Cranberry sauce. I feel like people either love it or hate it.

I was one of those people who hated it and couldn’t understand why it was eaten with turkey and what all the fuss was about.

That is, until I made it myself.

And  I don’t mean that it’s because I  made it, but because the canned stuff is just… Well, I don’t even know what the canned stuff is, but I do know what homemade cranberry sauce is. It’s fresh cranberries and brown sugar and a bit of spices that become a deliciously tart and sweet condiment that is perfect with any turkey (and a lot of other things too!).

Trust me, if you are not a big fan of cranberry sauce, you will be once you try this. AND it’s so simple you won’t even believe it. You’ll wonder why you’ve never made it yourself before and realize why there are so many cans lining the market shelves. That’s what happened to me a few years ago when I hosted my first thanksgiving and wanted to make everything from scratch.

So this year, even if you haven’t planned for it (just one day prior to Thanksgiving!), you can still have it ready in about twenty minutes (most of that being simmering time) and take your delicious turkey to the next level with a proper cranberry sauce.

While you can make this simply an orange cranberry sauce, I was playing around with flavors and added a bit of orange blossom water to the sauce with amazing results. It ended up being a delicious blend of American traditions with a sophisticated hint of Damascene flavors.

Any way you make it, you’ll be happy you did.

Orange Blossom Cranberry Sauce
About 2 Cups

1 lb Fresh Cranberries
1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar
1/3 cup Orange Juice
1 Cinnamon Stick
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
1/8 tsp Allspice
1 tbsp (or to taste) Orange Blossom or Rose Water, optional

In a medium pot, add the cranberries, brown sugar, and orange juice and bring everything to a boil.

Once it reaches a boil, stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes until most of the cranberries have burst and the sauce has thickened.

If using, stir in the orange blossom or rose water. Pour into a serving vessel and allow to cool to room temperature.

Serve with your Thanksgiving dinner and enjoy!