With its vibrant color and sweet, burst-in-your-mouth berries, cranberry sauce is the quintessential Thanksgiving side. If you've never made homemade cranberry sauce, I highly recommend you try it. The delicious fragrance will warm your house, and it's really not that difficult to make! Sure you could pop open a can, but why not experiment with one of these recipes? The first is super easy and the second is a teeny bit harder, so choose the recipe that best fits your holiday menu. For both recipes, read more

Beginner Cranberry Sauce
From Everyday Food magazine

1 bag (12 oz.) frozen cranberries
1 jar (12 oz.) red-currant jelly

1. In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries and jelly.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until cranberries have burst and liquid has reduced to a syrup, 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Transfer to a serving dish, and let cool. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve, up to 3 days.

Serves 8.

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Expert Cranberry Sauce
From Gourmet magazine

4 (12-oz.) bags cranberries, thawed if frozen
3 cups sugar
3 1/3 cups cold water
2 tbsp. unflavored gelatin (from three 1/4-oz. envelopes)
Special equipment: a 3 1/2-cup nonreactive decorative mold or 10 individual (1/3-cup) decorative molds

1. Bring cranberries, sugar, and 3 cups water to a boil in a 4- to 5-quart heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until all berries have burst, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Pour into a large fine-mesh sieve set over a 2-quart glass measure or a bowl and let stand until all juices have drained through, about 30 minutes. If necessary, press on solids until there is enough juice to measure 3 cups, then discard solids.
3. Stir together gelatin and remaining 1/3-cup water and let stand 1 minute to soften.
4. Bring 1 cup drained cranberry liquid to a simmer in a small saucepan, then add gelatin mixture and stir until just dissolved.
5. Add gelatin mixture to remaining cranberry liquid and stir well.
6. Pour cranberry sauce into lightly oiled mold and chill, covered with plastic wrap, until firmly set, at least 12 hours.
7. To unmold, run tip of a thin knife between edge of mold and cranberry sauce. Tilt mold sideways and tap side of mold against a work surface, turning it, to evenly break seal and loosen cranberry sauce. Keeping mold tilted, invert a plate over mold, then invert cranberry sauce onto plate.

Serves 8–12.

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