Can you believe Thanksgiving is just four days away? FOUR DAYS!!!???!!! Eeek!
But seriously, I can't believe how fast this year has gone by and the Holidays are once again upon us.
With that in mind, I thought it was only appropriate to share a traditional holiday recipe with y'all today. Well, not really traditional because there's a little spin on it.
The traditional recipe is cranberry sauce and the recipe I'm sharing with you is a cranberry cherry sauce. Similar yet different. And so much better than store bought.
Not to mention you can make this ahead of time so you won't have to worry about it on the big day. Which actually works out better since it needs to chill overnight.
I soaked my cherries overnight in apple cider with two tablespoons of red wine. You can probably use any type of wine you like best - white, rose, or red, which will make this dish more personable to you. Plus you can always add in a little more wine if you like {wink}.
And you can make a non-alcoholic version for the kids, by just leaving out the wine.
Just remember which one is which when serving time comes!
Cranberry Cherry Sauce
Makes 8 ounces
Ingredients
1 cup sweet apple cider
2 Tablespoons red wine1 cup frozen cherries
1 cup + 2 Tablespoons coconut sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
2/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons orange marmalade
3/4 to 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
a pinch of orange zest for topping
a pinch of orange zest for topping
Directions
Either the night before preparing or early the day of, add cherries, apple cider, and wine to an airtight container. Let refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours before making.
After soaking cherries, place in medium saucepan with cranberries and coconut sugar. Add in orange juice, water, cinnamon, and nutmeg and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring continuously.
Once sauce starts to simmer, turn heat down a little and continue to cook for about 20 minutes or until cranberries have popped. You will start to hear little popping sounds as mixture heats up. Use the back of your spoon to gently pop any stragglers.
After sauce has reached desired thickness (remember it will thicken as it cools), remove pan from heat and add in vanilla and orange marmalade, blending throughout sauce. You can add in more sugar if you prefer a little sweeter sauce.
Fold in walnuts.
Let cool to room temperature and serve warm or let chill.
Top with orange zest before serving.
Watch me make this here on Simmer.
*Helpful Hints*
- Can also use granulated white sugar instead of coconut sugar
- Best if made at least 2 days before serving, 1 day for soaking cherries overnight, the next day for chilling sauce before serving.
- All measurements are US
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