Chile Pepper and Lime Cranberry Sauce

Name: Chile Pepper and Lime Cranberry Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 23 min
Total time: 118 min
Ingredients: 1 bag (12 ounces) fresh cranberries; 1 cup water; 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar; 2 whole medium-size limes ((zest from one lime; and 3 tablespoons juice)); 2 small to medium-size serrano chile peppers (or 1 large size serrano chile pepper); 1 or 2 small whole serrano chile peppers; 1 lime cut into quarters

Jump to Recipe

by Nancy

2 Comments

This delicious cranberry sauce is sweet, tart and a little spicy all at the same time.

Homemade cranberry sauce is such a pretty side dish on a holiday table.

And I especially like that it’s easy to make and can be made ahead of time.

When preparing a holiday meal it can get hectic in the kitchen, so anything made ahead of time is definitely a plus.

The hardest thing about making something ahead of time is remembering to get it out of the fridge when it’s time to serve it!

About this Recipe

Simple Syrup

This recipe starts with simple syrup made with water, granulated sugar, fresh lime juice and lime zest.

Cooking

Fresh whole cranberries are added to the pot of simple syrup along with chopped fresh serrano hot peppers.

Then the cranberry sauce is cooked for a short time so that when it reduces, there’s still liquid in the mixture.

And as the cranberry sauce cools, it firms up a little bit more.

Chile Peppers

Serrano peppers are used in this recipe but jalapenos can also be used if preferred.

If using jalapeno peppers instead of serranos, the amount of chile peppers can be increased since jalapeno peppers aren’t as hot as the serrano peppers are.

And feel free to increase the amount of chile peppers used in this recipe if you prefer more heat.

Flavor

This cranberry sauce has the wonderful robust taste of fresh cranberries in combination with just a bit of heat from the serrano peppers.

And the lime juice and zest adds a slight tartness to the mix that brings out the overall flavor.

Jellied vs. Whole Cranberry Sauce

The cranberries in this recipe are for the most part, still whole as opposed to “jellied” cranberry sauce.

The difference between whole and jellied cranberry sauce is that the jellied sauce is cooked longer until the berries are broken down (no longer whole).

Whole cranberry sauce has a soft texture with a little liquid, and jellied cranberry sauce has a firmer texture similar to Jello.

About Serving

Serve this chile pepper and lime cranberry sauce chilled, at room temperature or warm.

Let’s check out the ingredients.

Fresh cranberries, serrano peppers, fresh limes, granulated sugar and water

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

A printable recipe with the measurements and instructions is located at the bottom of this post.

Preparation:

Cranberries – Rinse the cranberries in a colander and set aside.

Serrano Peppers – Cut the green flesh of the serrano pepper lengthwise, away from the seedy core and stem.

Finely chop just the green flesh of the serrano peppers.

TIP – Wear kitchen gloves to cut the peppers and don’t rub your face or eyes.

Discard the stem and seedy core.

Limes – Zest a lime and set the zest aside.

Then cut the zested lime plus another lime in half and squeeze the juice from the limes into a pourable measuring cup or small bowl and set aside.

TIP – For this recipe, 3 tablespoons of lime juice is used. Each lime should yield about 2 tablespoons of juice so there may be a little juice left over.

Simple Syrup:

To a medium size pot, add water…

…lime juice…

…lime zest and…

…granulated sugar.

Heat the pot on medium heat and stir as the mixtures heats.

Bring the mixture to a low boil.

When the sugar dissolves, turn the heat down to low.

Cranberries:

To the pot, using a large spoon, carefully add the cranberries.

Serrano Peppers:

To the pot…

…add finely chopped serrano peppers.

Stir and turn the heat up to medium heat.

The cranberries should start to pop.

Cranberry Sauce:

Stir the cranberry mixture.

TIP – If the liquid begins to foam and rise like in the picture above, turn the heat down just a bit.

Continue to stir, and when the cranberries start to boil…

…turn the heat down to a low simmer.

Stir until the liquid starts to reduce (about 5 minutes).

When there’s still some liquid in the pot, turn off the heat and…

…move the pot onto an unused burner on the stove, or on a heat-resistant surface or hot pad.

Let cool.

Transfer the cranberry sauce into a medium size bowl, cover and store in the refrigerator.

TIP – As the cranberry sauce cools, it should set and slightly thicken up.

In this recipe, the cranberry sauce is cooked up to the point where it’s still a little saucy because as it cools it tends to thicken up a little.

Garnish and Serve:

Garnish with a serrano pepper…

…and quartered pieces of lime.

Serve chilled, at room temperature or warm.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Thank you so much for stopping by CCC!

SUBSCRIBE TO CCC

Don’t Miss a CCC Recipe! Subscribe now to Coupon Clipping Cook and get an email each time we have a new post. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO COUPON CLIPPING COOK.