Cranberry Jelly No.2

adapted by Beth Maxey

makes: 1 pint | start to finish: 25 minutes
from Edible Seattle November/December 2011

If you’re using water-harvested or non-Northwest cranberries, you’ll need to up the amount of sugar to your taste. If you like mulled cranberry sauce, a pinch of ground cloves and a few gratings of fresh orange zest can be added with the sugar. Feel free to use either fresh or frozen cranberries; it makes no difference here.

4 cups cranberries
2 cups water
1 cup sugar or less
2 packets Knox Gelatin, softened in 1 cup water

In a deep covered pot over medium high heat, boil the cranberries and water until berries become soft and burst, about 20 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the solids, and return to the saucepan. Add 1/2 cup of sugar and taste; add more as needed to taste (remember that the hot juice will taste a little sweeter than when it’s cold or at room temperature). When you are satisfied with the sweetness, return the sauce to a boil and add the softened gelatin. Remove from heat and stir until the gelatin completely dissolves. Pour into molds; I use a pint-sized canning jar, but any small nonmetallic container can work. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until ready to serve, or up to 10 days.

For a fresh cranberry syrup to use in cocktails and spritzers, simply leave out the gelatin step at the end. You can pour the syrup into a bottle and store in the fridge for up to 10 days, or frozen for later use. We’ve had great success with cranberry syrup in a Jack Rose and even a classic margarita, or try it in our Fresh Cranberry Cosmo.