Last-minute Thanksgiving Dishes!

 

Cranberry Chutney getting ready to simmer!

Chances are you have your Thanksgiving menu all planned and shopped, but in case you’re still casting about looking for a terrific side dish, I highly recommend David Lebovitz’s cranberry chutney. It is, hands down, the best cranberry side dish I’ve ever had. I’ve made it several times now and it never disappoints. The combination of the tart cranberries with some sweet dried fruit (raisins, cherries, cranberries, candied ginger), crisp apple, and fall spices, is a definite winner. And just wait until you add it to a turkey sandwich the next day!

Chutney ready to plate

And to add to your dessert table ('cause, you know my motto: you can never have too many desserts!), you may want to think about these little babies. No baking involved; just toss the ingredients into a food processor, then roll the 1” balls in a graham cracker crumb-shredded coconut mixture and set in the fridge for an hour. Yes, it is officially the holiday season where we throw caution to the wind when it comes to eating and drinking (at least I do), but for any friends or family trying to watch their calorie intake, these Cranberry Crumble Bites (from SkinnyMs) clock in at only 162 calories. Also, there’s no white sugar in here - maple syrup and orange juice sweeten the base. 

Cranberry Crumble Bites

Later today I’ll also be making this Maple-Vanilla Pumpkin Loaf from Bake From Scratch so I’ll post about it later this week. It sounds like the perfect Thanksgiving/fall/holiday cake! It can be served with just a sprinkle of confectioners’ sugar, or gussied up with some fresh whipped cream and a drizzle of maple syrup. 

Wishing you and yours a safe, happy, and healthy Thanksgiving!

Eat well, stay warm, be happy.

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Greetings, Dear Readers.

For most, this holiday was not like any other. Many of us celebrated with a smaller circle of family or friends; some celebrated alone. However your holiday looked, I hope it was peaceful.

Here at my home, we made a much smaller feast - a turkey breast roast instead of a whole turkey. As we are not fans of white meat, we were quite surprised that it was very moist and flavorful. Of course, I'm sure that was mostly due to the butter/garlic mixture Mr B slathered all over it! I made a cranberry chutney from David Lebovitz's recent column that was probably the best cranberry side dish I've ever had. As David mentions, this chutney would be great alongside pork, roasted veggies, or even cheese. Also on the menu, a terrific sautéed greens with smoked paprika from The NY Times. And, because in my mind no meal is complete without bread, homemade dinner rolls from The Spruce Eats.

Cranberry Chutney with next-day turkey sammy

At the last minute I decided to make a dessert, but I really didn't feel like going through the whole pie routine. However I still wanted something pumpkin-y and Thanksgiving-ish. King Arthur Flour to the rescue. Their Pumpkin Spice Cake hit all my wants and desires: pumpkin ('natch), the essential fall spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; some dried fruit (raisins), and walnuts. No eggs, no sour cream, no yogurt - so chances are you've got everything you need in your cupboard right now (you probably even have a cup of pumpkin in your fridge that you didn't use in your T-Day desserts and were wondering what to do with it). Make. This. Cake. It is tender, SO moist, easy (doesn't require a mixer), quick, and absolutely delicious! All it needs is a sprinkle of confectioners' sugar and you're ready to enjoy. A dollop of whipped cream wouldn't hurt either, would it? 

It's snowing confectioners' sugar!

Rye-Cranberry-Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Greetings, Dear Cook's Tour Readers.

Are you tired of the same old chocolate chip cookie? Do you want something with a little more texture? Would you like a cookie bursting with not-your-typical flavors? How about one that's also super easy to prep and bake? Well, if you answered "yes!" to at least one of these questions (and I'm pretty sure you did), step right up, 'cause I've got just the thing.


By way of one of my favorite bakers, Dorie Greenspan, who adapted it from Mokonuts bakery in Paris, comes this incredible cookie. These are not delicate cookies, by any means. These have a nice heft to them, and they are made with rye flour which gives them a nutty flavor and texture. They also use chocolate chunks instead of chips, which amps of the chocolate-y-ness. The cranberries give you a bit of tartness, which makes these not too sweet, and the sprinkle of sea salt atop each cookie just enhances all the flavors.


