How to Make Old-Fashioned Cranberry-Orange Relish

This wonderful dish is more like a chutney and much less bland than the traditional cranberry sauce. I tend to make it with less sugar since we like our cranberries a bit more tart. The orange juice also helps to sweeten it naturally.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Large, heavy saucepan
• 4 cups fresh cranberries
• One large orange
• 1/2 a cup of water or orange juice
• About 3 cups of sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Grate about two teaspoons of the orange peel. Peel orange and discard white, bitter pith. You may also use commercially prepared orange rind that is available on the spice shelf of your supermarket.

2. Chop the orange. Discard any seeds. Reserve the juice for use in cooking the relish.

3. Wash and pick over cranberries, discarding any soft or overripe berries. If you're using bagged cranberries, be sure to replace any volume that has been discarded.

4. Place the berries, orange and juice in a saucepan. Add about half a cup of water or orange juice and heat over high-medium heat until the berries start to pop.

5. Cover the berry mixture and reduce the heat to medium. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture begins to bubble.

6. Let the mixture simmer for about five minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. The mixture should fall from a metal spoon in a sheet rather than in drops. This is called the "softball" or jelly stage and occurs at about 220 degrees on a candy thermometer.

7. Let the mixture sit for a few minnutes to stop simmering and then stir in the walnuts.

8. Cool and store refrigerated for holiday use.

Tips & Warnings

• The world's largest cranberry festival is held in Warrens, Wisconsin, in the last week in September to celebrate the completion of the harvest. Beginning in October, cranberries are not only plentiful but inexpensive.
• You may want to vary the sugar a half cup more or less depending on how sweet you like your cranberry sauce and the tartness of the year's crop.
• Make a double batch and you'll have enough for Thanksgiving through New Year's.
• Any mixture with sugar is very hot while cooking. Do not allow well-intentioned onlookers to dip a finger in the pot, and be sure to use gloves when handling the hot mixture. Be careful not to put the hot relish in plastic containers too soon--melted sugar retains a lot of heat for a long time.

[vickymom64]

on 12/1/2009 This recipe really sounds yummy!