Grand Marnier Jalapeno Cranberry Sauce is a spicy, tart, flavorful condiment – a great complement to ham, turkey, and appetizers
Grand Marnier Jalapeño Cranberry Sauce makes a great complement to that special holiday feast … or it’s wonderful in appetizers. In the photo, we have a very simple and popular treat – Ritz crackers smeared with cream cheese, a dollop of Grand Marnier Jalapeño Cranberry Sauce, and topped with a thin slice of fresh jalapeño. They disappear very quickly at a party.
This recipe is very simple and quick to make. It uses fresh cranberries. When you boil them with sugar and water and then stir, it turns into cranberry sauce, which is actually a jam. Cranberries naturally contain pectin, so it thickens as it cools.
Jalapeños add a nice heat that makes it stand out and the Grand Marnier adds an interesting complexity and sweetness to the flavor. Cointreau is also very good in this. With respect to heat, as you cook jalapeños, the capsaicin dissipates and simmering them for 15-20 minutes will cause loss of about half the capsaicin (and hence reduces heat by about half). So I specify adding them for just the last 5 minutes of cooking. You can add them earlier, but be aware that heat level will be reduced.
About buying jalapeños – they vary dramatically in size. I used a medium size, which weighs about 1 ounce per jalapeño. The largest tend to be as much as 3 ounces. The smallest might be 1/2 ounce. You might want to adjust the heat by adding more diced jalapeño toward the end of cooking.
So you gotta try this! And it’s great for experimenting in various appetizers. Hope you enjoy it!
- ½ cup orange juice
- ⅓ cup water
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ tsp orange zest
- 12 oz fresh cranberries
- 2 Jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
- ¼ cup Grand Marnier
- In a large saucepan combine orange juice, water, salt, sugars, and orange zest. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and add the cranberries.
- Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring periodically (cranberries will pop while cooking). Stir in jalapeños and simmer on lowest heat 5 more minutes, stirring once or twice. Cranberries will break down, turning mixture into jam.
- Remove from heat and cool to room temperature; the sauce will thicken as it cools. Stir in the Grand Marnier; adjust amount to taste if desired.
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