You do need to let the dough refrigerate overnight so plan ahead. They keep well at room temp for about three days, and freeze well up to 2 months (I've got a few in my freezer right now). They are perfect for a lunchbox or fall picnic basket, or nibbling with a cup of tea on a crisp fall afternoon.

Makes about 15 large cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons (130 grams) medium rye flour
1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (85 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3⁄4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
10 tablespoons (140 grams) unsalted butter at cool room temperature
1⁄2 cup (100 grams) sugar
1⁄2 cup (100 grams) light brown sugar
1 large egg
1⁄3 cup (50 grams) poppy seeds
2⁄3 cup (80 grams) moist, plump dried cranberries
4 ounces (113 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks
Flake salt, such as Maldon, for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Whisk together the rye flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, sea salt and baking soda; set aside.
2. Working with a mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment, if you have one), beat the butter and both sugars together on medium speed for 3 minutes, until blended; scrape thebowl as needed. Add the egg, and beat 2 minutes more. Turn off the mixer, add the dry ingredients all at once, then pulse the mixer a few times to begin blending the ingredients. Beat on low speed until the flour almost disappears, and then add the poppy seeds, cranberries and chocolate. Mix only until incorporated. Scrape the bowl to bring the dough together.
3. Have a baking sheet lined with parchment, foil or plastic wrap nearby. Divide the dough into 15 pieces, roll each piece into a ball between your palms and place on the baking sheet. Cover, and refrigerate the dough overnight or for up to 3 days. (If you’d like, you can wrap the balls airtight and freeze them for up to 1 month. Defrost them overnight in the fridge before baking.)
4. When you’re ready to bake, center a rack in the oven, and heat it to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Arrange the cookies on the sheet, leaving 2 inches between each cookie (work with half a batch at a time and keep the remaining balls of dough in the refrigerator until needed). Sprinkle each cookie with a little flake salt, crushing it between your fingers as you do.
5. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, pull the baking sheet from the oven and, using a metal spatula, a pancake turner or the bottom of a glass, tap each cookie lightly. Let the cookies rest on the sheet for 3 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a rack. Repeat with the remaining dough, always using cold dough and a cool baking sheet.
6. Serve after the cookies have cooled for about 10 minutes, or wait until they reach room temperature.

Sparkling Cranberry Gems

The luscious little sparklers you see before you are called "Sparkling Cranberry Gems," called that, I assume, from the coarse sparkling sugar coating them and the dried cranberries tucked inside (not much gets by me!).  


The fine folks at King Arthur Flour created this recipe and yesterday morning at 7am, I decided I needed one more cookie added to the "the list." For those of you playing along at home, you'll recall that I published my holiday baking list a couple of weeks ago and I have been very disciplined in sticking to it.  I did have one mishap:  Giada's Cornmeal Cranberry Cake.  A cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake came out clean, but as it started to cool it slowly cracked and fell in the center. When I tried to invert it onto a plate, the cake broke into a semi-liquid mess all over the counter!  So disappointing.  Well, as the French like to say, c'est la vie.  I guess one baking disaster out of all the baking I did this holiday season isn't too bad.

Back to the Sparkling Gems. These are super easy to make, delicious, and even a little bit healthy for you (check out the nutritional values at the end of the recipe).  Because I only had King Arthur whole wheat flour in the house, I used a half 'n half mixture of whole wheat and white. You can use 100% white flour if that's all you've got. Either way, I think you'll be happy.

