Red wine and jus from your steak or roast take this sauce in a whole new direction. This Savoury Cranberry Sauce was originally intended as a steak sauce but I have served it with both duck breast and steak. And it will still work with poultry, pork or even lamb.
This sauce is more savory than the traditional cranberry sauce served with the holiday turkey. That one definitely has its place (especially here in this leftover turkey sandwich on Walnut Cranberry bread!).
I used to search out homemade cranberry sauce recipes and they were always a bust.... because I could not bring myself to put the amount of sugar that the recipe called for.
Even with orange juice or other sweeteners, it ended up tart. So I gave in and I used the commercial canned, jellied, whole berry one. There you go... confessions of a foodie (would you have guessed my dark little secret? LOL!)
That said - this savory sauce only uses 2 Tbsps of maple syrup and 3 Tbsps of dried cranberries. It is not overtly sweet, and it is not tart either. This may become my go-to cranberry sauce in future!
I was serving roasted duck and a strip loin steak for Christmas dinner. So I made the sauce as it appeared in the Food & Drink Holiday 2000 edition. That called for the addition of the jus from the roast, which amps up the flavour. The other flavours are significant enough that the beef jus did not overwhelm the sauce when it went with the duck breast as well.
I have not made it with jus from roasted poultry. I think you have to be careful to separate the duck fat from the other roast juices before adding duck jus to the sauce. Same with other poultry jus, but you can use a gravy separator to separate the fat from the other juices. Or - if you have the time, chill the pan juices and skim off the fat once it has hardened, leaving just the pan juices sans gras!
I added a pinch of cinnamon as an optional ingredient because it would complement poultry dishes like duck or Cornish hen.
Wine Pairing
This sauce is not shy and retiring, so consider your protein and this sauce when choosing your wine. If you are serving with beef a Bordeaux blend would be good. A Barolo, Roero or Nebbiolo de Langhe would also work.
If you are serving it with duck or poultry a Pinot Noir, Primitivo or Barbera would be good choices.
Hint: Try to serve the same wine as you used in the sauce. It is subtle but it makes a harmonious blend at the table.
Related Recipes
Savoury Cranberry Steak Sauce
If you tried this, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know it went in the 📝 comments below!
Save Print Pin Facebook TextIngredients
- 2 Tbsps vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup shallots minced
- 3 Tbsps dried cranberries rough chopped
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- pinch of cinnamon optional (but consider if serving with poultry)
- pan juices from broiled steaks or roast beef or other roasts (2-3 Tbsps)
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add shallots and cook about 3 minutes til soft. Add the dried and fresh cranberries and the wine.
- Bring to a boil and simmer until the cranberries have burst and the mixture is reduced by about half. This took about 30 minutes for my sauce. A larger surface skillet will take less time.
- When reduced remove from heat and add the maple syrup and spices. Add up to a 2-3 Tbsps of the pan juices from your roast and simmer until it is evenly mixed.
- Serve on the side of your steaks or roasted meat.
Leave a Reply