Honeyed Grapefruit-Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce tends to be a polarizing dish on the Thanksgiving table. People love it or hate it in general, and some people who love it actually somehow prefer sliding their sauce straight from a can.  Grapefruit and cranberry work wonderfully well together in this easy cranberry sauce recipe. The ginger adds pungent sweetness and a hint of spice, while the grapefruit is juicy and a little bitter, almost like the citrus cousin to a cranberry. Honey adds floral notes to the caramelized sweetness of brown sugar and makes the sauce just sweet enough to elevate a savory, meaty main without overpowering it. For the perfect consistency come serving time, make sure the cranberry sauce is thoroughly chilled so it has time to set up.

If you happen to have any Cranberry Grapefruit Relish left it makes a great topping for our Baked Brie With Cranberry Sauce.

How to make Honeyed Grapefruit-Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 1-lb. ruby red grapefruits
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 1-in. piece fresh ginger, unpeeled and cut into thin matchsticks (about 1 1/2 Tbsp.)
• 1 12-to-16-oz. pkg. fresh cranberries

Directions

1. Prepare grapefruit: Peel and section 1 grapefruit. Slice peels into 1-inch strips to yield 1 1/2 tablespoons. Juice remaining grapefruit to yield 1/2 cup juice.
2. Stir together sugar, honey, rosemary, ginger, and grapefruit strips and juice in a large saucepan over medium-high. Cook, stirring often, until sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes.
3. Add cranberries and grapefruit sections to pan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium and vigorously simmer, stirring often, until most cranberries have burst and liquid is thickened and syrupy, 12 to 14 minutes.
4. Transfer to an uncovered storage container and let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 4 hours and up to 1 week.
5. When ready to serve allow to come to room temperature before serving. This takes about 30 minutes.

Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions

Cranberry sauce can be made up to 1 week ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Sauce can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months.