Cranberry-Tangerine Sauce (Aka 2020 Sauce)
A riddle: If a tangerine is a hybrid of a mandarin orange and any other type of orange, and a clementine is a hybrid of a mandarin orange and a sweet orange, does that make a clementine a tangerine? 😉 Secondly, if we love snacking on all of these sweet little tangerines year-round, why do we have to purchase big, not-so-exciting navel oranges to make cranberry sauce? Clearly the person who made cranberry sauce had never had a “cutie,” or mandarin, or whatever we call these things. This is 2020. We can do whatever. we. want. with our cranberry sauce. Hats off to my friend Ayesha Curry who calls for brown sugar in her version. It’s a game changer, so I’ve done that here, too! Take that, 2020! If you like leftover sauce for sandwiches, make sure to double the recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh or frozen (unthawed) cranberries
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, to taste
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed tangerine juice (it can be pulpy!)
- 1 small cinnamon stick (about 3 inches)
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- Pinch of Kosher salt
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir to dissolve the sugar, then bring to a simmer.
- As soon as it starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, allowing the sauce to cook and bubble slowly until the cranberries are broken down and the sauce begins to thicken, about 5-10 minutes.
- Allow to cool, then serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days before serving.
