Cranberry-Orange Jelly
- Total Time
- 20 minutes, plus at least 3 hours’ chilling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1½cups Lillet (see note)
- ½cup orange liqueur, like Grand Marnier
- 2cups sugar
- 2tablespoons juniper berries (optional)
- 212-ounce bags fresh or frozen cranberries (about 8 cups; frozen can be substituted)
- Nonstick cooking spray (if chilling in a mold)
Nutritional analysis per serving (14 servings)
185 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 31 grams sugars; 0 grams protein; 4 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a heavy saucepan, combine Lillet, liqueur, sugar and juniper berries if using. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add cranberries and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until all the cranberries burst and are very soft, at least 10 minutes total (or use a candy thermometer and cook mixture to 210 to 215 degrees). The mixture should be reduced and thickened, like a very loose jam.
- Step 2
Strain the sauce into a bowl through a sieve, pushing on the solids with a rubber spatula to extract all the liquid. Discard the solids. Stir the liquid and transfer to a pretty serving bowl or a mold. (If using a mold, spray the insides first with nonstick cooking spray.) A funnel or liquid measuring cup with a spout can be useful for transferring without splashing the sides. Cover and refrigerate for at least three hours, or up to several days. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
- Step 3
If you chilled the jelly in a mold, turn it out by placing the mold in a large bowl. Carefully pour hot water into the bowl so it comes up the sides of the mold, melting the jelly just enough to release it from the mold. After 3 minutes, try unmolding the jelly onto a serving dish. If it doesn’t come out, return to the bowl and try again 2 minutes later. Repeat until the jelly is released. If necessary, return it to the refrigerator to firm up before serving.
- Two cups of red wine, port, Madeira or orange juice can be substituted for the Lillet and liqueur.
Private Notes
Comments
I made this three days in advance of Thanksgiving dinner. What a mistake! I don’t know how I am going to wait... I cooked it exactly to the recipe (simmered the cranberries for about 35 minutes), poured it into the mold (chunks and all), placed it in the refrigerator overnight. When I woke up this morning (with two entire days left), my curiosity got the best of me... Oh my. This is good. Very. Very. Good.
Which kind of Lillet are you folks using?
To NYCSandi:
I make this with orange juice every year. But I use a candy thermometer to make sure that the sugar and juice reach Jelly stage, 210-215 degrees Farenheit. It always jells. I do not pass it through a strainer either.
In addition, my family likes the addition of ground cloves to liven the flavors. I add the cloves to the sugar before cooking.
My family has declared this the best cranberry sauce recipe ever. I sub'd the Lillet with fresh OJ, the grand mariner with triple sec, and the juniper berries with a cinnamon stick and 5 whole cloves. Also added the zest of one orange. Winner!
Love!!! This is the new can’t-live-without thanksgiving addition to our table. I had a difficult time trying to get the mixture up to 210 degrees. I’m high altitude which may have been a factor. The cranberries were soft and popped after about 15 minutes, but I boiled it an additional 10 minutes trying to get it to temp. Once it got to 200 after 25 minutes I called it good. The jelly was thickening as I was straining it. After all the boiling I was afraid I had evaporated off too much liquid. I ended up with just over 3 cups, after pushing every drop out of the strainer. Thinking this would be too concentrated, I added an additional 1.5 cups of water, mixed it in and put it in the fridge. After 4 hours the jelly set fine, on the lower half. The upper half of the jelly didn’t set at all due to my adding water. So I poured everything in a pan, mixed a couple tsp gelatin into 1/2 cup water and stirred it all together to boil. Poured back into the mold and the result was beautiful! It was just set and a perfect gentle jiggle, but far less than jello ( my fear when adding gelatin). I will make it like this in the future, with 2 cups water and 2tsp gelatin. I imagine the original would be too strong and concentrated based on how perfect this version was.
This is the gourmet grown up version of canned cranberry jelly!