Some food, some drink.
Something Edible on Video: An Easy to Make Cranberry Sauce You’ll Never Get from a Can.
Abstract:
I grew up believing the myth that a box of Jello and a can of ginger ale were necessary for a decent homemade cranberry sauce, when in all actuality, the key to a good cranberry sauce lies within the berry itself. Y'see, cranberries are packed with pectin, which given the right amount of heat and a proper ratio of sugar just happen to "sauce up" marvelously. You don't have to use red wine in this recipe; the original Ocean Spray recipe that this recipe is loosely derived from uses water; which means you can experiment here if wine ain't your thing. However, I gotta say that for this recipe, I've tried a few different beverages, and nothing reinforces the flavor of the cranberries like a cup of boxed Shiraz. 
Aside from what's homemade, I think we can at least agree here that the emperor has no clothes: That gelled cranberry stuff in a can ain't cranberry sauce. In this cook's humble opinion, Cranberry sauce should be tangy and slightly sweet. Cranberry sauce should have an almost spreadable or jam-like consistency. And finally, cranberry sauce should have identifiable cranberries in it. If that's just too much to remember, then ask yourself this: How is the cranberry sauce in question gonna look (and taste) when it's spooned over your Thanksgiving Turkey? This red wine cranberry sauce is a must on our holiday table, and it's equally awesome for breakfast along side some homemade yogurt topped with a generous scoop of granola.
Recipe: Jump to the detailed recipe. (or, keep reading for the gist of it) -
Combine sugar, wine, water, ginger, lemon juice, zest, salt and vanilla (pod & pulp) in a medium saucepan. Stir occasionally on medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Add cranberries and bring to a simmer (still on medium). Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the vanilla pod and buzz with a stick blender (or whatever blender you got) just enough to pop all the berries. Put the vanilla pod back in the jar (if you like), lid and and cool to room temperature before storing in the fridge.
Notes:
This is a recipe that is perfect for substitutions (it's how I made it my own after all). If you'd like some ideas for new flavors for this recipe, then be sure to check out my original (non-video-havin') post!
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