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Ruby Port wine and Grand Marnier make a terrific pair when matched with tart cranberries, fresh rosemary and sliced ginger in this deliciously easy, grown-up, Boozy Cranberry Sauce.
Are you a little shocked that Thanksgiving is just 6 days away?! How did that happen?! I’m not terribly stressed, but I am a little stunned. I’ve had a crazy, busy week so I’m very happy it’s Friday! And to make it that much better, I have these lovely little treats in the freezer ready to serve on our Thanksgiving table. Let’s face it, kids generally don’t like cranberry sauce, so why not try something new this year … you know … instead of the canned jellied stuff my husband adores!
Boozy Cranberry Sauce couldn’t be easier to make.
Combine the first 7 ingredients in a saucepan and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove the rosemary and ginger (and discard) then pour the cranberry mixture in a blender. Add some Grand Marnier and blend. No joke – that’s it!
You don’t have to use individual molds like these. A simple bowl or a 3.5 cup mold will do too.
The rosemary flavor really comes through, but in a subtle way. Serve garnished with fresh rosemary, cranberries, or toasted pecans for a pretty presentation.
I’ve had these molds for more than 30 years, and they were my Mom’s before that. I love to use them for any occasion. Simple individual molds are pretty easy to find and great to have around. I love to make ice molds out of juice and bits of fruit and then float them in a punch bowl at a wedding or baby shower. They also make beautiful containers for panna cotta desserts, or even jell-O! If you can’t find individual molds, you can always use a small or mini bundt pans.
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- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup Ruby Port wine
- 1 large sprig of fresh rosemary
- 2 thin slices of fresh ginger about 1 inch long
- 5 cups fresh cranberries
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup Grand Marnier or orange juice
- Combine the sugar, wine, rosemary, ginger, cranberries and salt in a medium to large saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and all berries are split, about 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat. Remove the ginger and rosemary and discard. Cool the mixture for 30 minutes then pour into a blender. Add the Grand Marnier to the blender and process until smooth.
- Lightly grease a 3 to 3 1/2 cup mold, or 6 to 8 individual molds. Pour the cranberry sauce into the molds, cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 2 days.
- To remove from the mold, shake the pan back and forth to loosen the sauce from the sides. Invert on a serving plate. If the sauce does not readily come out of the mold, dip the bottom of the pan in very warm water for about 15-30 seconds. Repeat if needed until the sauce releases from the pan.
Adapted from a recipe on CountryLiving.com
Here are a few more cranberry recipes you might like:
- Almond Cranberry Scones ~ from Saving Room for Dessert
- Cranberry Almond Cake ~ from @Saving Room for Dessert
- Cranberry Gingersnap Pie ~ from The View from Great Island
- Cranberry Christmas Cake ~ from Barefeet in the Kitchen
Click on the photo for more information about this pretty mold:
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Thanks so much for stopping by!
Tricia
Liked the video- I hope he wins! We’re cranberry lovers here- even the kids- but they prefer the “festive cranberry log” as my husband calls the stuff in the can. This would be for the grown-up table for sure. It looks delicious! 🙂
Haha – festive cranberry log is the perfect name! Tell your husband thanks for the laugh this morning. My husband likes the little ridges that make it look like dog food or something. How funny. This is a very good cranberry sauce – and I can’t wait to serve it. Have a blessed Thanksgiving and enjoy your few days off 🙂
Wow, great video. Your son is truly inspiring, Tricia – loved it!
I loved the recipe too and adding Grand Marnier to this is so fabulous – yum!
My grandmother used those molds to make aspic and jello with fruit cocktail inside. I always thought they were such glamorous dishes as a child, lol. Perfect for the cranberries!
Thank you Robyn! Thanks for watching it. I’ve had the bottle of Grand Marnier for months now – and keep adding it to everything with a red fruit in it – haha. It is tasty for sure. Hope you have a great week – wish you could celebrate Thanksgiving with us. Are you heading to the states to celebrate with your American family?
Beautiful Tricia! I would be so proud to serve these molds on my Thanksgiving table!
What an excellent video of your son. He is so sincere, in such great shape and so motivated, very impressive!
