Cranberry & Tangerine Sauce

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh cranberries
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup tangerine juice
2 tablespoons Aperol
1/2 inch knob ginger, minced
zest of 1 tangerine

Directions:
Place the cranberries, water, juice, sugar, ginger and zest in a medium saucepan and, stirring occasionally, cook for 20 minutes over medium high heat to reduce and thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the Aperol. Serve hot or cold.

My thoughts:

I love cranberry sauce and this citrus spiked version is one of my favorites yet. Tangerines are a good balancing force for the cranberries so you end up with a sauce that isn't too sweet but isn't overly tart or bitter either. And Aperol? Well, it is just one of my new favorites and has great not too sweet notes of bitter orange and rhubarb (among other yummy things) but isn't 100% necessary for the sauce. It just adds a little something extra.