Natural Cranberry Sauce 3 Ways

In preparation for Thanksgiving, I made cranberry sauce 3 ways:  Apple Spiced, Orange Ginger, and Honey Pear.  The apple spiced cranberry sauce is the most tart, using apple cider, gold rum and a bit of agave nectar.  The Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce is my classic sauce that I make every year and most people find it quite addicting.  I use fresh ginger, cinnamon, orange juice and honey to really bring out the sweet-tart flavors of the fresh fruit.  Finally, I made a Honey Pear Cranberry Chutney that uses chunks of pears and lots of honey for a rich honey flavor.  This would be delicious on pork as well as turkey.  All of these recipes are all natural without a hind of refined sugar.  Make one.  Make all three.  You decide.

My personal favorite:  Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce

Apple Rum Cranberry Sauce

12oz fresh cranberries
1c apple cider
2 cinnamon sticks
2oz gold or spiced rum
3/4c agave nectar

Directions:  Add all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Then turn the heat down and simmer until thick, about 20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.  Let come to room temp and remove cinnamon sticks before serving.

Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce

12oz fresh cranberries
1c orange juice
1tsp orange zest
1 cinnamon stick
1tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1/2c honey
2tbs agave nectar

Directions:  Add all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Stir, bring the heat down and simmer until thick, about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.  Let come to room temp and remove cinnamon sticks before serving.  Add a bit more orange zest on top for decoration if you like.

Honey Pear Cranberry Chutney

12oz fresh cranberries
3/4c honey
1tbs lemon juice
2 pears, peeled, cored and diced
1tsp lemon zest
1/2c apple cider

Directions:  Add all ingredients and bring to a boil.  Stir frequently, bring to a simmer, and cook until pears are soft and sauce has thickened into a chutney, about 10 minutes.  Bring to room temp before serving.