Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

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If you’re looking for a fairly easy way to elevate your holiday spread, or perhaps a random Tuesday night dinner (and dare I say impress your guests?) this simple Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce is the way to go.

A quick note on cranberry sauce from a can: Cranberry sauce from a can is just… fine. Listen, it takes on the shape of its container, which is kind of cool, and it couldn’t be easier to plop on the table. PLOP. 

However, with just a few ingredients and thirty minutes, you can have something significantly more than just “fine.”

Overhead image of ingredients prior to making Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce: fresh, whole berry cranberries, spice jars, raw sugar, and navel oranges.

The Story Behind My Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

In 2009 I had my first and only Thanksgiving with friends on the actual holiday. It had snowed on the mountain pass and reaching my family wasn’t an option. Much like the chicken wing saga years later, early winter had different plans for me. 

I got ambitious and nostalgic for home and made my way to Ballard with a bag of fresh cranberries, a navel orange, a single star of anise, and a cinnamon stick, hoping our lovely host would have some sugar to spare.

Dry Rub Chicken Wings with a side of finished Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce.

I stirred the berries in an old pot until they burst and bubbled and jammed. Simmered them with the juice of the orange, some zest, the aromatics, and sugar until it resembled a stovetop jam – which is exactly what it is. I didn’t know it at the time, but my subtle courage to attempt something scratch-made for Thanksgiving with new friends became a foundational story of our friendship.

Overhead visual of an open jar of Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce alongside a small dish of the sauce, ready to be eaten.

Here we are nearly twenty years later and I’m still making and sharing this same simple cranberry sauce. I hope you love it.

Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

The Host Notes | Amber Dawn
Homemade cranberry sauce is an easy and delicious addition to the holiday table alongside savory meats and sides. This comes together with a few simple ingredients and can be made in advance and frozen. It's not too tart, not too sweet, and tastes like real cranberries with a hint of orange.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 People

Equipment

  • Colander
  • Medium sauce pan
  • Wooden spoon or Spatula
  • Potato Masher (optional, you can use the spoon to mash)
  • Microplane / zester
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • 16 oz Mason Jar with Lid

Ingredients
  

  • 12 ounces Cranberries Fresh or frozen
  • 1/4 cup Orange juice Fresh
  • 1 teaspoon Orange zest
  • 1 stick Cinnamon
  • 1 star Star anise
  • 1/2 cup White sugar or real maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup Water + more as needed

Instructions
 

  • Rinse and pick through the cranberries. Discard any questionable or sad berries.
  • Over medium-low heat, add 1/2 cup water and the cranberries to the sauce pan. Allow the berries to cook until they start to pop and release their juice, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure the berries don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
  • Add the aromatics to the pan: cinnamon stick and star anise. Give it a stir, and stir frequently to avoid scorching the jammy sauce.
  • Pour the fresh orange and lemon juice into the pan along with the zest.
  • Allow to simmer on low heat until most of the berries have burst. Use your spoon or a masher to break any remaining berries by pushing them against the side of the pan. Be careful – the hot juice can spray up and out of the pan!
  • Add the sugar OR maple syrup to sweeten. Start with 1/2 a cup and add a bit more if you prefer a sweeter outcome. If needed, add more water one Tablespoon at a time to keep the sauce from becoming too sticky.
  • Remove from the heat and discard the cinnamon stick and star anise. Allow to cool before scooping into a jar. Refrigerate for up to five days or freeze for up to three months.
Keyword Cranberry Sauce, Fresh, Homemade, Jam, Simple, Thanksgiving
A jar of Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce labeled and finished with a blue and white checkered ribbon bow tied around the jar.

This Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce makes a lovely hostess gift. It also freezes really well, right in the jar! Just be sure to leave about an inch of space between the jam and the lid to allow for expansion.

Amber Dawn

Fresh Mango Salsa

Amber Dawn | The Host Notes
This pico-style salsa is sweet and savory which means it has depth in flavor that plays well with your favorite grilled seafood or tacos, or maybe even a lovely addition to a 7-layer-dip. Spice it up or tone it down - it's versatile and delectable however you serve it up. The best part? Even the mango naysayers seem to love it. Take along as a side dish to your next cookout or bunko night and add some color and zip to the table.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine American, Mexican
Servings 6 people

Equipment

  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Cutting board or butcher block
  • Chef's knife
  • Paring knife
  • Microplane or zester
  • Handheld juicer
  • Bench scraper
  • Measuring cups & spoons
  • Wooden spoon or rubber spatula

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Mango large, ripe
  • 3-4 Tomatoes Roma
  • 1 Red onion medium
  • 1 Serrano OR jalapeno pepper for less spice remove seeds to decrease spice level
  • 1 Cup Cilantro chopped
  • 1 Clove Garlic grated
  • 3-4 Limes medium, juiced (about ½ cup)
  • 1 teaspoon Chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt or to taste

Instructions
 

  • Wash your produce well and set aside to dry, pat dry with a clean kitchen towel to speed up the process.
  • Using your chef’s knife, hold the mango carefully with the stem up on the cutting board. Apply enough pressure to hold it steady while you slice into the mango on all sides, removing as much fruit as possible while avoiding the pit. Keep the peel on for now and focus on getting all the mango you can get.
  • Using your paring knife, take the pieces of mango w/ peel on and slice them in to ½ inch strips. Then, score them into cubes, slicing the fruit but without slicing through the skin. Using your paring knife, carefully remove the skin from the mango, salvaging as much of the fruit as you can and discarding the skin. Add the cubes to your bowl.
  • Quarter your Roma tomatoes and remove the juicy pockets and seeds. This will make your salsa less watered down and allow the flavors to shine.
  • Dice the tomatoes into ¼ inch cubes and add to the large mixing bowl and set aside.
  • Dice the onion into ¼ inch cubes and add to your bowl.
  • Wearing gloves, slice your serrano or jalapeno in half lengthwise. At this point, you can remove the seeds by using a small spoon to scrape them out. If you’d like a spicy salsa, leave the seeds in. Half the peppers once more so you are left with four long strips. Line them up and dice into ¼ inch pieces. Add to your bowl.
  • Rough chop the cilantro to the consistency you like. It can be fine or super rough and using the stems is fine, if you like them.
  • Peel and grate the garlic and add to the bowl.
  • Juice the limes until you have about ½ cup of fresh lime juice. Add to your bowl.
  • Add the chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, and salt.
  • Give the salsa a good stir, incorporating all the ingredients until well combined.
  • Serve cold or at room temperature with tortilla chips, over grilled fish or meat, or on your favorite tacos.
  • Mango Salsa will store in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Notes

Mango is a pretty fibrous fruit and requires sharp knives to avoid smashing the fruit when chopping. It can also be difficult to get into tiny pieces without smashing, so I’m flexible on the size of the chop.
Grating garlic: This produces a fine paste-like result that opens up the essence of the garlic and lets the flavor really come through. I find I need less garlic in recipes when I use this method. You can use pre-pressed garlic or store-bought paste but it won’t yield the same pure garlic flavor.
Up the pepper ratio (red pepper flakes, serrano peppers) if you want to take this salsa up a few levels on the spicy front. Omit all three if you’d like to keep it mild.
Try serving this over grilled fish or combined with your favorite ceviche for a sweet and savory dish.
Or… try it on your carne asada or chicken adobo tacos.
Keyword Dip, Salsa

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