The popular canned cranberry sauce contaims cranberries, high fructose corn syrup and water. I’ve chosen maple syrup over the malted grain sweeteners (brown rice syrup or barley malt syrup) because its stronger sweet taste balances out the tartness of the berries…and it’s our North American sweetener!
Agar flakes are a plant-based gelatin made of two kinds of sea vegetables with strong thickening properties. The flakes dissolve in hot liquids which thicken as they cool. Sea vegetables contain an array of trace minerals and cleansing phytonutrients that are not common in land sourced vegetables.
Zest of half an orange
1½ cups apple juice or cider
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons agar sea vegetable flakes
1/8 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
2 cups cranberries
1. Spread cranberries on a white plate in batches. Pick out and discard stems and soft berries. Rinse and drain.
2. Bring all ingredients, except cranberries, to boil in a 2-quart pot. Stir to submerge agar flakes. Turn heat down to simmer uncovered until agar completely dissolves, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cranberries and cook until they pop and soften, about 5 minutes more.
3. Whisk mixture to purée halfway, or purée in food processor for smooth consistency. Transfer to a heatproof bowl or Mason jar to gel, a little less than 2 hours refrigerated.
For 10 servings, per serving:
Calories: 28 Protein: 0.13gm Saturated Fat: 0.01gm Fiber: 1gm Carbohydrates: 7gm Fat: 0.08 gm Cholesterol: 0 Sodium: 21mg
Calories from Protein: 2% Calories from Fats: 2% Calories from Carbohydrates: 96%