Last week at a small gathering with friends our hostess served a very tasty brined, roasted turkey with this Brown Butter Cranberry Sauce.
She’s a paleo foodie, and served an array of roasted vegetables too (beets, parsnips, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts) that were simply awesome with this sauce as well.
Her palate aligns fairly well with ours in that she said she has reduced the amount of maple sugar in this recipe, enjoying the tart burst of flavor from the cranberries, along with the ginger, orange, a hint of shallots, and thyme.
She also suggested cooking it down for just a few minutes after stirring in the brown butter (note the two links below for tips on making the best brown butter) so that a nice jammy consistency is achieved.
Give this one a spin; our reaction was “wow”, and I quickly began to mentally list all the proteins and vegetables this would complement well.
1 small bag fresh cranberries, picked and rinsed
1-3 tbsp good maple syrup (start with one and adjust to taste)
2-inch piece fresh ginger, grated (or more)
2 tsp fresh orange zest
1 and 1/2 sticks butter
1 small shallot, trimmed and finely chopped
1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
Combine the cranberries, maple syrup, ginger, and orange zest in a medium saucepan over medium heat; stir frequently until the cranberries begin to release their juices and open. Remove from the heat.
While heating the cranberry mixture, prepare the brown butter using this technique or this one.
When the butter is just about “there”; stir in the shallot and thyme, stir for another minute or two until the shallots just begin to soften.
Now stir the butter mixture into the cranberries, place over low heat for another 1-3 minutes, stirring to combine well, and cook it down just a bit.
Serve warm, and use your imagination with this one.
Enjoy.
