Jellied Cranberry Sauce with Apples

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Thanksgiving is less than a week away! I'm already salivating at the thought of turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce. I know many people could care less about the cranberry sauce and merely open the obligatory can each year. It's the kind of the red headed stepchild of the Thanksgiving table.
For me the cranberries play a very important role on my Thanksgiving plate. They are the tart sweet goodness that brings everything else together for that perfect bite of Thanksgiving tastes.
Okay so most of you probably don't feel as strongly about the cranberry sauce as I do. Maybe you don't feel the need to make a couple of different cranberry sauces. (I'm making this one too!) However if you do plan to serve a cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving, this one is about as easy as it gets to make and it tastes fantastic. You may even want to join me in singing the praises of cranberry sauce... Anyway, this sauce can be made well in advance of Thanksgiving, so there's really no excuse to settle for just opening that can!

I topped mine with these sugared cranberries, fresh cranberries, sugared pecans, and a little fresh rosemary. Way prettier and more festive than the stuff from the can!

Jellied Cranberry Sauce with Apples
source: The Bitten Word, slightly adapted

INGREDIENTS:
1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries
1 large apple, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, roughly chopped (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Line an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap and spray the plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium heavy bottom pot, combine the cranberries, apple, sugar and water. Bring to a boil and cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently until the cranberries are completely broken down and the sauce is very thick, about 15 minutes. Stir in the chopped nuts, if using. Scrape the cranberry sauce into the prepared pan and refrigerate at least 3 hours, until completely chilled and set. Invert the jelled cranberry onto a serving plate and remove the plastic wrap. If desired, garnish the jelly with fresh and sugared cranberries, sugared pecans, and rosemary sprigs. Slice with a serrated knife before serving.
Make Ahead: can be made up to 2 weeks in advance. Just cover well with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated.

This cranberry sauce may even steal the turkey's spotlight! 

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Sugared Cranberries

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I made these lovely little gems for the first time as a topping for my pumpkin cranberry cupcakes. I liked them so much I also decorated my All-in-One Holiday Bundt Cake with them as well. At first I was really just looking for a festive decoration. After making these however,I found that not only are they a glittery and beautiful decoration for desserts but they're an excellent little snack as well. The cranberries are soaked overnight in simple syrup then rolled in superfine sugar. They are sweet and tart and pop in your mouth when you bite them. The cranberries hold quite well for several days in an airtight container. Put these gorgeous little gems into pretty containers and give them as gifts along with your other Christmas goodies.

Ingredients
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups water
2 cups fresh cranberries
3/4 cup superfine sugar
Preparation

Combine granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring mixture until sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer; remove from heat. (Do not boil or the cranberries may pop when added.) Stir in cranberries; pour mixture into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Drain cranberries, reserving steeping liquid, if desired. Place superfine sugar in a shallow dish. Add the cranberries, rolling to coat with sugar. Spread sugared cranberries in a single layer on a baking sheet; let stand at room temperature 1 hour or until dry. Store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to a week.
Use the reserved steeping liquid as a mixer in your holiday cocktails!

All in One Holiday Bundt Cake with Sugared Cranberries

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I made Dori Greenspan's all-in-one holiday bundt cake for the first time this week. It's the perfect cake for this time of year. This cake is filled with cranberries, nuts, apple,and pumpkin. Sounds great right! Then you add a maple glaze. Yummm! That's pretty much all the holiday flavors packed into one delicious cake.
To make it even more festive, I topped the cake with some of the sugared cranberries I had leftover from the ICE cupcake cranberry challenge.
I thought this would be the perfect entry for this month Sugar High Friday. Sugar High Fridays started by Jennifer of The Domestic Goddess. This month's host is Susan atThe Well Seasoned Cook and the theme is: All that Glitters. Perfect because these cranberries just sparkle like little gems. Check out all the other glitter holiday desserts on here.



All-In_One Holiday Bundt Cake
Dorie Greenspan's Baking From My Home to Yours
(makes one 9- to 10-inch Bundt cake)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoon/5 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups canned unsweetened pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 large apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1 cup fresh cranberries, halved or coarsely chopped
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
Optional: Maple syrup icing (see recipe below)

To make the cake:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Butter a 9- to 10-inch (about 12-cup) Bundt pan. Do not place the pan on a baking sheet - you want the oven's heat to come up through the Bundt pan's open core.

Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside dry ingredients.

Working with a stand mixer (using a paddle attachment, if you have one), beat the butter and both sugars together at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat for 1 minute after each addition; beat in the vanilla.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the pumpkin and apples - don't be concerned if the mixture looks curdled. Still on low speed, add the dry ingredients, mixing only until the flour is just barely incorporated. Working with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the cranberries and pecans.

Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with the spatula. Slide the pan into the oven and bake 60 to 70 minutes at 350F, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding. Cool to room temperature on the rack. Drizzle with maple syrup glaze.

Maple syrup glaze:
Sift 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar into a bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup. Add more maple syrup little by little, until you have an icing that runs nicely off the tip of a spoon - you might need another 1/2 tablespoon to get the right consistency. Put the cooled cake on a sheet of parchment or waxed paper and drizzle with the glaze. Let the glaze set for a few minutes before serving.