Easy Cranberry Chutney

Easy Cranberry Chutney
12 ounces (340 grams) fresh whole cranberries
juice of two oranges
approximately 1/4 - 1/2 cup granulated (white) sugar

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have popped and softened.

Cranberry and Baked Brie Tartlets

These tartlets are the round ones with the red in the center. I made my own signature puff pastry dough, cut out small circles from the dough, and baked them. I also made my own simple cranberry chutney for the filling. Then I cut the pastries in half horizontally, filled them with some cranberry chutney, topped with brie cheese and baked them again until the cheese melted and the tarts were warm.

• Puff pastry circles
• cranberry orange chutney
• sliced of double cream brie cheese

Brussels Three Ways

This is an amuse bouche I came up with the other day. The components are: Candied brussels sprouts, Brussels sprout chips, Black garlic and brussels sprout aioli, Pickled cranberries, and Spiced toasted almonds. 

Candied Brussels Sprouts: Make a maple syrup and balsamic vinegar reduction, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and add Brussels sprout halves. Chill and drain.
Brussels Sprout Chips: Peel off individual Brussels sprouts petals and deep-fry until crisp. Season with salt.
Black Garlic and Brussels Sprout Aioli: Make a basic aioli, add black garlic puree to color, add julienned Brussels sprout leaves. Season to taste.
Pickled Cranberries: Make a basic pickling liquor using one part white wine vinegar, one part granulated sugar, to two parts water. Add a dash of kosher salt. Bring to a boil, add cranberries. Cool and strain.
Spiced Toasted Almonds: Toast almond slivers and spice with cayenne and chili powder.

Sweet Potato Custard

Sweet Potato Coconut Custard + Cranberry Hazelnut Granola + Maple Syrup Reduction + Melon Pearls + Pickled Chutney + Microgreens

Sweet Potato Coconut Custard
450 grams sweet potato, baked with skin on until tender, then peeled and puréed
400mL canned coconut milk
2-4 Tablespoons maple syrup
2 Tablespoons agar agar

Whisk the warm sweet potato purée and milk together in a small saucepan. Whisk in the syrup and agar agar. Bring to a boil over gentle heat, stirring often. Allow to boil for a minute or two until slightly thickened. Pour into a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (size depends upon how thick or thin you would like your custard to be). Chill until set, in the freezer if you would like it to set faster. Cut into desired shapes while still firm, and allow to soften and come to room temperature to serve. Can be stored refrigerated or frozen.

Thanksgiving Dinner Canapés

Thanksgiving Dinner Canapés
caramelized red onion biscuits
butternut squash purée (or alternately sweet potato purée)
cranberry chutney/sauce (chunky, whole berry, not jelly and preferably homemade)
pickles

I baked my own vegan biscuits, adding in caramelized red onions to the dough for more flavor. I put my purée in a piping bag fitted with a star tip and piped a swirl onto each biscuit. Then I topped with a dollop of cranberry chutney, and cut my pickles into little half-moon shapes for a garnish.

I think this canapé is quite colorful and something different - more rustic ingredients presented in an elegant way. They were very much appreciated. The flavors balanced very well together - the purée and onions were sweet, the biscuit and pickle salty, the chutney tart, and the pickle acidic. Someone told me the pickle absolutely makes the canapé. I got inspiration for this hors d'oeuvre from Thanksgiving dinner ingredients.

Cranberry Knots

When I worked on the pastry section on my internship, I made four different types of bread rolls every day. So I got pretty good at making bread, despite it not being my strong point when I first began. I liked to mix up the flavors. Here is a recipe for a sweeter, fancier bread. It is very tasty, especially straight from the oven, but leftovers are great rewarmed in the oven and slathered in real, fresh butter. This bread is best enjoyed the day it is made, though it can be frozen as well.

Cranberry Knots
680 grams strong (bread) flour
56 grams unsalted butter, softened
22 grams granulated (white) sugar
7 grams salt
handful dried cranberries
42 grams fresh yeast
450 mL whole milk, warmed

Place the flour, butter, sugar, salt, and cranberries in the bowl of a standmixer. Whisk the yeast into the warm milk and add to the bowl. Using a dough hook, mix on low speed until dough forms into a smooth ball. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and proof briefly. 

Divide the dough into fifteen pieces, each should weigh approximately 80 grams. Roll each into a long, thin shape, then form into a knot. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and proof in a warm, draft-free place for about an hour until risen.
Bake at 340◦F (that's correct, 340) for ten minutes.

