This traditional cheesecake with a graham cracker crust is a sumptuous treat. It is rich and dense, super creamy, and slightly sweet. To bake a beautiful cheesecake that doesn’t sink, crack, burn, or curdle, use this surefire technique with professional technique suggestions. Serve the dish with whipped cream, fresh fruit, chocolate ganache, caramel sauce, or cherry pie filling for some unique topping ideas.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 25 mins |
| Additional Time: | 20 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 ounces dried candied mango, finely diced
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 orange, zested
- 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 whole star anise pod
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 pinch salt
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries
- 2 drops hot sauce (preferably ghost pepper hot sauce), or more to taste
Instructions
- Place diced mango into a saucepan and stir in lemon zest, orange zest, and ginger. Pour in lemon and orange juice and mix in cinnamon stick, star anise pod, garam masala, and salt. Pour in water and sugar; stir until sugar has dissolved.
- Place saucepan over medium heat, bring just to a simmer, and reduce heat to low. Simmer until mango has softened and flavors blend, about 15 minutes.
- Pour cranberries into sauce, raise heat to medium, and cook until cranberries pop and begin to break down, about 10 minutes. Mash any unpopped berries.
- Turn off heat and drizzle 2 or 3 drops of ghost pepper hot sauce. Let cranberry sauce cool to room temperature and transfer to a serving bowl. Remove cinnamon stick and star anise pod before serving.
Reviews
Great, easy to make ahead for any turkey dinner, especially for families that enjoy a little heat in their food. I used a pinch of pumpkin pie spice, instead of the cinnamon stick and star anise. Of course, adjust the amount and type of hot sauce to taste, “that’s just you cookin”!
Chef John Once AGAIN…HITS IT OUT OF THE PARK with this one!
Did not like this at all. The anise dominated the flavor. Orange peel, being among the top 5 foods most people are allergic to of which I’m one skipped the zest, although I doubt would have made much difference. This is the first recipe that failed to Titillate my palette. Sorry John.
I’ve been making this exact recipe every Thanksgiving for about 4 years now. I grew up on canned cranberry sauce, so when I decided to try to make my own; I instantly fell in love. This is a must for those who like to eat their turkey with cranberry sauce.
Made this for Thanksgiving with chef John’s roast Turkey. Absolutely delicious! Everyone loved it and raved over its delightful flavors. 10 out of 10! I couldn’t find ghost pepper sauce so used habenero hot sauce instead, had to add more drops to get that after spice flavor, but found it to work perfectly.
I’ve been making this recipe for a couple of years now since I found it on Food Wishes. This is the best cranberry sauce ever and accompanies the sweet potato with pistachio casserole just perfectly. My family craves it every thanksgiving. Chef John rocks.
The flavor was great! There was just too much of it for me, but my SIL loved it! I will make it again, but I will dial it back a bit. I will use less citrus zest and ginger, while keeping the other ingredients the same. I did not use the hot sauce or the salt. I’m not sure I would like them in this.
Made this for Thanksgiving dinner. Turned out great. Followed the recipe as written. It had the right amount of sugar for our taste. We liked the flavor nuances from the garam masala and star anise. I couldn’t find the ghost pepper hot sauce anywhere and it was too late to order it on line. I used a few dashes of tabasco to add a bit of zing. This was excellent.
The best cranberry sauce ever!
This was easy and tasty. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any mango so I just put in some mango flavored candy which melted. I did candied ginger instead of regular but will change next time for a little more bite. Might also add a little more vinegar to cut the sweetness. My family also thought the garam masala made it taste too Indian (we eat a lot of Indian food) so I may use coriander or something else next time.
Chef John did it again! Another great recipe! Just finished 2 batches!!! It’s wonderful!! Serving it tomorrow for Thanksgiving). Was a little nervous about the hot sauce so I left it out:(. Next time I’ll try it but without it – it’s amazing so with it – it is probably more amazing!! Don’t hesitate! Make this!! Good job!!!
Perfect! I loved this intriguing twist on the old standby. The garam masala adds an earthy, fragrant note and the abundant us of citrus zest & ginger give it intense flavor. Plus it’s not overbearingly sweet, which I like. I couldn’t find ghost pepper sauce so used what I had – Tabasco – just about 4 drops, just enough to barely taste. This is an unusual complement to a Thanksgiving meal and will provide standout flavor without overpowering other dishes.
I am adding this to my Thanksgiving menu. I chose Chef John’s cranberry recipe over others because of the complexity of flavors he uses with the mangos and spices. I agree with adding hot sauce at the end and the amount of sugar he uses. I will update my review after I make it but if you want something more sophisticated give this a try. I plan to make it the day before. I would definitely make it again. It was perfect with the entire meal with the right amount of sweet, tart, hot, and complex blend of flavors. I used Tabasco brand habanero sauce because habanero pairs perfect with fruit. You can make this two days ahead. A little goes a long way we have tons left over and I am going to make crostini and top with goat cheese and the cranberry sauce as an appetizer tonight.