This photo taken Oct. 31, 2009 shows homemade cranberry sauce. Homemade cranberry sauce, while lacking that familiar sound and shape when putting out canned, gives you a truly flavor packed condiment with little effort. From foreground, spicy cranberry salsa, dried fruit cranberry compote and cranberry chutney only take 10 to 15 minutes to make and are a step well above their canned cousin.(AP Photo/Larry Crowe)
The easiest way is to simply follow the directions on the back of a bag of fresh cranberries, which usually involves dumping the cranberries, a somewhat scary amount of sugar and a bit of water into a saucepan and boiling until thick.
Getting more creative — and more flavorful — isn’t hard. These three quick recipes are jammed with flavor. The first, a cooked chutney-style sauce that sports warm, spicy flavors, is the easiest. The second offers a sweeter take; it’s studded with dried fruit.
Or for something a little different, try the third, a spicy uncooked cranberry salsa. The heat of the jalapeno is just enough to complement the other flavors of the meal without competing.
CRANBERRY CHUTNEY
Start to finish: 10 minutes, plus cooling
Servings: 8 to 10
12-ounce jar mango chutney
12-ounce bag fresh cranberries
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch salt
In a medium saucepan over medium-high, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let stand or refrigerate until cooled and thickened.