Every year, around late October, one of my favorite fruits begins to appear in grocery stores nationwide. The pomegranate? Nope. The Clementine. Nuh-uh. It’s the cranberry. Perhaps one of my most beloved holiday dishes is homemade cranberry sauce. The vibrant color, the vanilla-spiked aroma, the contrasting sweet-tart flavor—cranberries always get me in the mood for holiday feasting.

While the traditional recipes I’ve encountered always taste good, they typically contain loads of sugar, meaning that the cranberry’s distinct tang is obscured. Plus, I want to save my sugar indulgence for dessert. Accordingly, I have developed my own, low-sugar, satisfyingly tart recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 12 oz. package of fresh cranberries
• 1 cup water
• 2 T agave nectar
• 4 packets stevia extract
• 0.5 t cinnamon
• 1 t quality vanilla extract
• 0.25 t ground cloves

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Place over medium heat until water is boiling and berries begin to pop.

2. Turn heat down to low, and place lid on saucepan so that it is slightly ajar, allowing heat to escape.

3. Cook until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. Remember that the sauce will thicken as it cools.

Notes:

-While regular agave nectar is perfectly suitable for this recipe, I like to use Madhava’s vanilla-flavored variety.

-Other flavor variations may include orange zest or almond extract.

Serving Suggestions:

The possibilities are endless!

Filed under: Feature Post, Recipe