Cranberry Bluff (17 page)

Cranberry Swirl Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

1 stick butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 pint sour cream

1 teaspoon almond extract

7 oz can whole cranberry sauce

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar together gradually.

Add unbeaten eggs one at a time, using mixer at med speed.

Sift together dry ingredients.

Reduce speed and add dry ingredients, alternating with sour cream.

Add almond extract.

Pour a layer of batter in the bottom of a greased tube pan.

Add a layer of swirled cranberry sauce. Repeat layers.

Sprinkle with nuts and bake at 350 degrees for 55 min. Enjoy!

Cranberry White Chocolate Bars

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter, melted

3/4 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) cranberries, coarsely chopped

1/2 (11-oz) bag white chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together eggs and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until blended.

Gradually add sugar, beating until blended.

Stir in flour, salt and melted butter.

Gently stir in cranberries and white chocolate chips.

Spread dough in a lightly greased 8-inch square pan.

Bake 38 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool and cut into bars.

Cranberry Relish

Ingredients:

1 cup orange juice

½ cup Ruby Port

½ cup sugar

1 bag fresh cranberries

1 orange

Directions:

Place cranberries, orange juice, port and sugar in a medium pot.

Peel three large pieces of skin from the orange and add to the other ingredients.

Cook on medium high heat until it comes to a boil.

Reduce heat to simmer and cook 30 minutes or until cranberries pop, stirring occasionally. Continue simmering until desired consistency.

Remove from heat and remove orange peels.

Place in a container, cover and chill at least 30 minutes.

*Great recipe to make the night before

Cranberry Brie Bites

Ingredients:

1 package pastry dough, thawed

4-6 oz. brie cheese

Cranberry preserves

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cut pastry dough into 3 inch squares and press into mini muffin pan.

Cut brie into 3/4 inch cubes and put one in each pastry square.

Top each with 1/2 teaspoon of cranberry preserves.

Brush tops of pastry lightly with melted butter.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crust is flaky and golden brown.

Cranberry Kale Salad w/ Quinoa

Ingredients:

Salad:

1 bunch of kale

½ cup dried cranberries

1 lemon

½ cup chopped macadamia nuts toasted

1 cup quinoa

½ cup crumbled goat cheese

Dressing:

½ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

½ lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cut lemon in half and set aside 1/2 for salad dressing.

Wash kale, remove stems and chop roughly. Squeeze juice of 1/2 lemon over kale, add a generous pinch of salt and toss thoroughly with hands.

Cook quinoa in rice cooker or in covered sauce pan (2 cups of water to 1 cup quinoa, cook until all water evaporates - 20-30 minutes) Cool when done.

Toast chopped macadamia nuts in skillet on low heat for 5 minutes or until slightly golden and fragrant.

Whisk together olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Toss all ingredients together with dressing and serve.

Cranberry Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c cooked wild rice

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1/2 c. onion, finely chopped

4 c. vegetable stock

3 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 c. fresh (or frozen) cranberries, chopped

1/2 c. dried cranberries

1 c. milk or half-n-half

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook wild rice and set aside.

Melt butter over medium heat.

Add carrots, celery and onion.

Cook until tender, about 8 minutes.

Whisk vegetable stock and flour together until smooth; add to mixture.

Add the fresh cranberries & stir until soup thickens, about 5-10 minutes.

Add the cooked rice and dried cranberries.

Cover, reduce heat & simmer, stirring occasionally, until all cranberries are softened, about 15 minutes.

Stir in half and half and continue simmering until warm.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Cranberry Cornbread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter (room temperature)

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cornmeal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup cranberries (cut in half)

Directions:

Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl.

Mix in the eggs one at a time followed by the milk.

Mix the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in another bowl.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

Mix in the cranberries.

Pour the mixture into a greased 9 inch square baking pan.

Bake in a preheated 350F oven until a toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean, about 20-30 minutes.

Cranberry Pear Walnut Cobbler

Ingredients:

2 c. fresh (or frozen) cranberries

1 pear, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces

1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, melted

¾ c. chopped walnuts

¼ tsp. vanilla extract

½ c. plus ¾ c. granulated sugar

1 c. all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

Salt (just a pinch)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine cranberries, pears, walnuts and ½ cup of sugar in a 9-in pie pan or 8-inch square baking dish. Toss until coated.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract. Add in remaining sugar and mix until blended.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour and salt. Add to wet ingredients and stir until combined.

Pour the batter over the cranberry mixture.

Bake for 40 minutes, until crust is golden and fruit bubbles.

Cool on a wire rack.

Cranberry Citrus Sorbet

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 1/2 cups unsweetened cranberry juice

Juice from 1 small orange, lemon or lime

Directions:

In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the water and sugar.

Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, approx. 1 minute or until the sugar dissolves.

Add the cranberry and citrus juices and return to a boil.

Lower heat to medium and cook for about 1 minute.

Remove from heat and cool until it reaches room temperature.

Refrigerate until chilled, from 3 to 8 hours.

Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Transfer the sorbet to a freezer-safe container and cover.

Freeze until firm. Makes about 1 quart.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

There never seem to be adequate words to thank the many people who help bring a book from initial idea to finished manuscript.

I could not ask for a better editor than Elizabeth Christy, who has the patience of a saint when it comes to working with me on revisions. Her expertise not only makes a manuscript shine, but constantly teaches me about the writing process and about myself as a person.

I’m thankful for the excellent plot suggestions from beta readers Carol Anderson, Jay Garner and Karen Putnam and to Carol for her proofreading abilities. As always, Keri Knutson at Alchemy Book Covers proved she has the magical ability to see through emails right into a person’s mind when creating custom artwork. Tim at Book Design and More, and Clare Ayala, deserve kudos for print and eBook formatting services.

Special thanks go to Valerie Peterson, Andi Caruso, Susan Foppiano-Valera, and Elisabeth Conley for contributions to Aunt Maggie’s Cranberry Cottage Cookbook, as well as to friends and co-workers who were brave enough to taste test items I personally cooked – a frightful task, indeed.

Above all, I’m grateful for the steadfast support of family and friends throughout the development of this book. Their encouragement is what allows random ideas that float around in my head to turn into stories such as Cranberry Bluff.