Molded Cranberry Sauce

I know turkey is the star of Thanksgiving dinner table, but cranberry sauce shouldn’t just be set aside as a minor side dish. Homemade cranberry sauce set in a Victorian style ceramic mold can proudly take a center stage next to any main dish. If you’re also like me, enjoy it throughout the season and serve it to your family as a dessert.

Tableware

For my molded cranberry sauce, I’m using my ceramic gelatin mold from Williams-Sonoma. I have a thing for Victorian style gelatin molds and when I saw this one year, I bought it in a instant. This particular mold has the company’s signature pineapple on the top which was a symbol for hospitality in the Victorian times. There are many antique or vintage dessert molds available on sites like Etsy and they’re definitely a collector’s item.

My other pieces here are Asiatic Pheasant dinner plate and dessert plates from Burleigh. I love that Burleigh makes this pattern in different colors and I couldn’t’ resist using the blue and black Asiatic Pheasant plates together.

Making the Cranberry Sauce

Start off with fresh organic cranberries to make your sauce. I like home made cranberry sauce and eat them well after Thanksgiving, so I usually make a large batch. They’re great with yogurt for breakfast or with roast pork dishes. Cranberry sauce like jam is super easy to make and does not take hours of simmering in a pot. I used three bags (8 oz) of fresh cranberries and added one cup of cane sugar and juice of one orange.

Simmer over low heat for about 10-15 minutes and fruit will soften and break down, resulting in a thick sauce. Cranberry sauce taste even more refreshing when you add orange zest as well. If you’re making regular cranberry sauce you are all done at this point and this will serve at least 7-8 people. But we’re making a molded cranberry sauce so place 1½ cups of your sauce in a blender or use a hand held blender to make your sauce completely smooth to avoid any bumpy surface.

Agar Agar Powder

To set my cranberry sauce, I’m using agar agar powder as a substitute for gelatin powder. I prefer to use agar agar over gelatin because it has more firm texture, which means it will hold molded desserts its shape much better and won’t easily melt or disintegrate like gelatin.

Agar agar is also a great option if you’re vegan because it’s derived from sea weed, so it’s 100% plant-based. But don’t worry, it doesn’t smell or taste like seaweed, it’s colorless and tasteless so you can flavor it with pretty much anything you like. They come in powder or as a bar and available in Asian grocery stores or through Amazon.

Combine Agar Agar with Cranberry Sauce

You’ll be doing lot of whisking for several minutes at this point. To combine agar agar with your sauce, first add 2 tablespoons of powder to a pan with water that’s been warming over low heat and whisk for about 3-4 minutes. When the liquid starts simmering, whisk vigorously for 2 more minutes. Important point here is if you don’t let the liquid simmer, agar agar will not set. This has happened to me and it’s pretty disappointing after all the work. After whisking for 2 minutes, then you can turn off the heat, and stir in sugar. Then finally add the cranberry sauce and stir until the mixture is nice and smooth.

When your sauce and agar agar liquid has completely combined, then pour it in your mold. For reference, my mold is 6 1/2″ across and 3″ deep so I had extra sauce/agar agar mixture that was left over. You can pour extras in ramekins and make individual dessert cups.

Another great thing about agar agar is that it sets quickly, and you don’t have to refrigerate for hours. This was set and done, in about an hour.

Unmold and Serve!

To unmold your creation, run a knife around the edge of the mold. It will also unmold easily if you place the mold in hot water for 5-10 minutes before flipping it over. This part always makes me nervous, but if you take your time it will come out of the mold nice and clean without any breakage.