One of my favorite parts of the traditional holiday menu, and one that I usually forget about for most of the year, is cranberry sauce. The sweet tart combination is just the right thing to balance out the overflowing plates of salty, gravy covered goodness. This year I finally made my own. It is so simple that I can’t believe people still buy the canned stuff, especially given the extraordinary difference in quality.

Cranberry Sauce

12 oz package fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup orange juice
1 cup sugar
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick

In a medium sauce pan stir together sugar and orange juice. Bring to a simmer and cook until sugar is dissolved. Add cranberries, bay leaf, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring regularly, until the berries begin to “pop” and burst open, about 10 min. Remove from heat, discard bay leaf and cinnamon, and transfer to a heat proof bowl. Sauce will thicken as it cools.