Homemade Cranberry Wine Food

HOMEMADE CRANBERRY WINE

Steps:

• Add the sugar and cranberry juice to a small saucepan and heat it just enough to dissolve the sugar. If using fresh cranberries, add water instead of juice and use it to dissolve the sugar.
• Allow the sugar and juice mixture to come to room temperature. While it's cooling, dissolve the yeast packet in a small amount of lukewarm water. Allow it to bloom for at least 5 minutes.
• Add the yeast nutrient and dried cranberries to the juice/sugar mixture and then pour it all into a primary fermentation vessel. Add the dissolved yeast.
• Cap with a water lock and allow the mixture to ferment in primary for 2-3 weeks. Alternately, allow the mixture to ferment without an airlock for about 5 days, then rack into secondary and add an airlock.
• Either way, once the mixture is in secondary, add an airlock. Ferment in secondary for 6-8 weeks before bottling. For a very dry wine, rack the cranberry wine a second time and ferment for another 6-8 weeks.
• Bottle in wine bottles and age for at least 3 months, but preferably a full year from bottling.

PERFECT CRANBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Empty a 12-ounce bag of fresh or frozen cranberries into a saucepan and transfer 1/2 cup to a small bowl. Add 1 cup sugar, 1 strip orange or lemon zest and 2 tablespoons water to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the cranberries are soft, about 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and cook until the cranberries burst, about 12 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the reserved cranberries. Add sugar, salt and pepper to taste and cool to room temperature before serving.

CRANBERRY MULLED WINE

Steps:

• In a large stock pot, combine the wine, cinnamon, anise, ginger, the juice and the flesh of the oranges, lemons, limes, the sugar, cranberries, and apple cider. Bring to a slow simmer for about 1 hour and check for seasoning, may need more sugar. Serve strained in mugs.

CRANBERRY SANGRIA

Steps:

• Chill all ingredients.
• Pour juices and wine into punch bowl.
• Float orange slices on top.
• Variations: You may adjust the proportions of juice to wine, depending on the strength and flavor profile of your particular wine.
• This is also good with limes and lemons.
• Ice cubes made of frozen juice are a nice addition, or you can freeze the citrus slices and use them to keep sangria cold.
• This can be halved, doubled, tripled, etc. easily for any size group.

RED WINE CRANBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients; bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to medium; cook, uncovered, until most of the berries pop, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally., Transfer to a bowl; cool slightly. Refrigerate, covered, until cold (sauce will thicken upon cooling).

CRANBERRY & RED WINE SAUCE

Steps:

• Put the wine, sugar, cloves, star anise and cinnamon stick into a large, shallow pan. Bring to a simmer and cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the cranberries and cook for 5 mins or until the cranberries burst and start to look jammy. Set aside to cool. Can be frozen or spoon into a jar and keep in the fridge for up to a week.

HOMEMADE CRANBERRY RASPBERRY WINE COOLER

Steps:

• Mix cranberry, raspberry and riesling wine together and pour in a tall highball glass over ice. Enjoy!

CRANBERRY MARMALADE

Steps:

• Cut oranges and lemon into quarters, and remove seeds.
• Grind the fruit, chop fine, or cut crosswise into wafer-thin slices.
• Add water and soda.
• Bring to boil and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add cranberries and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
• Measure 5 cups fruit into very large saucepan.
• Add sugar and mix well.
• Put over high heat, bring to a full rolling boil and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat and at once stir in pectin.
• Skim off foam with metal spoon.
• Then stir and skim for 7 minutes to cool slightly and to prevent floating fruit.
• Ladle into hot sterlized jars, and seal.
• Makes about eight 1/2- pint jars.

CRANBERRY SAUCE WITH SPIRIT

Steps:

• Combine sugar, water and vinegar in a medium stainless steel saucepan.
• Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.
• Add cranberries, return to a boil, reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Stir in port.
• Place a cinnamon stick in sterilized jar.
• Ladle sauce into jars to with 1/2 inch of rim.
• Process 15 minutes in hot water bath for half pint jars.