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Christmas: Wonderful Cranberry Preserves

Source of Recipe

From "Camille Glenn's Old-Fashioned Christmas Cookbook"


Recipe Introduction

"For the Christmas breakfast table, or serve with whole-wheat pancakes, waffles, or English muffins. A great gift idea: Tie a waffle or pancake recipe to a jar of the preserves with a merry red-and-green ribbon."

List of Ingredients

◦  4 cups cranberries
◦  2 navel oranges
◦  3 cups sugar
◦  2 tsp fresh lemon juice
◦  2 cups water
◦  Pinch of salt
◦  ½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)


Recipe

Pick over the cranberries, discarding any soft ones. Set them aside.

Peel the zest from the oranges and combine the sugar and zest in a food processor. Twirl until the zest is finely grated (or grate the zest by hand and add it to the sugar).

Cut the oranges in half and discard the seeds. Remove the orange pulp by sections, using a sharp knife, and place it in a large saucepan. Add the zest and sugar along with the lemon juice, water, and salt. Bring to a quiet boil and cook for about 10 minutes.

Add the cranberries and cook rapidly until the mixture reaches the jellying point or until a candy thermometer registers 221° F. Add the walnuts if you're using them and cook until they're heated through, about 1 minute.

Spoon the preserves into hot sterilized jars and seal at once, or spoon them into freezer jars (only three-fourths full) and freeze.


Makes about 2 pints