Foamy Cranberry Sauce

This is not the cranberry sauce that comes out of a can. Foamy cranberry sauce is a whipped dessert sauce, light as a cloud, meant to be spooned over cranberry pudding or steamed cakes. Think of it as a cranberry-flavored hard sauce that gets airlifted by a stiffly beaten egg white folded in at the very last moment.

Cream the butter and powdered sugar together until fluffy and pale. This is the foundation, and it needs to be smooth. Any lumps of sugar now will stay lumps later. Beat the egg yolk into this base along with the cranberry juice and grated orange zest. The cranberry juice tints it a soft pink and adds a fruity tartness that cuts through the richness of the butter.

The stiffly beaten egg white goes in just before serving. Not 10 minutes before. Not while you’re setting the table. Right before the spoon hits the pudding. The white gives the sauce its signature foamy, mousse-like texture, but that airiness is temporary. It deflates fast, so timing is everything.

The orange zest bridges the sweet butter and the tart cranberry juice. Half an orange worth of zest is plenty. Grate only the bright orange outer layer, avoiding the bitter white pith underneath.

Kitchen Tips

• Use room temperature butter for the smoothest cream. Cold butter won’t incorporate the sugar properly and leaves the sauce grainy.
• Beat the egg white in a clean, dry bowl. Any trace of fat or yolk and it won’t stiffen.
• This sauce uses raw egg. Use fresh, high-quality eggs and keep it cold if not serving immediately.

Variations

• Bourbon cranberry sauce: Add a tablespoon of bourbon to the butter mixture for a boozy, warm holiday twist.
• Maple version: Replace half the powdered sugar with maple syrup for a more rustic sweetness.