Roasted Cranberry Sauce

Thanksgiving is coming! Thanksgiving is coming!

My favorite holiday of the year...no surprise there, but really, this is my least creative holiday...we just stick with the basics - turkey, potatoes, stuffing, etc. What I really love about this holiday is that it's just about getting together with people you love, sharing a good meal, maybe a glass of wine, and relaxing. No worrying about presents or baskets or anything else, just good old fashioned family time :)

My Mother used to always buy Cranberry sauce from this fancy grocery store around here and they were SO good - I decided this year to try making my own and I am SO glad that I did - they are delicious! ...or as my cranberry making cohort and I would say:  some kind of...AWESOME!

(I'm still working on that label!)

I was skeptical about roasting them, but I think it really makes the dish. It just adds a depth to them that you won't find otherwise. Thank you Bon Apetite for the inspiration.

p.s. We didn't have the fresh herbs so we used this blend that Shellville had in her cupboard that contained ALMOST the same stuff...or was at least close enough for us to decide that another shopping trip wasn't worth it. It was really good all the same. I think we probably used 1-2 Tbsp per batch.

Roasted Cranberry Sauce with Grand Marnier and Pecan
(Makes 2-1/2 pints)

1 - 12 oz bag fresh cranberries, or frozen, thawed
1-1/4 cups sugar
3 Tbsp vegetable oil (the original recipe called for walnut, we made 1 batch without because we forgot, and 1 batch with peanut - both were really good)
1 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary
1 tsp minced fresh thyme
1 tsp minced fresh sage
1/2 fine sea salt

2 Tbsp Grand Marnier
2 Tbsp Sherry
1 orange - zested and juiced
3/4 cup pecans, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425.
Mix first 7 ingredients on heavy rimmed baking sheet and roast until the edges begin to bubble, about 15 mn.
Meanwhile, mix together Grand Marnier, Sherry and orange juice.
Remove cranberries from oven and add liquid mixture and orange zest, stirring to deglaze the pan and coat the berries.
Return to the oven and roast 10 mn more. Add pecans, toss to coat, and roast an additional 5 mn.

Fill jars and refrigerate or, if you're canning a larger batch, like we did, fill the pint jars to within 1/4" from top, process in a boiling water bath for 10 mn, take cover off pot and turn off heat and let rest 5 mn, set on towel on counter and let cool - at least 24 hours.

YUMMY!