Janeane's Cranberry - Orange Compote

I never liked cranberry relish/sauce, whatever it is... too bitter.   But this is SO GOOD!

It's AMAZINGLY good!

12-16 ounces of cranberries
1 cup orange juice
1 cup sugar
zest of 1 orange or 1 tsp. orange extract (Optional)

Mix the juice, sugar, and zest together in a sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolved.  Add cranberries and simmer until they burst open.  Try not to let it boil.

I had a 12 ounce bag of cranberries, and there was plenty of liquid, so you could use up to 1 pound (16 ounces).   For 8 ounces, cut the other amounts in half.

So... I have a problem with zest.  Beside the ick factor, I just can't manage to zest a orange properly.  So, I use orange extract.   1/2 teaspoon is equal to a tablespoon of zest.

This is what I planned to do, but when I mixed this up on Christmas day, my bottle of orange extract was EMPTY!!!!  OMG!!!

But it was really good without, so I'd say taste it (after it's cooked) and add some extract if it's not orangey enough for you.   I bought orange juice with pulp, which is extra orangey, so maybe that's why it was OK with out the zest...

Server warm or chilled, it's good either way.

From my late sister-in-law Janeane Cannon, who could always make yummy stuff!