Jellied Cranberry Sauce | Holidays Classics

What’s a red food that sparkles among other classic dishes on the holiday table? Amid all the golden brown of roasts and vivid green vegetables, something bright red would surely capture the imagination. With that in mind, I chose a jellied cranberry sauce and added another seasonal ingredient to it: apples. I like the combination of cranberry and apple, as a sweet and sour counterpoint, to meats, potatoes and bread. The sauce sparkles in the mouth….

There are only four ingredients in the recipe: fresh cranberries, apples, sugar, and gelatin, if you don’t count water. The jellied cranberry sauce can be made ahead of time which also fits the busy schedule around the holidays. I made a smaller recipe than the original one I found in the Gourmet Cookbook using just one bag (12 oz) of fresh cranberries. Although it may sound simple to make a sauce, achieving the right consistency, stiff enough to unmold in one piece onto a plate, can be tricky.

The first time I did it, the sauce came out runny, more like a jam you can spoon into a jar. When I tried to unmold, it broke apart. The good news is — considering there is only good news when it comes to a jellied sauce — you can reheat and redo. (That is when you have the time and patience to do so.) Put the sauce back in a pan and bring it to a simmer. Here is the deal: stir in some additional gelatin, according to the manufacturer’s directions, to the cranberry sauce. Stir well and pour it back into the mold. Refrigerate until set.

There is another neat little trick I deploy. Line the mold, I use a baking tin, with plastic wrap. When it’s time to unmold, peel off the plastic wrap around it. The gorgeous garnet jelly reviews itself in one piece. Hey, I can’t wait to embellish the jellied cranberry with fresh cranberries and rosemary.

“Genius is eternal patience.” That’s the not-so-secret sauce. Happy Holidays!

Print Recipe

Jellied Cranberry Sauce with Apples

Ingredients

• 1 bag (12-oz) or 3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed if frozen, picked over
• 1 large apple, cored & cut in 1/2-inch dices
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 envelop or 2 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

Instructions

1

Stir together cranberries, apples, sugar and 3/4 cup water in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until all berries have burst, about 15-20 minutes. Set aside.

2

Sprinkle the granules of gelatin over the surface 1/4 cup of cold water in a small bowl, while stirring. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes until the granules are melted.

3

Add a few tablespoons of the warm cranberry sauce in the gelatin mixture, stirring until dissolved. Then pour all the gelatin mixture into the cranberry sauce. Stir well and set aside to cool. Once it is cool enough to handle, pour cranberry mixture into mold. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours.

4

To unmold sauce, set mold in a larger bowl of hot water for 5 seconds to loosen it. Invert a serving plate over the mold and invert mold onto plate.

5

Garnish with fresh cranberries and rosemary sprigs.

Notes

Adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook, edited by Ruth Reichl