Cocoa Pumpkin Bean Energy Bars

This is a healthy, sneaky energy bar recipe. It contains all good things and tastes sort of like a fudgey brownie. I added in cranberries and walnuts for more texture. The base of these bars is a puréed can of beans, providing protein and fiber, along with pumpkin (which you can't taste) and peanut butter. Honey and applesauce add sweetness and cinnamon and ginger add spice. You can indulge in these tasty treats that are easy to make.

Cocoa Pumpkin Bean Energy Bars
1 can (540mL) white beans
1/2 cup pumpkin purée
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup honey
2 Tablespoons smooth natural peanut butter
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats (processed, if desired, for a smoother texture)
2 Tablespoons unsweetned cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Line an 8x8-inch square pan with parchment paper.
In a food processor, process the beans until smooth. Add in the oats if desired for a smoother texture. Blend in the remaining ingredients in the order given. Mix well. Bake for about 30 minutes until bars are set. They will still be soft. Cool completely and refrigerate before cutting.

Cranberry Orange Sauce

Cranberry Orange Sauce
120 grams granulated (white) sugar
juice of one large orange 
+ enough water to make 2/3 cup liquid
175 grams fresh or frozen cranberries
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
grated zest of one large orange

Combine the sugar, orange juice, and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the cranberries and cinnamon and simmer for about 15 minutes, until berries have burst. Add the zest and simmer an additional five minutes until thickened. Cool and refrigerate. 

This is another holiday recipe, though cranberry sauce goes well with many meats all year-round. This version gets a little extra flavor from orange and cinnamon. This makes a small batch - about a cup - but can easily be doubled or tripled. Cranberry sauce is so easy to make and so much better than that found in a can.

Fudgey Cranberry Dark Chocolate Brownies

This is one of the ultimate brownie recipes for brownie and chocolate lovers (me). Even those who are not in love with brownies will enjoy these. Since they are not mixed much, and ingredients are folded in, this creates a very fudgey and dense brownie. Yet these brownies definitely hold up well. This batch makes a big panful of tall brownies, so you get a lot from one batch. They contain some dried cranberries to give them a little festive feel, but these can be omitted or replaced with chopped nuts, or chocolate chips for a double chocolate brownie. The cranberries do not impart a strong flavor or texture though, they sort of "melt" into the chocolate. I often use whole wheat flour for chocolaty items such as brownies because you cannot detect the difference and it makes them slightly more nutritious. These need no icing, but an icing colored with cherry juice would add even more festive color to these and make them sweeter. 

Fudgey Cranberry Dark Chocolate Brownies
300g dark chocolate, chopped, use as dark as you wish, depending on your personal preference (I used a mix of 90%, 72% and caramel 60%)
200g butter, cubed
1/4 cup dark chocolate syrup, optional
8 large eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated (white) sugar (may want to scale this up or down depending on the type of chocolate used)
1 Tablespoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch salt
2 cups sweetened dried cranberry, dusted lightly in flour

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line a 9x13 inch pan.
Bring a small pot halfway full of water to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Place the chocolate and butter in a heat-proof bowl that will fit the pot, and melt, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula. Once melted, stir in the chocolate syrup and cool slightly.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs until smoothly blended. Beat in the sugar until thick and dissolved, do not overbeat. Beat in vanilla. Temper this mixture with some of the chocolate, then fold all of the chocolate in.
Fold in the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Then fold in the cranberries. Do not overmix.
Spread batter in prepared pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, until edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. 

Cranberry Sparkle Muffins

Cranberry Sparkle Muffins
4 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
2 cans wholeberry cranberry sauce
4 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1 cup granulated (white) sugar
3 Tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
softened butter, for spreading
granulated sugar, to sprinkle

Preheat oven to 400◦F. Grease or line muffin cups.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Beat in the milk, oil, and cranberry sauce. 
Fold in the dry ingredients. Bake for about 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Spread each muffin with a little butter and sprinkle with sugar. Makes about 30 muffins.

What do you do with that leftover cranberry sauce you have from the holidays? Well, you can use it up to make a tasty batch of muffins. Less labor intensive than using fresh or frozen cranberries, as they do not require chopping, draining, or defrosting. Since cranberry sauce is sweetened as well, this muffin contains less sugar in the formula, but is still plenty sweet to contrast those tart cranberries. You also get a ribbon of yummy cranberry filling throughout each bite of the muffin.

