Cranberry-Jalapeño Relish with Savory Cheesecake

Christmas is next week. NEXT WEEK. I don't know if it's the whole being pregnant thing or perhaps it's the typical hustle and bustle of the season that has made me lose all track of time, but I am no where near as ready as I like to be with presents, plans, and everything in between. Instead of wrapping presents I've been folding baby clothes (they're so tiny!) and thinking about everything that needs to happen before our new little one arrives in just a few short weeks. Sometimes I worry that I'm not as prepared this time around. Maybe that's normal for the second baby. Maybe what happens is, since you've done it once, you figure having a newborn around is kind of like riding a bike. It isn't, of course. Riding a bike is much easier. Lucky for me, I have the very best holiday appetizer on hand that can be made ahead and looks pretty and festive and like you spent hours working on it. Cranberry-Jalapeño Relish with Savory Cheesecake = your holiday appetizer secret weapon.

A college friend of mine gave me the relish recipe. It took me a while to get around to making but after one bite I was kicking myself for not making it once a week starting the second she sent me the recipe. Ellie, you've made my holiday season easier and more flavorful. Thanks!

This relish could be used for any number of things but I love it over savory cheesecake. My savory cheesecake is simply cream cheese, greek yogurt, garlic salt and a couple of eggs. So simple you won't even know what to do with yourself. The relish and the cheesecake both last a couple of days in the fridge so they can be made ahead of time. To add a little extra color to the relish before serving, I like to add an additional sprinkle of cilantro. Other than that, the only prep you need to do before serving is to add a few crackers to the platter!

What are your go-to survival tips for the holidays? Any food tips and tricks to keep us all sane? I'd love to hear anything and everything!

Cranberry-Jalapeño Relish with Savory Cheesecake

Recipe barely adapted from my friend Ellie.

Makes 8-10 servings

For the relish:

• 1 c. dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup fresh cranberries
• 1/2 c. orange juice
• 1/2 c diced red onion
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 t. garlic, minced
• 1 jalepeno, seeded and minced
• 1/4 c. fresh lime juice
• 1/2 t. salt

For the cheesecake:

• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 8 oz plain Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2 eggs

Begin by combining the relish ingredients in a bowl. Toss together, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Meanwhile, make the cheesecake.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spray a 7 inch springform pan with cooking spray and wrap the bottom tightly with foil. Set the pan inside a 9x13 inch pan with 2 inch sides that has been filled with 1 inch of water.

Combine the cream cheese, yogurt, garlic salt and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium-high speed until smooth. Pour into the prepared springform pan and bake for 45 minutes until the center jiggles just slightly. Remove the cake from the water and set on a wire rack to cool for 1 hour. At this point, you can place it on a serving platter and chill for 2 hours and up to 2 days.

Top the chilled cheesecake with the relish and serve with a variety of crackers.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

During our 4 years in Japan, we celebrated Thanksgiving with our multicultural group of friends who became our family in Tokyo. For some, Thanksgiving was not a part of their holiday calendar, so we had the unique experience of giving people their first taste (literally) of this holiday. The first year, I attempted to cook everything by myself in a tiny kitchen with no oven. To make it even worse, I wouldn't let anyone help with the dishes after dinner. Instead, I hid all the dirties under the kitchen sink and waited until everyone left to clean up. Rookie mistake.

There was also a situation involving a 20+ pound turkey and a bicycle. More on that at a later date. And if you're lucky, I'll share the video documenting the insane logistics of pulling off a Thanksgiving celebration in Tokyo without an oven or, perhaps more importantly, a car.

One of the dishes I handed off after that first fateful Thanksgiving was cranberry sauce. To be honest, I'm not sure we even had it the first time around. Our friend Danny took on the sauce-responsibility and reminded me that cranberry sauce does not need to look like a congealed metal can mold, complete with ridges and an eery jiggle. Cranberry sauce can in fact be very beautiful and full of wonderfully fresh, complex flavors to offset the heavy, rich offerings Thanksgiving brings.

Danny always put ginger in his cranberry sauce, which I have also done with the recipe sharing today. I kept it pretty simple, adding only whole cloves for spice, a couple strips of orange zest, and a sprig of rosemary. To keep a little bit of Japan present at our table, I added sake as the main liquid. The sake is mild, which is nice because it does not overwhelm or hide the other flavors. Instead, it brings them out even more.

I'm thankful for the Thanksgiving meals we shared with our friends in Japan. The memories we made are always with me, reminding me that there is always a reason to be thankful no matter where you are or who you're with.

So to kick off this week of Thanksgiving recipes, and to give a shout out to our Tokyo family, here is a cranberry sauce recipe that is easy, flavorful and acts as the base for recipes to come on Wednesday and Friday this week. So stay tuned! More to come!

I would recommend reserving some of the liquid just after the sauce is done cooking. I'll be using it in a cocktail later this week that I think you'll enjoy!

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

• 12 oz fresh cranberries
• 1 tablespoon ginger, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 2/3 cup sake
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 1/4 fresh orange juice plus the orange zest (in strips rather than grated)

Instructions

1. Wrap the cloves, rosemary, and orange zest strips in a piece of cheesecloth tied together with kitchen twine.
2. Combine the cranberries, ginger, sake, sugar, and orange juice in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring to combine.
3. Continue to simmer for about 10 minutes or until the cranberries have burst and begun to shrivel just slightly.
4. Using a spoon, remove about 1/4 cup of the liquid from the saucepan. Store in an airtight container for use in a cocktail (recipe coming Friday)! (optional)
5. Remove the cheesecloth packet and discard.
6. Pour the cranberry sauce into a serving bowl and let it cool to room temperature.
7. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. The sauce can be made and stored up to 3 days ahead.