Category: Preserves & Spreads

Servings: 8 to 10 servings
Preheat: 
Prep Time: 45 min
Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019721-slow-cooker-cranberry-sauce-with-port-and-orange

Based on the NYTimes recipe, but we didn’t have port on hand and used Carpano Antica Formula vermouth instead, and it was quite good.

This classic, sweet and tangy cranberry sauce tastes complex but is quite easy to make. The slow cooker method saves in-demand stovetop space for other Thanksgiving dishes, and the sauce keeps well in the refrigerator for at least one week.

Ingredients: 

24 ounces fresh or frozen, thawed cranberries (about 5 cups)
1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
½ cup vermouth, or ruby or tawny port
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
Kosher salt

Directions: 

Put the cranberries into a medium saucepan. Scoop out about 3/4 cup of the berries and finely chop. Set aside. Add the sugar, vermouth or port and half the orange zest into the pan, and stir. Season with a generous pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until many of the berries have popped and the sauce has thickened and is jammy and syrupy, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the reserved chopped cranberries and the remaining orange zest. Spoon into a serving bowl, cover, and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Servings: 12
Makes about 11 8-ounce jars or about 5½ 12-ounce jars

Ingredients
3½ pounds oranges, preferably unsprayed and strongly flavored; avoid very sweet oranges
5 cups water
½ cup fresh lemon juice
1 box MCP pectin
9½ cups cane sugar, pre-measured in a separate bowl
12 8oz canning jars, washed and kept warm; boil canning jar lids in a small pan and hold in simmering water.

Directions
Cut off ends of oranges, slice thinly (1/8 inch), and remove seeds and any pith in center of slices. Cut large-diameter slices in half
Mix oranges with 5 cups of water and ½ cup lemon juice in a large, non-reactive pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, uncovered. While oranges are simmering, prepare canning jars and lids.
Measure the cooked fruit and add water or simmer longer to make 7 cups.
Add 1 box of MCP pectin (2 oz) and mix thoroughly.
Return the fruit mixture to high heat, and bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.
Stir in 9 ½ cups sugar, and bring to a full, rolling boil for 4 minutes.
Remove from heat immediately, and stir for 5 minutes to prevent floating peels.
Fill hot jars to 1/8 inch below rim. Wipe off jar rims and cover quickly with lids.
Place rings on jar tops and tighten tightly. Invert jars for 5 minutes to distribute peels evenly in jars. Turn jars upright.
Shake jars gently several times while they are cooling to evenly distribute the peel.
When jars are cool, lids should be dimpled in, indicating they have sealed; if any jars have not sealed, refrigerate and use them soon!

Store in a cool, dark location.

Servings: —
Source: Gourmet July 2001
I’ve often made this luscious spread with little yellow plums gathered from my friend Ilene’s fruit trees. Red or purple plums work equally well. Because fruit butters are slowly cooked down to a thick paste, they require a good deal of stirring to prevent scorching.

Ingredients
vanilla extract to taste
12 lb ripe plums, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
9 cups sugar
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions
Special equipment: 13-14 – 1/2-pint (8oz) canning jars with lids and screw bands
Sterilize jars and lids
Freeze several small plates to use for testing butter.
Combine all ingredients in 2 large pots. Slowly bring to a rolling boil over moderate heat (this will take about 15 minutes), stirring frequently. Boil, uncovered, stirring frequently, until plums are tender, about 5 minutes.
Purée plums with liquid in batches in food processor. Transfer purée to single, large pot and simmer over low heat, stirring and scraping bottom of pan frequently, until very thick, about ~3 hours. (To test for doneness, drop a spoonful of plum butter on a chilled plate, then tilt; the mixture should not be runny. It should be about as thick as jam.)
Drain jars upside down on a clean kitchen towel 1 minute, then invert. Ladle plum butter into jars, leaving 1/4 inch of space at top, then run a thin knife between plum butter and jar to eliminate air bubbles.
Seal, process, and store filled jars, boiling plum butter in jars 10 minutes.
Let plum butter stand in jars at least 1 day for flavors to develop.