DIY Jellied Cranberry Sauce in a Can!

Some people will not even consider eating homemade cranberry sauce. For them, the wiggly cylinder of jellied goodness brings back memories of childhood and home. But with so many picky eaters, dietary restrictions and many moving to the 'less processed' way of cooking,  homemade is usually a safer bet! I thought it would be fun to make a mash up of the best of both worlds...wiggly, jiggly jellied perfection, minus the high fructose corn syrup and dyes! 
This is our new Thanksgiving tradition!

I made sure to use a BPA free can. For me, the little can ridges adds a certain something to the presentation, but you can use a smooth sided can, too. 

Ingredients:
1 (12 oz.) pkg. whole cranberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup apple juice, unsweetened if possible
1 1/2 cup sugar

Tools:
Medium Saucepan
2 clean cans (BPA free if possible)
strainer, mesh sieve or food mill (whatever you have on hand)
wide mouth funnel
spoon or spatula

Directions:
1. Combine water, apple juice and sugar in a medium sized sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add
your rinsed cranberries and bring it back up to a boil (the cranberries will initially bring down your overall temperature, requiring that we bring it back to a boil).

2. Simmer on med-high until all the cranberries have burst, stirring regularly. If it starts to thicken too quickly, add a little more water as needed.

3. Remove from heat. When cranberries are finished cooking, pour them into the bowl of the food mill, mesh sieve/strainer and use a rubber scraper to work it through, until all that remains in the bowl of the food mill/strainer is seeds and skins.

4. Set a wide mouth funnel into your well-cleaned cans and scrape the warm cranberry sauce into the can, leaving a bit of space at the top.

To Serve:
1. Carefully slide a butter knife down along the side of the cranberry jelly and run it in a complete circle to loosen. Take care when you to this so you don’t end up slicing all the can ridges off the jelly.

2. Once the sauce has been loosened, turn the can over onto your dish and give it a little wiggle and a tap. The jellied sauce should shimmy and shake its way out onto the dish!

3. If it remains stuck in the can, use the can opener to break the vacuum, by beginning to take the bottom off the can. I've found that you don’t have to remove it all the way,  just a little bit of air in there helps move things along.