Thanks Chris – he is having such a fun time with these races and getting into shape. Hope you and Scott have a blessed Thanksgiving!
Hi Tricia, just watched and liked the video of your son, he would make a great leader and role model, wish him all the best. !!!
Beautiful dessert too! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!!
Thank you very much Cheri! Happy Thanksgiving to you!
What a great idea! So pretty and such a nice change from the usual 🙂 Good luck to your son!!
Thanks Jennifer! Wish you could celebrate Thanksgiving with us 🙂 And I wish our Thanksgiving was earlier like yours! The holidays are coming up soon!
Tricia, Congratulations on your son’s accomplishments. I watched the video and liked and I hope he wins. Your cranberry mold looks delicious. My mother in law used to make a similar one. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks so much Gerlinde! We hope he wins too and maybe we can go with them. I’ve never been to France but it looks fantastic! Happy Thanksgiving!
You will love France, it’s Disneyland for foodies. I “liked” your son’s video.
Thanks Gerlinde! Disneyland for foodies – I like the sound of that! Thanks again for liking the video 🙂
SUCH a beautiful addition to any festive table! I love the rich ruby red colour… and Grand Marnier you say? Wowzer!
Thanks Dom! It is so delicious – hope you get the chance to make it.
Wow! So impressed with your son and that is an awesome video! I just “liked” it and I wish him lots of luck with it!!
And how gorgeous is this boozy cranberry sauce! I know you can make anything look amazing. I want those molds, Tricia! : )
Thank you very, very much Monica! I hope you and your family have a fantastic Thanksgiving. I can’t wait to see what you cook up this week!
My daughter and son-in-law have done a Spartan Race..It was a few years ago and we had the 3 boys so we couldn’t go..but they were amazing..and filthy at the end and loved their experience.
I love the boozy cranberry sauce..I have little dome molds like yours:0
Thank you..and Congrats!!
What a great thing for a husband and wife to do together. I wish they had things like this when I was younger. I haven’t been to a race yet but if he wins this contest, he asked us to go with him to France. Why of course I would love to go! So excited 🙂 The spirits in this cranberry sauce is just delicious. Love it and thanks again Monique 🙂
TRICIA, first of all, congrats to your son Patrick! And I will take a look at the video and click like as soon as I get a chance. My husband loves homemade cranberry sauce instead of the can brand ones for Thanksgiving, and this is a recipe I have been Looking for all my life! – really….. And its finally here! So thank you for this wonderful recipe I can now make for him – thanks again!! xo Anna
Yeah!!! Thanks so much Anna – I hope you love it as much as we do! Hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Good luck to your son—I’ll go watch his video after I comment 🙂 My mom had molds like yours, too—I think I have a plain one floating around here somewhere! Loving your boozy cranberry sauce—such a pretty presentation.
Thanks for helping him out Liz! And the cranberry sauce is deliciously fun! Hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Thanks for stopping by!
First of all, congratulations to your son for being so motivated! I loved the video that he and your husband put together. I like his competitive but also humble personality 🙂 You must be a proud mama! My oldest daughter and I are the only two who will eat cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving and I’m happy to have your simple but delicious recipe, Tricia. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Thanks Susan – we are so proud of him! It is such a fun adventure for him and his family. Hope you and your family have a fantastic Thanksgiving. What a wonderful time of the year!
Forgot to tell you that I LIKED the video and once again, good luck to your son!
That is terrific Angie! THANK YOU!
I hope your son wins, Tricia!! Your cranberry sauce looks outstanding using those beautiful moulds.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Angie
Thank you very, very much Angie! Hope you have a wonderful weekend too!
First of all, congratulations to your son, I saw the video and he was so poised and impressive ~ and handsome!! I hope he wins, what fun 🙂 And as for the cranberry sauce, booze definitely makes it better, it’s a tradition in our house…my daughter is in charge of making it every year, so I’ll pass this on to her.
Thanks Sue! He is a natural for sure. I hope he wins too because he said we can go with them. I could get into a trip to Europe. I’ve had such a bad case of wanderlust for a long time now. Hope your daughter makes this cranberry sauce – it is tasty!