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READY IN 25 mins

Brandied Orange and Cranberry Sauce

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"This is the best cranberry sauce you will ever eat!" — Claudia

Ingredients Edit and Save

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Original recipe makes 4 cups Change Servings

2/3 cup orange zest
2 cups water
2 cups white sugar
2/3 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 cups cranberries
1 tablespoon brandy

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Directions

In a small pan over medium heat, combine the orange zest and water. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain, reserving zest and 1/3 cup liquid.
To the reserved liquid, add the sugar, orange juice and lemon juice. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes uncovered, stirring often.
Add cranberries; increase heat to medium-high and boil for about 10 minutes or until the cranberries have popped and a small spoonful of sauce sets on a cold plate.
Remove from heat, stir in brandy. Pour into 4 1/2 pint jars leaving 1/2 inch space from top. Place lids onto jars, and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 5 mins
COOK 20 mins
READY IN 25 mins

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I've hunted for cranberry sauce that was "slap your grandma in the creek" good for many years. This one seems to be it. Though easy to make, any one of three things can degrade the result so heed the following: If you don’t have the brandy, don’t bother making the recipe - it's still ok, but brandy pulls out some vital flavor in this mix. Use a good fine zester and avoid the white part of the rind, which means you may need about 8 medium sized oranges. Finally, don’t undercook or overcook the sauce and you're most likely to undercook it (helpful huh?) Oh, in my opinion the sauce benefits from resting at least one day before serving.

—TRBURRISS

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Nov 08, 2005

this recipe was very time consuming (2/3 cup orange zest is a LOT!) I have made different versions of orange-cranberry relish before, but did not enjoy this recipe with the brandy and lemon juice

—CINCNAN

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114 Ratings

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Dec 19, 2004

This is awesome. Try using 1/3 cup, instead of 2/3 cup, of orange zest using a microplane grater. Frozen cranberries are fine, just rinse immediately before use, no need to thaw. I also like to add 1/4 teaspoon orange oil along with the brandy at the end. I recommend using a medium saucepan to avoid overboil. This is fabulous on top of Brie. Mix 8 oz cranberry sauce, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon Meyer's dark rum and 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg. Spread this mixture evenly on top of an 8 oz Brie round that has some rind trimmed from the top (leaving a 1/3 inch border on top). Sprinkle with some chopped pecans on top and bake Brie at 500 degrees for 5 minutes. Great served with water crackers and apple and pear slices. If you don't want to use rum, you can substitute orange juice. Enjoy!

—chocolover

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Feb 07, 2004

okay, if you make this--please concentrate on making the zest FINE... i made the mistake of grating the orange rind and it was WAAAAYYY TOO much and waaaay too thick. as a new bride i was very concerned about the sauce that i promised to do for my in-law's and my first t'giving together..and i ended up staying up until 3 am, gingerly removing the extra zest with tweezers!! i am NOT kidding! please make it FINE, THIN or whathaveyou. either way, i also agree with the other reviewers: that you may want to reduce the amount to 1/3 cup. now all that said: THIS IS AMAZING STUFF. it's glorious and you'll want more (my mother-in-law took some home--so the tweezering was obviously WORTH IT!). ENJOY!! you will! **review update: I tried this again for Christmas and didn't have any brandy so I used Liquor 43 (a vanilla liquor), it was just as OUTSTANDING.... also, I used about 1/4 cup of zest and it was just as good!

—KKCORNETT

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Feb 07, 2004

I love cranberries so I thought I would give this a try for Thanksgiving. I added half of the orange zest suggested and it was just enough orange flavor. Also, as most people have said, you will probably need to cook it a little longer. A huge hit with my husband's grandfather, I thought he was going to eat the whole bowl! I will definitely make this again!!!!!!

—ZEZZICA

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Nov 12, 2003

I'm not a big fan of canned cranberry sauce, and when I decided to use this recipe for Thanksgiving I had no idea it was going to turn out so yummy. Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe. The orange and brandy really brought out the flavor, although I did cut back on the orange zest. Wonderful recipe, and much prettier than the canned alternative.

—CYNTHIA D.

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Nov 17, 2004

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm good. I have now made this 5 times and it is absolutely scrumptious. If you don't like it you didn't make it right. Zest is not enormously long strings that need to be picked out or cut up. Use a zester. It benefits from being cooked too long but not cooking long enough will not enhance it. Don't worry that you might be cooking it too long. Take a little time, don't change anything and it will be well worth it. By the way, rind and zest are not the same thing, this recipe should not contain any rind, only zest. It takes a bunch (8 or so) oranges to do this right and the particles of zest will be small and will blend with the cranberries if done right. Its worth the effort.

—cooknman

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Nov 12, 2003

I try a new cranberry-sauce recipe every holiday, and this one has gotten far and away the best reception. Unlike the other reviewers I *increased* the zest and was pleased with the results. (Expect to cook it down a bit longer than indicated, though.) If you manage to have any left after the meal, you'll find it's also wonderful on vanilla ice cream. A winner!

—ANGELAGUNN

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Nutrition

Calories
236 kcal
12%

Carbohydrates
59.5 g
19%

Cholesterol
0 mg
0%

Fat
0.1 g
< 1%

Fiber
2.8 g
11%

Protein
0.4 g
< 1%

Sodium
1 mg
< 1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Brandied Orange and Cranberry Sauce

Serving Size: 1/8 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving
** Calories: 236
** Calories from Fat: 1

% Daily Value *
** Total Fat 0.1g < 1 %
** Saturated Fat 0g < 1 %
** Cholesterol 0mg 0 %
** Sodium 1mg < 1 %
** Potassium 98mg 3 %
** Total Carbohydrates 59.5g 19 %
** Dietary Fiber 2.8g 11 %
** Protein 0.4g < 1 %
** Sugars 53.4g
** Vitamin A 2 %
** Vitamin C 47 %
** Calcium 2 %
** Iron 2 %
** Thiamin 4 %
** Niacin 2 %
** Vitamin B6 3 %
** Magnesium 2 %
** Folate 5 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.