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Holiday Recipes with a Twist: Cranberry Applesauce with Fresh Ginger

November 20, 2008 by Nicole 23 Comments

And today we have the final recipes in the Holiday Recipes series I’ve been putting on with Amanda and Tyler of What We’re Eating.  At our pre-holiday dinner, Amanda made a delicious cranberry sauce that included persimmons and just a touch of fresh rosemary.  I would never have thought to add rosemary to cranberry sauce, but the combination was perfect!

I decided to pair my cranberries with apples, fresh ginger, and lots of sugar for a sweet-tart sauce that is the epitome of fall.  Since I’ve always loved the homemade applesauce my grandma serves every year with the Christmas ham, I decided to make an applesauce that goes well with turkey, too!  This one definitely fits the bill.  And I added the big dose of fresh ginger with my husband in mind, as that’s one of his favorite flavors.

For those of you who have never made homemade applesauce, this will be a revelation.  Just throw a whole bunch of apples in the pot with a bit of water and sugar and it practically makes itself.  If you’d like to make plain applesauce using this recipe, omit the berries and ginger, reduce the sugar a bit and throw a couple cinnamon sticks into the pot.  Proceed with directions and remove the cinnamon sticks at the end.  Of course you can add some ground cinnamon at the end and even use the fresh ginger if you like.  Once you make homemade applesauce for the first time, you’ll never be happy with the store-bought stuff again.

Cranberry Applesauce with Fresh Ginger

4-5 pounds baking apples, peeled, cored and quartered*
1 cup water
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 cup water
1 12 oz. package cranberries
1-2 cups sugar**
1 tablespoon grated ginger
pinch of salt

Place apples in a large saucepan or dutch oven.  Squeeze lemon juice into the cup of water then pour over the apples.  Add cranberries, sugar, grated ginger, and a pinch of salt.  Stir, then bring mixture to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  When apples are soft enough to mash with a spoon, remove from heat.  Mash with a potato masher, or for a smoother texture, run mixture through a food mill.  Let cool, then refrigerate in a covered container until ready to use.  Can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to a year.

Recipe Notes: *I used a combination of Granny Smith and Golden Delicous apples. **The amount of sugar is up to you.  If you prefer a very tart sauce, you might even use less than a cup.  2 cups of sugar will give you a sweet, dessert-like sauce.  You can always start out with a small amount and stir more in towards the end of cooking.  I prefer my sauce sweet!

Yield: about 7 cups

In case you missed any of the other recipes in our holiday series this month, you can see them all below.  Click on a photo to be taken to the recipe.  Happy holiday planning!

Sourdough Stuffing with Apple and Bacon

Sourdough Stuffing with Apples and Bacon

Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese

Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese

Sweet Potato Buttermilk Dinner Rolls

Sweet Potato Buttermilk Dinner Rolls

And the Holiday Recipe Series continues over at What We’re Eating with:

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Wrapped in Prosciutto

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Wrapped in Prosciutto

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing

Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing

Cranberry Sauce with Rosemary and Persimmons

Cranberry Sauce with Rosemary and Persimmon

Filed Under: Desserts, Holiday, NaBloPoMo, Sauces and Dressings, Side Dishes, Vegetarian Tagged With: applesauce, christmas, cranberry, dessert, Holiday, NaBloPoMo, recipe, sauce, side dish, thanksgiving

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Fit Bottomed Girls says

    November 20, 2008 at 10:45 am

    What a delicious menu!!! I bet the ginger is beautifully delicious with the cranberries.
    Reply
  2. Ruby says

    November 20, 2008 at 10:49 am

    I might even make this for Abby as her meal! Grind a little turkey in it too... so she can eat it. Nothing wrong with homemade babyfood huh?
    Reply
  3. janelle says

    November 20, 2008 at 10:56 am

    Hello! What a fun way to list food: via photos. You are in for a great meal:). I love all the flavors that find their way into cranberry sauce; I just made a new one with brandy and orange marmalade---but no worries, the ginger is going into a cocktail:). Happy Thanksgiving!
    Reply
  4. Ellie from Kitchen Caravan says

    November 20, 2008 at 12:12 pm

    Mmmmm...cranberry, ginger, persimmon and rosemary. What a wonderful combination of flavors.
    Reply
  5. Karina says

    November 20, 2008 at 2:39 pm

    We are surfing the same wave- I've been craving a cranberry infused applesauce! Beautiful- and I love the spike of ginger.
    Reply
  6. Cynthia says

    November 20, 2008 at 5:08 pm

    This has been an excellent series and so many things have been bookmarked :)
    Reply
  7. DD says

    November 20, 2008 at 5:20 pm

    Gorgeous photos! I love the greens and reds. And that stuffing looks sooo good!
    Reply
  8. The Secret Ingredient/Season to Taste says

    November 20, 2008 at 7:24 pm

    I'm SOOOOOO making this recipe for Thanksgiving!!! What a great idea!
    Reply
  9. Kimberley says

    November 21, 2008 at 4:14 am

    I just found your site and I think it's great! I've been craving apple sauce so much lately. I can't seem to get enough of it! I'm going to keep your cranberry applesauce in mind for Christmas!
    Reply
  10. Amiyrah says

    November 21, 2008 at 10:54 am

    I most recently fell in love with homemade applesauce. I make ours in the crockpot and I will just have to try this recipe too! What do you do with your apple peels? One thing we do is toss them in cinnamon and sugar, lay them out on a big, greased, cookie sheet, and place them in a 350 degrees oven for about 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off oven, take out cookie sheet, flip the "chips" and put them back in the oven. Leave them for a few hours and they turn crispy and crunchy! Homemade fruit chips! My 3-year old loves these!
    Reply
  11. robin // caviar and codfish says

    November 21, 2008 at 11:51 am

    I'm so smitten with that photo with the apple peels. :)
    Reply
  12. Amadeo says

    November 21, 2008 at 3:12 pm

    I wish I could cook a little better. I should try out that stuffing recipe. I loooove stuffing.
    Reply
  13. Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) says

    November 22, 2008 at 10:05 pm

    I'm completely addicted to homemade applesauce. I don't put sugar in it, but I use cinnamon and a pinch of ground cloves. I always make mine with the skins on, too, so it turns a beautiful pink color.
    Reply
  14. Amanda says

    November 25, 2008 at 9:39 am

    I made this the other night, the only recommendation I have is to send it through a food mill or a mesh strainer, the cranberry skins are better left behind.
    Reply
  15. Nicole says

    November 25, 2008 at 10:41 am

    Amanda: Thanks for your feedback! I also prefer a smoother texture so I like to use a food mill.
    Reply
  16. Angie Younce says

    November 25, 2008 at 5:56 pm

    Neat twist on a classic. I've done the apple/cranberry thing many times, but I bet the ginger just adds a little something extra. Thank you for this one!
    Reply
  17. Sarah says

    November 15, 2009 at 12:27 pm

    I know I'm about a year late on this post, but I have a question. In the ingredients you have "1 cup of water" listed twice, but I only see it in the instructions once. Please advise, this recipe looks amazing!
    Reply
  18. Exhibition Banner Stands says

    June 27, 2011 at 9:24 am

    I enjoy my visits as there is always a good read here. Keep up the good work!
    Reply

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