfer the mixture to containers for storage, and refrigerate. Note that this is NOT a canning recipe - I have no idea if it would be safe. I'm also not sure how long it lasts, since I somehow manage to use it all before it goes bad.
Want more flavor? I like this as-is, but you can certainly add more flavor, like vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon, ginger, cinnamon, chipotle, basil, or pretty much any flavor you think will be compatible.