Spiced Cranberry Red Wine Sauce Recipe

This fruity, wine based sauce has spice flavors reminiscent of autumn. It is a lovely accompaniment to venison, lamb and pork.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 small carrot, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 clove
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 bottle fruity red wine such as chianti or merlot
• 2 cups sweetened cranberry juice
• 1 Tbs. demi glace
• 1 Tbs. honey
• 2 Tbs. butter, softened
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped, toasted walnuts

Preparation:

1. In a large sauce pot, heat the olive oil and then add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook until softened and just starting to brown.
2. Add the cinnamon stick, clove, 1/2 cup of the dried cranberries, the red wine, and the cranberry juice and simmer over medium heat until the mixture has reduced to a consistency like that of maple syrup.
3. Add the demi glace and cook over low heat for another 5 minutes.
4. Strain the sauce through a fine meshed sieve into a clean, small pot and warm over low heat.
5. Add the butter and the salt and pepper to taste.
6. Finish the sauce with the toasted walnuts and the remaining 1/4 cup of cranberries.
7. Keep this sauce warm in a water bath or hold in a thermos so that it does not get too cold and the butter separates.