Name: Raspberry-Lemon Cranberry Sauce
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cups lemon-lime soda; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 (12-ounce) bag cranberries (see note), picked through; 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries; 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Why This Recipe Works

The standard back-of-the-bag recipe for cranberry sauce was a little soupy. Cranberries contain a lot of water, and cutting down on the additional liquid yielded the ideal consistency. Sprite and 7UP were both good soda choices to replace the water in this recipe, as long as we didn’t use the diet varieties. We found frozen cranberries worked equally well as fresh, but we needed to increase the cooking time slightly. Leaving our Raspberry-Lemon Cranberry Sauce on the stove for too long left us with a mushy red mash, so it was important to keep a close eye on it as it cooked.

Before You Begin

Fresh and frozen cranberries and raspberries work equally well. If you are using frozen, add one to two minutes to the cooking time. Sprite and 7UP are both good soda choices here. Don't use diet soda.

Instructions

Bring lemon-lime soda, sugar, and salt to boil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add cranberries and simmer until slightly thickened and two-thirds of berries have burst, about 5 minutes. Transfer to serving bowl.

Stir in raspberries and lemon zest and cool completely, at least 1 hour. Serve. (Sauce can be refrigerated for 1 week.)