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Recipes
November 2020

Hibiscus Cranberry Sauce

By Tiffany-Anne Parkes

4.5

(16)

Image may contain Plant Fruit Food and Cherry
Photograph by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, prop styling by Sophie Strangio

Hibiscus is used in drinks throughout the African diaspora but most notably in Jamaica. Inspired by sorrel—a festive Caribbean punch—this sauce is sweet, tangy, earthy, and the perfect complement to the peppery profile of Jamaican jerk. Rum, allspice, and fresh ginger add a level of warmth and richness of flavor that is the signature of Caribbean cuisine. Serve with Jerk Turkey Sheperd’s Pie. 

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 2½ cups

Ingredients

4

Tbsp. unsalted butter

1

2" piece ginger, peeled, halved

3

whole allspice

1

1-lb. bag fresh or frozen cranberries

1⅓

cups (packed) light muscovado sugar or light brown sugar

1

Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. hibiscus powder

Pinch of kosher salt

2

Tbsp. Jamaican rum, divided

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add ginger and allspice and cook, stirring occasionally, until butter foams, then browns, 5–8 minutes. Mix in cranberries, muscovado sugar, and ½ cup water. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until cranberries burst, 10–12 minutes.

    Step 2

    Uncover cranberries; stir in hibiscus powder, salt, and 1 Tbsp. rum. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, until glossy and syrupy, 16–20 minutes. (Stir in about ¼ cup water if you like a thinner sauce.) Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1 Tbsp. rum. Let cool slightly.

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