Sparkling Cranberry Gems printable recipe

Cookies 1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) King Arthur White Whole Wheat  Flour, organic preferred; or  King Arthur Unbleached  All-Purpose Flour 1 1/2 cups (7 ounces) dried cranberries,  packed 2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) confectioners’ sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) cold unsalted butter,  cut into pats 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) milk Coating scant 1/2 cup (about 3 1/2 ounces) coarse white  sparkling sugar Place the flour and dried cranberries in the bowl of a food  processor.  Process until the cranberries are coarsely shredded.  Imagine a single dried cranberry cut into about 4 pieces: that’s  your goal. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment)  two baking sheets. Whisk together the flour/cranberry mixture, sugar, baking powder,  and salt. Add the vanilla and butter, mixing until the butter is  thoroughly distributed, but some pea-sized chunks still remain.  Dribble in the milk while mixing; the dough will become cohesive. Place the coarse sugar in a plastic bag; about 1-quart size  should do. Using a teaspoon cookie scoop (or a spoon), scoop the dough  by 1 3/4-teaspoonfuls (about 1 ¼" balls) into the bag, 6 or 8 at  a time. Close the top of the bag, and gently shake to coat the  balls with sugar. Place them on the prepared baking sheet,  and use the bottom of a glass to flatten them to about ¼" thick  (about 1 ½" in diameter). Repeat with the remaining dough. Bake the cookies for 16 to 17 minutes, until they’re set and  barely, BARELY beginning to brown around the very edge;  the tops shouldn’t be brown at all. Remove them from the oven,  and cool right on the pan. Yield: about 3 dozen cookies. Nutrition Facts Serving Size, 1 cookie (15g); Servings per Batch, 36; amount  per serving: Calories 60, Calories from Fat 20, Total Fat 2g(3% DV),  Saturated Fat 1g(6% DV), Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 5mg(2% DV),  Sodium 30mg(1% DV), Total Carbohydrate 10g(3% DV), Dietary  Fiber 1g(3% DV), Sugars 7g, Protein 1g, Vitamin A (2% DV), Vitamin C  (0% DV), Calcium (2% DV), Iron (0% DV).

Holiday Baking

How are you doing with your holiday baking? I have been doing alot of baking since our return from the islands a couple of weeks ago. Let's see, so far I have made:

• Mexican Wedding Cookies
• Chocolate Cream Cups
• Lemon Pistachio Biscotti
• Chocolate-Chip Walnut Espresso Biscotti
• Toasted Coconut Shortbread
• and just today, World Peace Cookies

Whew! That's alot of baking. And I'm not done yet. Before Christmas next Friday, I will probably bake another batch of Mexican Wedding Cookies (because they are that good and that easy), and perhaps more World Peace Cookies because they freeze so well. Also on my baking agenda this week: Cranberry and Cornmeal Cake with Caramel-Walnut Topping (for Christmas dinner dessert) and Holiday Bundt Cake (probably to take to our friends in North Carolina for the New Year - shhh, don't tell them).

I have not made the Cranberry-Cornmeal Cake (courtesy of Giada deLaurentis) before but it sounds good and quite festive so I thought I'd give it a go. You can get the recipe here if you'd like to try it.

The Holiday Bundt Cake is a favorite from Dorie Greenspan's award-winning "Baking From My Home to Yours." I made this a few times last year during the holidays and everybody loved it. I think my friends in NC will enjoy it. It includes all the fabulous flavors of the season: cranberries, pumpkin, apples, pecans, cinnamon (you get the idea) and it keeps well. It's great dressed up with a little freshly whipped cream for dessert or cut into nice thick slices, toasted up for brunch.

The World Peace Cookies (what a great name for a cookie) are also from Dorie Greenspan's book and couldn't be easier, or more delicious. Very chocolate-y and moist, with the added touch of sea salt, to give you that sweet/salty sensation that everybody loves.

Let me know what delicious holiday treats you are baking this week (use the comment section below)!

Finally, one quick housekeeping note: I've added a "search" function to the blog (over in the right-hand nav) to make it easier to find a recipe or a link from a past entry.

Happy Holidays!

Eat well, stay warm, and be happy!

Simply Lovely

The time of year is here when all I want to do is get outside! The weather is starting to turn nice - beautiful blue sky, temps in the high 70s. And to top it off, a three-day holiday weekend - what could be better?!

Well, for starters, take all of the above, add one icy cocktail of your choosing, one handful of some delicious cocktail almonds, and you've got yourself the makings of one glorious day (or evening) out on the deck, porch, yard, etc.