Cranberry Coffee Cake

This may seem a little fancy and special, but is in reality easy and quick to make. Enjoy it warm or cooled with afternoon tea or coffee.

Cranberry Coffee Cake
CAKE
2 large eggs
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1/2 cup granulated (white) sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
TOPPING
1/4 cup butter or hard margarine
1/3 cup all-purpose (plain) flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease a 9-inch tube pan.
CAKE: In a large bowl, beat the eggs, then beat in the oil and milk. Stir in the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Fold in the cranberries. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.
TOPPING: Combine all ingredients together in a small bowl. Sprinkle over cake.
Bake for about 50-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for an hour before removing.

Paré, Jean. "Cranberry Coffee Cake." Recipe. Muffins & More, Edmonton Alberta: Company's Coming Publishing Limited, 1983. 147.

Cranberry Apple Cinnamon Squares

These squares have some nice fall flavors: cranberries, apples, and cinnamon. They are incredibly moist, with a fluffy, cake-like texture. The recipe is adapted from one I found in a recipe book of squares. They are the perfect balance of not too sweet and not too tart.

Cranberry Apple Cinnamon Squares
1/4 cup butter or hard margarine
1/2 cup granulated (white) sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup plain yogurt (I used fat-free Greek)
1 cup all-purpose (plain) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup shredded cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
2 Tablespoons granulated (white) sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line an 8x8 inch square pan.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together. Beat in the egg and vanilla, then the yogurt. Stir in the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Gently stir in the cranberries and apple. Spread in prepared pan. 
Combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle evenly over batter. Bake for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Cranberry Ribbon Loaf

Fall also means cranberry season. I had some cranberries in the fridge, and I was looking for something to make with them. I remembered this idea for a cranberry ribbon loaf, which sounded nice, and decided to try a combination of this and my own ideas. It turned out great. This loaf is soft and very moist. It is certainly sweet enough that you don't get that lip-puckering tart cranberry bite. It is a lot like banana bread, but with cranberries instead of bananas. It also gets some flavor and texture from the addition of coconut, though this could probably be omitted if you wish. Chopped walnuts may be a nice addition instead. The cranberry is swirled into the batter. Not only does this make for a pretty presentation, it also blends the tart cranberries with the sweet loaf, so you get a bit of each in every bite. 

Cranberry Ribbon Loaf
LOAF
2 1/2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
1 cup granulated (white) sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup orange juice
1 large egg
3 Tablespoons oil
CRANBERRY FILLING
2 cups coarsely grated cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch ground cloves

CRANBERRY FILLING: Stir all ingredients together.
LOAF: Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, combine the first five dry ingredients. Add remaining ingredients and beat for a minute. 
Spread 1/3 of the batter in the prepared pan. Spread with 1/2 of the cranberry mixture. Spread another 1/3 of the batter, the remaining cranberry mixture, then the remaining batter. Gently swirl the batter using a butter knife. 
Bake for about one hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for five minutes, then remove to cool completely. This slices better after a day or so, if you can wait that long! 

Autumn Muffins

These spicy, flavorful, moist muffins have some nice harvest flavors of apples, cranberries, dried fruit, nuts and spices. They are a different muffin but definitely delicious and certainly a nice flavor of fall. They may not look that presentable, but they certainly smell good during baking. 

Autumn Muffins
3 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
3/4 cup granulated (white) sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup melted butter or margarine
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups milk
1 cup chopped, peeled apple
1 cup fresh, frozen, or dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped dried figs, dates, or raisins
3/4 cup chopped (toasted) nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 375◦F. Grease or line muffin cups.
In a large bowl, stir together the first nine dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and add the butter, eggs, and milk. Stir in remaining ingredients. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Christmas Leftovers

It is entirely possible that some of you are still finding yourselves knee-deep in a pile of leftovers from Christmas dinner. Meat, vegetables, breads, desserts; you name it, there's probably some left. Christmas leftovers appear to be inevitable. So, what can you do with them all? You can certainly freeze many aspects of Christmas dinner, especially turkey and sweets. They will keep in the freezer, well-wrapped, for a few months or so. Vegetables may be a bit more difficult, as they don't tend to freeze as well. Here are some ideas for leftovers.

TURKEY/CHICKEN: Chop or shred and use now or freeze for later use. Good for soups, stews, stir-fries, casseroles, sandwiches, salads, meat pies.

HAM: Chopped cooked ham keeps a bit longer than turkey or chicken in the fridge, but it may also be frozen. It can be added to soups, stews, stir-fries, casseroles, pot pies, sandwiches, and omelettes. It is also great with cheese and crackers.

