Prickly Pear-Cranberry Sauce

Riley has really embraced adding unique flavors to our Thanksgiving feast. Case in point: his recipe for a prickly pear-cranberry sauce.

We started with whole prickly pears and made prickly pear juice, substituting that for the water in our usual cranberry sauce recipe. To make the juice, peel the fruit, dice, and add to a pot with one inch of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, push the pulp through a strainer and reserve the liquid.

1 C organic granulated sugar

1 C prickly pear juice (or water)
4 C (1 12-oz package) fresh or frozen cranberries
orange zest, optional

Wash and pick over cranberries. In a saucepan bring to a boil prickly pear juice and sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cranberries, return to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes or until cranberries burst.

At this point you can add all number of optional ingredients. We typically mix in a few strips of orange zest. You can also add a cup of raisins or currants. You can add up to a pint of fresh or frozen blueberries for added sweetness. Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice can be added too.

Remove from heat. Cool completely at room temperature and then chill in refrigerator. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.