Food Recipes Sauces, Condiments and Preserves Cranberry Sauce Port-Cranberry Sauce 5.0 (2,377) 8 Reviews This simple cranberry sauce packs big flavor with just a handful of ingredients. By Grace Parisi Grace Parisi Grace Parisi a former senior test kitchen editor for Food & Wine, where she wrote several successful monthly columns: Food & Wine Handbook, Tasting & Testing, Flavor of the Month, Power Pantry, and Chefs Recipes Made Easy. Parisi has also been published in McCall’s, Redbook, and The New York Times, has written five hit cookbooks, and has appeared numerous times on national television. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 22, 2021 Save Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: © William Meppem Active Time: 10 mins Total Time: 30 mins Yield: 2 cups Jump to recipe This port cranberry sauce gets layers of sweet-tart flavor from orange juice, orange zest, and a good pour of luscious, ruby-red port. Plus, with only five ingredients and a half-hour time commitment, it's a surprisingly easy way to add color and flavor to your Thanksgiving menu. Frequently Asked Questions What type of alcohol is port? Port is produced in Portugal's Douro Valley and is named after Porto, the city on the Douro River from where it was historically exported to the world. It is a sweet, fortified wine, usually red, to which brandy is added during fermentation. This recipe calls for ruby port — a "younger" style that has a fresher, fruitier flavor and a brighter red color than the barrel-aged tawny port. What makes cranberry sauce thicken? Cranberries are high in pectin, a soluble fiber that occurs naturally in many fruits. When heated with an adequate amount of acid and sugar, it creates a gel: the traditional setting agent for jams, jellies, chutneys, fruit pie fillings, and more. Your cranberry sauce will thicken even further as it cools to room temperature. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen The flavor of the sauce will pop the most if you use freshly squeezed orange juice rather than packaged juice. Depending on the size of your fruit, you'll need one or two oranges for the required half-cup. You can maximize the juice you're able to extract by investing in a high-quality citrus juicer. (And be sure to collect the orange zest before juicing to make your life easier!) Make ahead If you like to get started on your Thanksgiving menu well in advance, feel free to make this cranberry sauce up to two weeks ahead and refrigerate until the big day. Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 1/2 cup ruby port 3 (1- x 3-inch) strips of orange zest, cut into thin matchsticks 1/2 cup fresh orange juice 12 ounces fresh cranberries 3/4 cup sugar Directions In a medium saucepan, combine the port with the orange zest and orange juice and bring to a boil. Add the cranberries and sugar and simmer over moderately low heat until the sauce is jamlike, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and serve warm or at room temperature. Originally appeared: November 2002 Rate It Print