POTATOES: Use for Shepherd's pie, potato bread/rolls, and potato fudge. Mashed sweet potatoes can be baked into sweet potato pie, loaf or biscuits.

VEGETABLES: Most precooked vegetables will do well in quick soups, stews, stir-fries, pot pies, and casseroles. They are also good for making ragus or ratatouille. You can also puree vegetables and freeze in small portions to sneak into baked goods to make them healthier. There are several cookbooks around devoted to this process.

BREAD/ROLLS: These can easily be frozen, or be used fresh in the following dishes. French toast, bread pudding, and stuffing (if you don't already have enough). They can also be pulsed into breadcrumbs, which are used in a variety of dishes such as meatballs, hamburgers, coatings for chicken and fish, macaroni and cheese, etc. It is best to dry out the bread either on the counter or in the oven beforehand for these ideas.

GRAVY: Great for hot turkey sandwiches, Shepherd's pie, beef stroganoff, and meat pies. Adds some flavor to any dish, and will keep for a while in the fridge. It is also easy to reheat.

CRANBERRY SAUCE: This can easily be frozen or used in another way. It can be used as is, sweetened up a little, or flavored with something else. It makes a good sauce for desserts, and can be used as a filling for cranberry oat squares. It is also excellent on turkey and even ham sandwiches, and makes an alternative spread for toast and bagels in the morning. 

EVERYTHING: You can throw all (or at least most) of your leftovers together into one big dish. You can make a soup, stew, meat pie or pot pie, casserole, or stir-fry. Add in some new ingredients and flavors, and you won't have to eat a plain old turkey dinner for days in a row. Bring some variety to the table!

Christmas Dinner

Here is a picture of one of the plates of the amazing Christmas dinner my family and I had the great privilege of enjoying yesterday. My grandmother prepared most of this delicious food. She did have some help, as it would be nearly impossible to prepare such an excellent meal alone, but she did a lot of the work herself, and always made sure everyone's plate was full and everyone was satisfied. Our Christmas dinner included: peas, carrots, coleslaw, sweet potato, mashed potato, pickles, cranberry sauce, rolls, stuffing, gravy, and of course, turkey. This dinner was prepared for nearly twenty people. That's no small feat! The coleslaw, the gravy, and the cranberry sauce were all homemade from scratch by my grandmother. The vegetables were freshly prepared, cooked, and seasoned. And the turkey was freshly roasted.  We certainly indulged in a divine Christmas dinner, and I haven't even said a word about the delicious desserts...

Cranberry Crumble Bars

I had half a bag of fresh cranberries sitting in the bottom of my fridge just waiting to be used, so I decided to try this recipe. Cranberries are a very convenient fruit, as they will keep in a plastic bag in the fridge for up to one month, and they freeze well too. We had already had some cranberry muffins, and whole-berry cranberry sauce is not very popular in this household, so I decided to try some cranberry bars for something different - cranberry crumble bars. 

They turned out to be quite yummy and made a nice fall dessert. The crust was crisp like an apple crisp topping, and the cranberry filling had just the right balance of sweet and tart, with a hint of orange flavor. These bars are good warm or cold; fresh from the oven with a little vanilla ice cream or cooled to room temperature with a dollop of vanilla icing (or whipped cream).

I found the recipe while surfing online, here it is:

Cranberry Crumble Bars
FILLING
2 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice* 
1 Tbsp. finely grated orange zest
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
*One large orange should do for both juice and zest. Use two if you want extra orange flavor. If you are a liitle short on juice, add enough water to compensate.

CRUST
1/2 cup butter or hard margarine, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups oats (quick-cooking or old-fashioned)
1 cup flour (all-purpose or whole wheat)
1/4 tsp. salt

FILLING Bring all filling ingredients to a boil in a 1 1/2 quart saucepan, cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Cool.

CRUST Beat butter and sugar. Stir in remaining crust ingredients until crumbly. Press half of mixture into foil-lined 9x13 inch pan, spread with filling, and top with remaining mixture. Bake at 400◦F for 20 minutes until light brown.


These bars are quite flat, you could easily use a 9x9 inch pan for higher bars. This recipe could also be halved for a 9x9 inch pan.

 "Cranberry Crumble Bars.” https://www.lifemadedelicious.ca/Recipes/C/Cranberry-Crumble-Bars.aspx. Life Made Delicious, n.d. Tuesday, October 25, 2011.