Christmas Cooking Tips from the Skibo Chefs Part Two: Finn’s Festive Cranberry Sauce

Posted: 29 November 2019

Cranberry sauce is the classic accompaniment to roast turkey at Christmas, and while many of us would never dream of serving up lunch without this tart and tasty side dish few of us actually bother to make it from scratch. In the second part of our month-long series of Christmas cooking tips from the Skibo chefs, Finn Macleod shares his (surprisingly simple) festive cranberry sauce recipe that will convert you from store-bought to homemade sauce from now on.

In 2018 while a pupil at Invergordon Academy, Finn did a week of work experience in the club kitchen, and then began working in the kitchen on weekends as he continued his school studies. In August of 2019, he joined the team full-time as an Apprentice in Professional Cookery.

Finn MacLeod, Apprentice in Professional Cookery at The Carnegie Club

“It’s not Christmas lunch without cranberry sauce,” says Finn passionately. “This recipe is adapted from one me and my gran used to make together. It’s really easy, and will definitely impress your guests.”

Finn says that fresh or frozen cranberries can be used, but if you are using fresh then they should be as fresh as possible for the best results. To alleviate the stress of cooking on Christmas Day, this recipe can be made ahead and jarred, but Finn says he recommends cooking it on Christmas Eve. “That way, the aromatics of the spice and ginger will fill the house and get you in the Christmas spirit!”

FINN’S FESTIVE CRANBERRY SAUCE

Ingredients

1kg cranberries, fresh or frozen
Zest of 2 oranges
400ml orange juice
Pinch ground ginger
Pinch mixed spice
Pinch cinnamon
400g brown sugar

Method

1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan combine the orange juice, orange zest, ground ginger, mixed spice, cinnamon. Bring to a simmer and reduce by half.
2. Add the cranberries and cook on a low heat to slowly stew the fruit without burning.
3. As soon as the cranberry mixture resembles a loose jam-like consistency, add the sugar and bring to the boil.
4. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for a further 10 minutes.
5. Remove from the heat.
6. While still warm, taste and – if required – add more sugar to taste.
7. Leave to cool. Keeps for three days in the fridge, or can be made ahead and frozen (defrost thoroughly before serving).
8. Serve at room temperature and enjoy!.

 

Find out more about Christmas at Skibo here.

Other Posts