Thanksgiving without Cranberries ? ....... I can't imagine!

I can't imagine a Thanksgiving dinner without some form of Cranberries.
Some people like the canned berries, some like the canned jellied sauce, sliced and served  out of the can and others make a simple Cranberry sauce in a bowl!
I was always the one looking for some creative, unusual sauce or mold. I've served so many variations over the years including a Texas version with jalapenos, ( I still like this one), but, most of the time no one ever touched any of them and all I ended up with was leftovers that I had to eat!

So, in search of something that everyone will enjoy, I'm trying a new Cranberry Sauce made in a vintage stoneware mold.  My Mold holds 3C of liquid to give you an idea of what size to use. Maybe the presentation alone will entice the family to try it. I'll post the results later. This may become a Best of the Best recipes!

The following is the recipe:

Cranberry Sauce in a Mold
prepared with a vegetable spray.

1 1/4 pounds of fresh Cranberries ( there's approximately 4 C to a pound, I use 5 C for this recipe)
1 1/3 C sugar
Zest of 2 oranges
3/4 C fresh orange juice
pinch of salt
3/4 C + 2 TBS ice cold water
2 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin ( Vegetarians can use Agar Agar)

In a large saucepan over medium high heat, combine the following:
Cranberries
sugar
zest
orange juice
salt
3/4 C cold water
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer until it thickens, stirring until the Cranberries burst, about 15 minutes.

Pour the 2 1/2 TBS of cold water into a small bowl and add the gelatin.
Let it stand until the gelatin softens and swells, about 5-10 minutes.

Spoon 3/4 C of the juices from the berries into the gelatin and stir until gelatin dissolves.
Return this mixture to the Cranberry mixture
Pour the mixture into the prepared mold and cool to room temperature.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

To release:
Dip the mold up to, just below the rim, in a large bowl of very warm water.
Remove from the water and run a small paring knife around the rim.
Invert a serving platter onto the top of the mold, shake gently to release the sauce.
Lift off the mold.
This is a pretty common method of releasing any type of gelatin mold.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!