Cranberry Orange Sauce

There are some really lovely recipes for cranberry sauce out there, but they all seem to be based on a mythical one pound bag of fresh cranberries, which has yet to grace the shelves of my grocery store.  The standard seems to be 12 ounces, so even if you bought two bags, there would be cranberries left over.  This is my conveniently scaled down version, which can be made the day before Thanksgiving, to make it even easier.

I've used Alton Brown's brined turkey recipe for years (and highly recommend it), which means I have candied ginger on hand when I'm making the cranberry sauce.  It adds a really nice touch, but is unnecessary if you don't have any around.  I also like to leave my sauce chunky, but feel free to pulverize the c'berries down to a smoother consistency if you prefer.

Cranberry Orange Sauce
(Click here for printable version.)

3/4 C orange juice

3/4 C granulated sugar

chunk of candied ginger, finely chopped (optional)

12 oz (about 3 C) fresh cranberries

Combine orange juice, sugar and ginger (if using) in a medium pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Reduce to medium and allow to bubble for 5 minutes.  Add the cranberries and continue to simmer for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally until the cranberries burst open.  (Do not allow to cook for more than 15 minutes, as the cranberry sauce won't jell as well.)

Remove from heat and allow to cool.  If desired, pulverize remaining cranberries with potato masher or immersion blender.  Pour cranberry sauce into storage container, then chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.