Jellied Cranberry Sauce

I think we can all agree that we don't serve canned cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving because of its exquisite taste.🤣It's about sensation of the jellied fruit. There's something simultaneously soothing and also a little disturbing about the sound that the congealed fruit makes when it slides out onto a plate.  The wiggle, the jiggle, the tin can ridges, the sound - canned cranberry sauce is a delight for all the senses. 

When I was a kid, canned cranberry sauce was a staple on our Thanksgiving table and I loved everything about it ... except the flavor. 😅 There's just something nostalgic about it though and even though I hardly ever eat it - my Thanksgiving table just seem incomplete without it.  

I've tried replacing the canned cranberry sauce with a homemade version but, it's never quite the same experience.   Spiced cranberry sauce flavored with rich brandy and the sweetness of orange and clove is amazing but it lacks the shape and jiggle of its canned counterpart. 

So, why has it never occurred to me before to make my delicious, homemade cranberry sauce and put it in a can?  🤷🏻‍♀️  Now I can have my jellied cranberry sauce - and eat it too.  😅

Jellied Cranberry Sauce
2 cups cranberry juice
3 cups (12 ounces) fresh cranberries
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
​1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Bring cranberry juice, cranberries, sugar and salt to a boil.  Cook 10 minutes.

Mash cranberries and cook 15 minutes longer. 

Strain mixture into glass measuring cup until you have 2 3/4 cups liquid.  

Press solids with back of spoon.   Stir in vanilla until smooth.  

Transfer mixture to a 2 cup mold or a clean 15 ounce can.  

Let cool at least 1 hour.  Cover and refrigerate 4 hours to 4 days. 

Unmold with fingers and invert jelly onto plate.  

Full disclosure:  My first attempt at canned cranberry sauce was a complete failure.  It wasn't even salvageable so...  I dumped it down the drain and started again.  The second time I used half the juice and it turned out perfectly.  If you follow my recipe - make sure that you have 2 empty cans ready because you'll have enough filling for more than one.  Enjoy!!

Ciao!

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