When I was a kid, the cranberry sauce (from the can) was my favorite part of Thanksgiving Dinner. No joke. In fact, once I ate all the leftovers and broke out in hives the next day. But I still love cranberry sauce, though we don’t eat the jellied stuff from the can anymore. We make our own. I made two varieties this year, a fresh uncooked relish that is easy as can be and a cooked version. The first is called Cranberry Double-Orange Relish (and the recipe is in Hot Providence) and the other is from Thanksgiving 101 and it’s called Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce. Both use an orange with the cranberries, which is a perfect combo with turkey and all the trimmings. And it’s so beautiful.

In case you want the recipe, here’s the quick Cranberry Double-Orange Relish:

1 medium orange

1 12-oz bag fresh cranberries

1 cup marmalade

Cut the unpeeled orange into eighths and pick out seeds. Place half the orange and half the cranberries in a food processor. Process until evenly chopped. Transfer into a bowl, and repeat with the remaining orange and cranberries. Stir in marmalade. May be made a day ahead, covered, and refrigerated.

The Grand Marnier Sauce takes a bit longer to prepare.

2 large navel oranges

12 oz bag fresh cranberries

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 T Grand Marnier

Grate 2 tsp zest from the oranges and set aside. Carefully remove all the membrane from the orange sections and set aside. In a medium saucepan combine the berries, sugar, 1 cup water, and the zest. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often to help dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce is thick and berries have burst, about 10 minutes. Add the orange sections the last few minutes of simmering. Remove from the heat and stir in the Grand Marnier. Cool completely. May be made up to a week ahead, covered and refrigerated. Serve at room temp or chilled.

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