Growing up, I always ate Thanksgiving dinner with my friends’ families since my own family never celebrated it — not because they weren’t thankful on that day, but because it was never a part of their culture. So when that fourth Thursday rolled around every November, I couldn’t wait to partake in the classic American holiday.
I loved watching the grand entrance of the turkey, steaming hot from the oven and being carved up at the table, I loved the green bean casseroles with French fried onions, the marshmallow-glazed sweet potatoes and Marie Callender’s pies, but most of all, I loved the cranberry sauce that came out of a can. It was so fun to see the jiggly relish scooped out of the can, ridges and all, plunked down into a serving dish, and sliced up into individual rounds.
I still get nostalgic for that cranberry sauce, even though I now make my own and my palate has shifted to fancy-schmancy cranberry sauces with ginger and bourbon and other delights. I guess it’s the shape that I’m most fond of, and its appearance on the dinner table always brings me back to some of my favorite childhood memories.
These days, I try to stay away from high fructose corn syrup as much as I reasonably can, so commercial cranberry sauce is no longer an option on my Thanksgiving menu. But in the spirit of the holiday, I thought it would be fun to resurrect that red jelly in a can — by making a fresh, wholesome jelly that’s simply molded in a can.
The flavors are fairly traditional, with orange juice to sweeten the tartness of the cranberries. I like to add a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg for warmth, but the spices are optional. Even the can is optional; if you want to make a non-molded cranberry sauce to spread on biscuits, simply pour the sauce (once it’s been boiled) into jars and refrigerate until set. The jars (pint or half-pint) can also be processed in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Homemade “Tin Can” Cranberry Jelly
Makes 1 (15 ounce) can
Ingredients
3 cups cranberries
1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon low-sugar pectin (optional, see note below)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
Note: Cranberries contain enough natural pectin to gel on their own. But if this is your first time making a molded jelly and you want to make sure you get a good set, you can add a little pectin to this recipe as a fail-safe. (I like Ball RealFruit Pectin.)
Method
In a medium pot over medium-high heat, combine all of the ingredients and bring to a full rolling boil, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Once the cranberries have burst and the sauce has thickened into a jam-like consistency, about 15 minutes, remove the pot from heat.
Press the cranberries through a food mill (fitted with its finest screen) or a fine mesh sieve (with a spoon) to strain the sauce of any seeds and pulp. You should be left with a fairly smooth sauce.
Pour the sauce into a clean, empty, 15-ounce can. (You’ll want to reuse a can that previously contained a mild food, like beans or corn, lest you want Texan chili-flavored jelly!)
Let the sauce cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 12 hours for optimum molding. When you’re ready to serve, gently run a butter knife around the sides of the jelly to loosen it from the mold. Take care when doing this so you don’t inadvertently shave off the ridges.
Shake the jelly out onto a serving dish and see if your guests can taste the difference!
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