It’s a delectable sauce full of plump golden raisins and sweet oranges, scented with spices of mace and cloves. This is beautiful vintage recipe from the 1950s and it’s a simple yet wonderful addition turning an ordinary ham into something really quite spectacular!
If you look through any cookbook dating from the 1930s through the 1970s you will most always find a chapter dedicated to sauces – and they weren’t just dessert sauces. There were luscious sauces served with vegetables and meats. And this raisin sauce, found among the treasure trove of recipes, delivers a bounty of flavor. Golden raisins cooked with chopped oranges, orange juice, and currant jelly. Added notes of spice come from mace and cloves along with a savory note compliments of a dash of Worcestershire sauce finished with a touch of brightness from champagne vinegar.
This sauce makes a delicious pairing with a baked ham, but it’s also fabulous served with a pork tenderloin, pork roast or chops. It comes together in less than an hour with minimal effort, and it’s made with pantry staples. It can easily made ahead as those flavors meld and blossom by the day.
Pull those classic recipes back out, they are such a simple way and delicious way to elevate any meal.
Raisin Sauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup golden raisins
1 large orange, zested and juiced, about ½ cup juice
1 large orange, zested then peeled and chopped, about 1 to 1-¼ cups
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon mace
1 cup currant jelly or jam
4 teaspoons cornstarch
¼ cup water
Combine all the ingredients except the cornstarch and water together in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a gentle boil, stirring frequently until the sugar and currant jelly are dissolved. Reduce heat to low and continue simmering until the raisins are very plump, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Mix the cornstarch with ¼ cup cold water then stir it into the raisin sauce. Cook for an additional 10 minutes, until thickened.
Serve warm over ham, pork tenderloin, pork roast, or chops. This sauce can be made a day or two ahead and refrigerated.
Makes 4 cups of sauce.
Raisin Sauce
Equipment
- medium saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1 large orange, zested and juiced about ½ cup juice
- 1 large orange, zested then peeled and chopped about 1 to 1-¼ cups
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon mace
- 1 cup currant jelly or jam
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients except the cornstarch and water together in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a gentle boil, stirring frequently until the sugar and currant jelly are dissolved.
- Reduce heat to low and continue simmering until the raisins are very plump, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Mix the cornstarch with ¼ cup cold water then stir it into the raisin sauce. Cook for an additional 10 minutes, until thickened.
- Serve warm over ham, pork tenderloin, pork roast or chops.
