Saturday, November 19, 2011

Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce


Humans many times become creatures of habit, and I for one find my life extraordinarily habitual.  Perhaps it is my "mom world", but most mornings I pass the exact same moms at the exact same minute in the exact same spot.  Meal at our house are often at about the same time of day and the ingredients are ones I turn to again and again.  Mostly because they are popular, but also out of habit.

Thanksgiving is very traditional (or is it habitual?) for me and our menu doesn't really vary much over the years.  I even have a Thanksgiving folder with recipes that are only made only during this season creating similar menus that we look forward to the rest of the year.

On occasion a new dish will find its way to our table, the most recent being the White Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Cups which did indeed make the tradition cut and have been lovingly added to our Traditional Menu Folder.

Tradition for more than 15 years, these cranberries are flavored with orange peel and fresh orange juice making them a wonderful sweet complement to your traditional turkey (or a turkey sandwich the next day).  Sprinkled with a touch of Grand Marnier while still hot, these simple berries have been elevated to a near heavenly experience in my book.  While we did post them last year, I think they are important enough to bring to the blog table once again to share.

Easy to make, fine to make ahead (actually better), homemade cranberry sauce is a lovely and simple way to dress up your holiday table, and the smiles and "Oh, these are sooo good!" comments always make my evening just that much better.


Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce

1 12 oz. package of fresh cranberries
3/4 cup sugar (I like things fairly tart... add more sugar for a sweeter sauce)
2 Tbs freshly squeezed orange juice
1 Tbs grated orange peel
2-3 Tbs Grand Marnier

Preheat oven to 325º.

Place cranberries in a glass baking dish and toss with sugar.  If your taste runs fairly sweet, add an extra 1/4 cup of sugar.  Stir in orange juice and peel.  Cover tightly with foil and place on a baking sheet (experience has shown that on occasion the berries can boil over!  Best to be safe and place on a baking sheet). 


Place in the oven and bake for about an hour or until the berries are very soft and juicy.  Remove from the oven and stir in the Grand Marnier (the aroma is intoxicating!).  Cover and refrigerate.  Can be made up to 3 days in advance.
 

12 comments:

  1. Kim, I'm so happy to see this recipe...I've been dousing my cranberry sauce in Grand Marnier for years! Like you, I prefer mine leaning towards tart, but in recent years, I've added the additional sugar for the wee ones. We run our kitchens similarly too - I have a Thanksgiving folder that only sees the light of day this time of year. The recipes are like little treasures, gifts that reignite our traditions and habits. Wishing you & yours a warm holiday filled with peace, love and thanks!

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  2. I will personally endorse your cranberry recipe! Taylor is making this for Thanksgiving this year, but I will be watching her around that Grand Mariner. :) I want to try those white chocolate pumpkin pie cups!

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  3. This year is the first Thanksgiving I'm actually cooking something and to top it off it has to be vegan.
    I still don't know what I'm going to cook, but I hope for the best.
    Love the Grand Marnier touch to the cranberry sauce, and those White chocolate pumpkin bites are so cute!

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  4. You are right...Thanksgiving is so habitual. I think I find comfort in it...until I look at recipes like this :) I save cranberry sauce for the day after sandwiches, so if no one likes this new idea, I just might make it on Friday! :) Wishing you a great Thanksgiving!

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  5. Lovely cranberry sauce and beautiful pics

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  6. perfect cranberry sauce recipe,looks so yummy adding great taste to the plate on Thanks giving meal,Have a great Thanks giving :)
    Ridwan

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  7. Oh, great flavour for cranberry sauce. I posted some sauce too, and did some links to great Thanksgiving ideas...included your white choc pumpkin pie cups!

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  8. This does sound heavenly! Love the Grand Marnier, wow I bet it adds amazing, mysterious flavor!

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  9. Definitely making this sauce for my holiday table this year. It was one of the few things I felt I needed a new recipe for!

    Jason

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  10. The photo of the sugared cranberries is really pretty--and I bet this tastes great with the orange/cranberry combo. Thanks for sharing!

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  11. I love this cranberry sauce! I always make mine the regular ol' way, but the grand marnier is a perfect addition!

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  12. Kim -love this recipe. I just bought a bottle of Grand Matnier for a bread recipe, and I'll have extra and this sounds like the perfect recipe to use it for. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and hope to see you around SD soon. Happy Holidays.:)

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