Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce is classified as sweet. Most often they are used in the confectionery industry for baking and sweet desserts. But the cranberry-based liquid sauce is not only suitable for sweets. It is added to vegetable salads, meat and fish products to get a specific sweet-sour taste and to shade the main component of the dish.

What you need to know about the universal sauce, how to cook it and with what to serve?

Historical information

North America is considered the birthplace of three berries, which are included not only in the everyday life of the local population, but also in history. Blueberries, Concord grapes and cranberries have become part of the national culinary tradition and have been in most refrigerators for hundreds of years. The cranberry got special glory. Berry-based sauce is a must-have Thanksgiving dinner and a favorite treat for everyday cheese/meat products. Almost every American restaurant or hotel serves small plastic jars of berry jam.

Brief etymological reference: the name “cranberry” translates as a crane berry (ovary with petals, which is very similar to the head of a crane). The name comes from the first colonists in Massachusetts. According to Dahl, the Russian “cranberry” also comes from “beak” / “pecking”.

Cranberries gained popularity even before the colonizers. The Indians collected berries not only to satisfy hunger. They were used in all areas of life – from cooking to medicine and the textile industry. The Indians most often ate the berries raw to preserve their beneficial and nutritious properties. To enjoy the berries out of season, they were dried and stacked in massive tiles. Cranberries protected locals from blood diseases, intestinal problems, fever and birth trauma in newborns.

Berries were ground or pounded in small bowls, added to drinks and traditional dishes. Especially popular sauce of cranberry juice and deer fat. The ingredients formed a dense mass, which became liquid when heated. Fat provided long-term juice storage of the sauce, and berry acid protected against the development of bacteria.

Chemical composition – comparison of home and industrial sauce

How to make sauce

Recipe comment: This sauce is great for both meat dishes and desserts. Cherry liqueur gives a special richness and piquancy to the taste. If the use of alcohol is unacceptable for you – just refuse it or replace it with orange juice, the consistency will not be affected by this. You can use any cranberry, either fresh or frozen.

We need:

• cranberries – 350 grams;
• sugar – 200 grams;
• cherry liqueur or orange juice – 3 tablespoons;
• water – 75 milliliters;
• cognac – 1 tablespoon (optional).

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottomed saucepan/saucepan. Put the container on a slow fire, cover with a lid and boil the contents. After about 10 minutes, the cranberries will begin to burst. This is due to the high temperature inside the pan. As soon as the berries “exploded” – try the sauce. At this stage, you can add the missing sugar, alcohol or orange juice. Warm the mass for another 5-10 minutes, then turn off the heat and send the sauce to the refrigerator.

Important: in the refrigerator the product hardens and becomes very thick. Immediately before serving, mash the mass with a spoon or fork to return the perfect consistency to the cranberry sauce.

Cooking takes only 15-20 minutes, regardless of culinary skills. Here are some tips to help you diversify the taste and structure of the sauce:

1. If you want to achieve a thicker consistency, increase the cooking time.
2. You can add starch to chilled berry juice. You just have to bring the dressing to a boil. Starch provides a dense structure without digestion.
3. Sugar can be replaced with plain water. To enhance sweet flavors, use honey or concentrated fruit juices.

Useful and dangerous properties of the product

The composition of the sauce includes cranberries, sugar and water. All other components are optional and can be replaced / excluded from the recipe. First of all, the abundance of sugar is alarming. Abuse of it leads to obesity, eating disorders, uncontrolled appetite, diabetes mellitus, heart / vascular disease, caries and a number of other unpleasant symptoms. To avoid this, give up sugar. The structure and taste of the finished sauce will change, but the right ingredients will save the situation.

Important. Ditch refined sugar in favor of healthier brown/coconut varieties. You can also use honey or maple syrup as a sweetener.

Let’s focus on the main component – cranberries. Heat treatment destroys most of the vitamin C, but ascorbic acid is not the only benefit of the red berry.

Most berries are natural antioxidants. Miniature cranberries can be a huge helper in the fight against infections and inflammatory processes. The composition of the fruit includes anthocyanins. Antioxidants are responsible for the rich red shade of berries and the protective functions of the human body. Frequent use of cranberries stimulates additional lymphocyte production. They are called “natural killers.” Lymphocytes provide the body with protection against viruses and pathogenic microflora.

Another useful property of anthocyanin is a reduction in the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Heat treatment does not destroy the antioxidant. On the contrary, its concentration gradually increases, and we get a double benefit.

The cranberry contains flavonols. They react with other antioxidants and help slow cell aging. Focus on the shade of the berries. Dark and saturated color indicates a high concentration of flavonols. Berries with a pale unobtrusive pigment should be left to ripen.

Important: cranberries are oxidizing foods. Fruit acid abuse destroys teeth, irritates the esophagus, and can cause headaches. To prevent this from happening, supplement an acidic product with an alkaline one (green vegetables, dried fruits, fruits with a lot of water, grains and herbal teas).

Cranberries, like other plants, are forced to resist the aggressive effects of the environment. For protection, they produce antioxidant antioxidants. All these substances accumulate in the berries and, following the food chain, pass into the human body. Antioxidants protect us from free radical damage. They slow down the aging process, remove toxins / toxins and harmonize the activity of the gastrointestinal tract.

Cranberries are especially useful for girls. Benzoic acid and a range of antioxidants protect women from cystitis and help minimize symptoms of the disease. The same benzoic acid is responsible for the preservation of berries – they can be stored fresh for several weeks without fear for quality.

Cranberry sauce is a healthy and affordable alternative to ketchup, mayonnaise, or industrial dressings. The ingredients for its preparation can be found in the nearest store, and the process itself takes 15 minutes. Try replacing berry sauce with jam in your favorite cupcakes, or a serving of concentrated tomato paste in quiche lauren. Experiment and be healthy!