Name: Simple Cranberry Sauce
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Serves 9 (Makes 2¼ cups)
Cuisine: US & Canada
Ingredients: 3/4 cup water; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1/4 teaspoon table salt; 1 (12-ounce) bag cranberries, picked through

Why This Recipe Works

What combination of basic ingredients—cranberries, sweetener, and liquid—would give us a cranberry sauce recipe with a clean, pure cranberry flavor and with enough sweetness to temper the assertively tart fruit but not so much that the sauce would be cloying or candylike? It turned out that simpler was better. White table sugar balanced the tartness of the cranberries without adding a flavor profile of its own. As for liquid, water—not cider, orange juice, or cranberry juice—won out in our cranberry sauce recipe. We also discovered that adding just a pinch of salt brought out an unexpected sweetness in the berries, heightening the flavor of the sauce overall.

Before You Begin

The cooking time in this recipe is intended for fresh berries. If you’ve got frozen cranberries, do not defrost them before use; just pick through them and add about 2 minutes to the simmering time.

Instructions

Bring ¾ cup water, 1 cup sugar, and ¼ teaspoon table salt to boil in medium nonreactive saucepan over high heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Stir in 1 (12-ounce) bag cranberries, picked through; return to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until saucy, slightly thickened, and about two-thirds of berries have popped open, about 5 minutes. Transfer to nonreactive bowl, cool to room temperature, and serve.

To Make Ahead: Sauce can be covered and refrigerated up to 7 days; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.