My current favorite drink of choice is Vodka-Cranberry Lemonade (so refreshing!), and it could not be easier. I've just recently discovered "Simply Lemonade," this from the people who bring us "Simply Orange," and probably other "simply" drinks. The lemonade is not too sweet and mixes very nicely with Skyy vodka and a splash of cranberry. I'm sure some hip bartender somewhere has conjured up a cool name for this concoction, but my "simple" name will do.

Ah, now for the all-important cocktail nuts. I found this recipe on Epicurious (actually, on the very handy Epicurious app for iPhone/iPod Touch). Only five ingredients and made on top of the stove. You can whip these up in 5 minutes. They are just the ticket for a little spicy-salty snack to accompany your libation. Have a fabulous holiday weekend!

Chile-Roasted Almonds

3 TB peanut or canola oil

1-1/2 t dried crushed red pepper

1 t freshly ground black pepper

1 pound whole natural almonds with skin (about 3 cups)

coarse Kosher salt

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add crushed red pepper and black pepper and stir to distribute evenly in skillet. Add almonds and stir to coat with oil-pepper mixture. Cook until almonds begin to darken slightly and mixture is fragrant, stirring frequently about 8 minutes. Transfer mixture to rimmed baking sheet; sprinkle generously with coarse salt. Cool completely. DO AHEAD: nuts can be made 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temp.

Saturday Dinner with Friends

Ahhhh, do you hear that?  It's the sound of a quiet Saturday.  I love Saturdays - to quote a NY Times ad, "the word alone makes me happy."  I actually love Friday nights more - that prospective feeling of two whole days away from the usual weekday grind.

The day started out great with this wonderful new coffee from Counter Culture in Annapolis.  It's called Magnolia Blend, because this is the coffee served at the award-winning Magnolia Grill in Durham, NC (I knew there was a restaurant in Durham I wanted to add to "my list" - see recent post).  On weekends, we make coffee in our French Press - what a difference.

 

We are having dinner with some friends tonight and we are making Stretch's Chicken. For those of you not from NJ, Stretch's is a very well known Italian restaurant in northern NJ.  They make a dish called Chicken Savoy, served with fabulous crispy, thin potatoes (not unlike those great potatoes you get at Portuguese restaurants).  Through a friend of a friend, we obtained the original recipe for Chicken Savoy and although it takes a long time to cook and makes a mess of your oven, it's worth it. So, tonight's menu is as follows:

• Pre-dinner: Comte (a wonderful French cheese actually purchased at Costco) and Spanish Marcona Almonds (also a Costco item) - I was so excited when I saw these at Costco last week because these are the same wonderful almonds we had in Europe this past summer
• Stretch's Chicken with crispy, thin potatoes
• Sauteed Broccoli Rabe
• Crusty Italian Bread
• Pinot Noir
• For dessert: Cranberry Vanilla Coffeecake (from the December issue of Gourmet, photo above, recipe below)

I hope you are having an "ahhhh" kind of day. 

Cranberry Vanilla Coffeecake - this was very easy to make and the aroma of the vanilla sugar was deluxe.

• 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 cups fresh or thawed frozen cranberries (6 oz)
• 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened, divided
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk

• GARNISH:

   
  confectioners sugar

• Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Generously butter a 9- by 2-inch round cake pan. Line bottom with a round of parchment paper and butter parchment.
• Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a food processor with tip of a paring knife (reserve pod for another use if desired). Add sugar and pulse to combine. Transfer to a bowl.
• Pulse cranberries with 1/2 cup vanilla sugar in processor until finely chopped (do not purée).
• Whisk together 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Beat together 1 stick butter and 1 cup vanilla sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down side and bottom of bowl. Reduce speed to low and mix in flour mixture and milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour, until just combined.
• Spread half of batter in pan, then spoon cranberries over it, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edge. Top with remaining batter and smooth top.
• Blend remaining 1/4 cup vanilla sugar with remaining Tbsp each of butter and flour using your fingertips. Crumble over top of cake.
• Bake until a wooden pick inserted into cake (not into cranberry filling) comes out clean and side begins to pull away from pan, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan 30 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely, crumb side up.

COOKS’ NOTE: Coffeecake can be made 1 day ahead and kept, tightly wrapped, at room temperature.