Massachusetts, abundant in cranberry bogs, produces glorious fresh cranberries that are harvested in the fall, coming to market just in time for Thanksgiving. You can get frozen cranberries year-round, a fantastic alternative when fresh ones are out of season. I just love fresh cranberries, and I buy copious quantities to make naturally fresh cranberry sauce to pair with bread, cakes, stuffing, and roasted vegetables. You could say I go cranberry crazy this time of year. And you have to be quick since fresh cranberries are gone from the market right after the New Year. As you might have guessed, homemade cranberry sauce is a must, a favorite accompaniment to our Thanksgiving dinner. Each year I tweak the ingredients for a different sauce; sometimes I add pecans for a crunchy texture or lemons for a tangy sauce, this year I made cranberry sauce with chopped oranges. I like my cranberry sauce spirited, adding a little liqueur; to this recipe, I added Grand Marnier, a French orange liqueur. If you are interested in reading more about cranberries and blogs, their natural growing habitat, click on this link.  https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/botany/cranberry-bogs1.htm

CRANBERRY SAUCE WITH ORANGES AND GRAND MARNIER

INGREDIENTS

1 medium navel orange, seeds removed, chopped

1 lb. fresh (or frozen) cranberries

1 cup of sugar, if you like tart cranberry sauce, use 1/2 cup

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 3″-long cinnamon stick

½ tsp. ground allspice

Pinch of kosher salt

2 tablespoons Grand Marnier 

RECIPE PREPARATION

Place the orange in a large saucepan and pour in cold water to come 1″ up the sides of the pan. Bring to a boil, then remove immediately from the heat and drain the orange in a mesh sieve or colander. Rinse under cold water, then return to the saucepan. Add cranberries, sugar, butter, cinnamon, allspice, and salt, and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat, cook, stirring often, until cranberries burst and the juices are syrupy, about 9-12 minutes. Stir in Grand Marnier, then simmer for another 2 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and discard.

DO AHEAD: Sauce can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.

Enjoy!