Chile Pepper and Lime Cranberry Sauce
This delicious cranberry sauce is sweet, tart and a little spicy all at the same time.
Ingredients
For the Cranberry Sauce:
- 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) stems and seeds removed (add more peppers if you prefer more heat)
For the Garnish:
- 1 or 2 small whole serrano chile peppers
- 1 lime cut into quarters
Instructions
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. 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.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 mixture 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.
For the Cranberry Sauce:
- Stir the cranberry mixture. If the liquid begins to foam and rise, 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. 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.
Notes
TIPS:
- Chile Peppers - Wear kitchen gloves to cut the peppers and don't rub your face or eyes.
- Lime Juice - For this recipe, 3 tablespoons of lime juice is used to make the cranberry sauce. Each lime should yield about 2 tablespoons of juice so there may be a little juice left over.
- Cooking the Cranberries - When cooking the cranberries in a pot; if the liquid begins to foam and rise, turn the heat down just a bit.
- Cooling the Cranberry Sauce - As the cranberry sauce cools, it should set and slightly thicken up.