This is the best Fresh Orange Cranberry Relish! This simple recipe is bursting with flavor, yet so easy to prepare - it only requires 9 ingredients and 20 minutes! Flavored with orange liqueur, pomegranate juice, brown sugar and fresh thyme, it's a versatile sauce that's sure to impress! Serve it as a side dish or try it as a condiment for cheese boards! Recipe can be scaled up or down by using the slider if you hover your mouse over the number of Servings.
Sweat the shallots: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan, over medium-low heat. Add in the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes.
Add the liquids + sugar: Add in pomegranate juice, liqueur, molasses, sugar and thyme. Season with a generous pinch of salt. Whisk together. Increase heat to medium and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, 12 minutes.
Add the cranberries and increase the heat to medium. Bring to a simmer and immediately reduce heat to maintain simmer.
Simmer: Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have just burst, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add arils + zest: Stir in the pomegranate arils and orange zest. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt or add honey if you prefer a sweeter sauce.
Store or Serve: Transfer to a container and chill until ready to serve. Serve & Enjoy!
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Notes
The recipe below calls for a very small amount (3 TBS) of orange liqueur. If you aren’t a fan of cooking with liqueur, please note that the alcohol cooks out of the sauce. The orange liqueur simply adds a bright, citrusy, acidic flavor to the relish. I highly suggest you don't skip it.
The recipe also utilizes pomegranate molasses which is simply reduced pomegranate juice (sometimes with a touch of sugar). It adds a depth of sweet and sour flavor to the relish, which tastes amazing! You can find pomegranate molasses in either the ethnic or international isle of most major grocery stores.
The relish can be made up to two days in advance and stored in a container with a tight fitted lid in the refrigerator. Just remove the relish from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to using to remove the chill.
Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring mixture to a simmer while stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer.
Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced to 1/2 of a cup and reaches a syrup-like consistency, about 55-60 minutes.
Taste and adjust to your liking adding more sugar if you want it a bit sweeter, or more lemon if you want it a bit more tart.
Let the pomegranate molasses chill completely before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Nutritional information is an approximation and based upon 6 servings. Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used.