Red Wine Cranberry Sauce

I tell you a secret?  I’ve never eaten the cranberry sauce when it’s been served at Thanksgiving or Christmas meals.  But, I recently hosted my first Thanksgiving, and knew that cranberry sauce had to make an appearance.  So, I set out to find something with a little bit of pizzazz.  Something I would like to eat.  And this was certainly it!

I just loved the depth of flavor that the wine added to the sauce, as well as the warm spices.  This will definitely be a must for future Thanksgivings and Christmases!   And I’ll even eat some!

Red Wine Cranberry Sauce

Adapted from Spicy Foodie

¼ cup dry red wine

¾ cup water

1 cup brown sugar

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp ground cinnamon

Pinch of ground nutmeg

4 whole allspice

2 whole cloves

1 (12 oz) package fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained

Combine the wine, water, and brown sugar in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat.  Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved, then bring the mixture to a boil.

Add in the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and vanilla and stir to combine.  Add in the cranberries and return the mixture to a boil.  Simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes or until the cranberries burst and the sauce begins to thicken.

Remove the cranberry sauce from heat and cool to room temperature.  Move the sauce to the refrigerator until ready to serve.  Serve chilled.

Enjoy!

YAmy