This warm, rich variation on traditional cranberry sauce is both sweet and savory, always a great combination. And don't worry, you can serve it to the kids. Most of the alcohol evaporates in the cooking.
Recipe
Makes. 4 servings Preparation time. 1.5 hours
Ingredients
1 (750 ml) bottle inexpensive ruby port
1/2 cup inexpensive balsamic vinegar
8 ounces dried cranberries
1 small onion, minced
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons butter
Table salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
About the cranberries. Don't try this with fresh cranberries. The secret is that the dried berries reconstitute with the wine and get rich and plump.
About the port. I prefer New York ruby ports for this recipe because they are fruitier than California ports and tawny ports. Look for Taylor or Widmer. If you can't find them, a California port like Gallo will do just fine.
Do ahead. This dish can be made in advance and refrigerated. Just leave out the butter. Warm the mix in the microwave or a saucepan, then add the butter, and stir it in with a spoon, not a whisk.
Do this
1) In a saucepan stir together the port, vinegar, cranberries, shallots, and thyme. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about an hour.
2) Stir in the butter until it melts. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.
This page was revised 11/20/2008
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