Pear Cranberry Sauce

Thanksgiving is three weeks away - yikes! Now, while my family has labeled me as "weird" because I hate stuffing and don't like pumpkin pie, I happen to love cranberry sauce. As a kid at large family Thanksgiving dinners, we ate the Ocean Spray jellied stuff - the kind that slurps right out of the can intact, so it looks like a jelly sculpture of the can itself. It was kind of cool. And it tasted great. Eventually, the whole berry sauce was discovered, and that tasted good out of the can and worked well as a garnish for turkey.

Then I discovered this recipe in Taste of Home (December/January 2001 issue), and my family has never looked back. It is, simply, the most delicious cranberry sauce ever. Plus, it can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator; it keeps very well.

2 - 1/2 cups cubed peeled ripe pears (about 3 medium)
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 to 2 teaspoons minced fresh gingerroot
1 cinnamon stick (at least 3 inches long), broken in half
1 package (12 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries
1 to 1 - 1/4 cups sugar

In a saucepan, combine the pears, water, ginger and broken cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in cranberries and sugar. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 - 12 minutes or until the cranberries have popped and sauce is slightly thickened, stirring several times. Discard cinnamon sticks. Mash sauce, if desired. Cool. Cover and refrigerate. Yields about 2 to 4 cups.