Spiced Cranberry Sauce

It's almost Thanksgiving and I am going to my daughter-in-law's family Thanksgiving Dinner and I am bringing my Gluten Free Dressing and Gravy. But I also decided to make a Cranberry Sauce because I like mine to be a bit more tart and more like a Chutney. My son Stephen was over today and he commented that he always liked the Cranberry Relish that had the flavor of Orange, except that it didn't keep well and thought we could use those same flavors in a cooked sauce and I wanted to add some spice. So, we zested the outside of one Orange and squeezed the juice out of it along with another Orange and then added in some Cinnamon and Cloves. We were going to add in some grated Ginger, but I had the idea of using candied Ginger instead, as I just bought some. We only used 3/4 of a cup of Brown Sugar, but you can add more if you like it sweeter  We loved this Cranberry Sauce so we are sharing it with you and will happily serve it alongside our Turkey in two days - Happy Thanksgiving!

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

12 ounces fresh Cranberries

1 cup fresh squeezed Orange Juice (from about 2 Navel Oranges)

¾ cup – 1 cup Brown Sugar

¼ cup minced Candied Ginger

1 teaspoon Orange Zest

½ teaspoon ground Cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground Cloves

Use a microplane and zest one of the Oranges. Then squeeze the Juice our of the Oranges and add to a saucepan (If you don't have 1 cup, add in some Water). Rinse the Cranberries in a strainer and pick out any soft ones and place them in the saucepan. Add in the Brown Sugar, Candied Ginger, Orange Zest, Cinnamon and Cloves. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until the Cranberries pop and the sauce thickens, about 10 - 15 minutes. Cool and refrigerate until ready to use. 

Five Element Analysis

Cranberries belong primarily to the Fire Element due to their bright red color. But they are very sour so they also bring in some of the Wood Element too. The Orange Zest brings in even more of the Fire Element and the Juice, because it is sweet, adds some Earth. The Brown Sugar adds in even more Earth. The Ginger bridges both Earth and Metal and the Cinnamon and Cloves contributes the Metal Element. So, if you make sure to have a Water food to serve this with, you will already have found some balance.