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Thanksgiving recipes · 1 of 3 · Winter Collection Cranberry
A make-ahead cranberry sauce with a little Tucson in it. Twenty minutes on the stove, ready to make ahead, served in our Winter Collection Cranberry bowl.
Every fall, the prickly pear cactus around Tucson carries fruit that ripens to a deep magenta. Cooked down and strained, it becomes a syrup that tastes a little like watermelon and a little like berries, and people here put it in everything from lemonade to margaritas.
Half a cup of it in a pot of cranberries does two things. It softens the sharp edge of the berries, and it turns the sauce a color you won't get from cranberries alone. The orange zest keeps it bright.
It's also the easiest dish on the Thanksgiving list to get out of the way. Make it a day or two before, and it's one thing done before the week gets busy.
The recipe
Serves 8 to 10 · 20 minutes, plus coolingIngredients
Method
- Combine everything in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Simmer 10 to 12 minutes, stirring now and then, until most of the berries have burst and the sauce coats a spoon.
- Take it off the heat. It thickens as it cools.
- Transfer to a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours, at 40°F or below. Use within 3 to 4 days. Serve chilled.
Notes
- Finding prickly pear syrup
- Look for it in Arizona grocery stores, specialty food shops or online. If you can't find it, use ½ cup pomegranate juice and add 2 tablespoons more sugar.
- For a smoother sauce
- Once it has cooled, blend half of it and stir it back into the rest.
