Ed Santiago Recipes Sugared Cranberries

Sugared Cranberries

Little sugar balls bursting with tart and sweet.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Mix sugar, cinnamon sticks and cloves with water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer for 1 minute, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Stir in cranberries. Cover and refrigerate for about 8 hours. (Ed note: I just leave it all in the saucepan, using its cover, waiting an hour or so for it to get cool enough to put into the fridge).
2. Drain cranberries. Reserve liquid; I sometimes reuse it for another batch of cranberries, re-boiling it first.
3. Place superfine sugar in a rimmed cookie sheet. Add well-drained cranberries. Shake well to coat cranberries, adding a little more superfine sugar if necessary. Let dry 1-2 hours on the cookie sheet.
4. Leave in bowl, open-air: do not seal airtight, the moisture in the cranberries will turn the sugar all slimy and soggy.

Notes

Superfine sugar is not the same as confectioner's sugar! Don't even try to use the latter: it makes a slimy disgusting mess. The only place I know to find superfine sugar is Albertson's in Santa Fe.

And, count the cloves! They are hard to find, and you really do want to be careful to pick them all out before serving to guests.