Gregg's NEW Cranberry Sauce
Over 5 years ago, Gregg shared his favorite cranberry sauce recipe. He is back with a new and improved version!
Things to know:
What are the origins of cranberry sauce?
Cranberry sauce originated from a mix of Indigenous North American food traditions and early European colonial cooking in New England and Canada.
Indigenous Roots & Early Contact
Wild Fruit Use: Indigenous peoples (such as the Mi’kmaq and Lenape) harvested wild cranberries (known as ibimi) across northeastern North America long before Europeans arrived, using them for food, medicine, and dye.
First Sweetened Sauce: In 1606, Indigenous Mi’kmaq people introduced French settlers in Port Royal, Nova Scotia, to cranberries sweetened with maple sugar.
Colonial Recipes: By the 1630s–1670s, English colonists in New England began boiling the tart native berries with sugar to create a savory-sweet side dish for meats, modeled after European barberry conserves.
Why don’t we eat fresh cranberries?
We do not usually eat fresh cranberries on their own because of their extreme tartness and high tannin content, which makes them bitingly sour and astringent.
What was the cranberry controversy and what was it about?
The “cranberry controversy” (known as the Great Cranberry Scare of 1959) was a major U.S. food safety panic triggered on November 9, 1959, when U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Arthur Flemming announced that portions of the Oregon and Washington cranberry harvests were contaminated with aminotriazole, a chemical weed killer that caused thyroid cancer in laboratory rats.
What state is most famous for cranberries?
Wisconsin is the most famous state for cranberries, producing over 60% of the United States’ total crop and roughly half of the world’s supply.
Which brand of cranberry sauce is considered the best?
Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce is widely considered the best and most iconic store-bought option for traditional jellied cranberry sauce, while New England Cranberry Colonial Cranberry Sauce and Tiptree Wild Cranberry Sauce lead for whole berry and jam-style varieties.
Ingredients:
Orange Whisky Candied Walnuts
3 cups chopped walnuts
1 t salt
1 T cinnamon
1 t vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup First Call Kentucky Sweet Orange Whisky (or your favorite orange flavored hooch)
1 can of whole cranberry cranberry sauce
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup candied walnuts
1. First, make the candied walnuts. Heat a large frying pan or deep pot on medium heat. When hot, add the sugar, salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and whiskey and mix until fully combined. Allow to heat up, stirring occasionally.
2. When the sugar has completely melted, add the walnuts and mix until fully incorporated. Watch over the pan and continue stirring often until most of the sugar has been coated and is beginning to crystallize.
3. Remove pan from the heat and allow to sit for 1-2 minutes. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir the nuts once more to avoid overly large clusters and set on a plate or chopping board to cool completely.
4. In a saucepan, combine the whole cranberry sauce, cinnamon, nutmeg, candied walnuts and orange juice.
5. Place the sauce pan on the stove on medium heat and allow to simmer for about 2 minutes.
6. Remove the cranberry sauce from the stove and allow to cool to room temperature, then chuck it into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Serve and ENJOY!
DISCLOSURE: When we link to products and services, those links may be customized affiliate links. If you click on any of those affiliate links and make a purchase within a certain time frame, We’ll earn a small commission. The commission is paid by the retailers.
Here’s an example: If we link to our favorite vegetable peeler, and you click on that link and complete a purchase within the next 24 hours, we may receive a commission somewhere between 1 to 10 percent of your total order.
We are careful to link to products and retailers that we use ourselves and recommend. These affiliate programs use cookies to track visits for the purposes of assigning commission on these sales. Money earned keeps Galley of the Sun running and allows us to do what we love.
Thank you for your support.
SELECT AFFILIATE PROGRAM DETAILS: We are currently members of affiliate programs with Amazon and Dalstrong. We are eligible to earn from qualifying purchases.