Recipe: Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake

Adapted from Martha Stewart.com

Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients

8 T unsalted butter, room temperature

1 c sugar

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1/4 t allspice

1 3/4 c cranberries

1 large egg

1 t vanilla extract

1 1/4 c all-purpose flour

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1/2 c milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. Rub the bottom and sides of an 8 inch round cake pan with 2 T butter.  In a small bowl, combine 1/2 c sugar with the spices*. Sprinkle sugar mixture evenly over bottom of pan; arrange cranberries in a single layer on top.

With an electric mixer, cream remaining 6 T butter and 1/2 c sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until well combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk, until well combined.

Spoon batter over cranberries in pan, and smooth the top. Place pan on a baking sheet; bake cake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes.

Let cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake; invert into a rimmed platter.

Notes:

*Spices can be eliminated; simply sprinkle the sugar onto the bottom of the buttered cake pan

Recipe: Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Yield: Side Dish for 8

Ingredients

2 lbs pound brussels sprouts, washed and cut in half

6 oz slab bacon, cut into lardons

2 medium shallots, finely chopped

1-2 T olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium-low heat until crisp. Remove bacon pieces from the skillet and drain on paper towel. Discard all but 1 T bacon fat, and add olive oil to the pan.

Sauté shallots until they are soft and fragrant. Add brussels sprouts and bacon to the pan and sauté until the sprouts are nicely browned and cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste, before serving.

Recipe: Butternut Squash Oat Muffins with Candied Ginger

Butternut Squash Oat Muffins with Candied Ginger

Adapted from The NY Times Dining and Wine Section, Melissa Clark

Yield: 18 muffins*

Ingredients

1 c all- purpose flour

2/3 c whole-wheat flour

1/2 c oats

1/3 c light brown sugar

1 T baking powder

1 t fine sea salt

1 t ground cinnamon**

1/4 t nutmeg

Zest of one lemon

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 c Greek yogurt, room temperature

10 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 1/2 c shredded butternut squash***

1/4 c finely chopped candied ginger****

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 degrees; grease muffin tins (alternatively, line muffin tins with paper cups)

In a large bowl, combine the flours, oats, sugar, baking powder, salt, spices and lemon zest. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, Greek yogurt, melted butter and maple syrup.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently stir with a rubber spatula until almost combined -- the batter will be very thick. Then fold in the shredded squash and candied ginger.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tins. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until muffins are golden and a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

Cool 5 minutes in the pan before turning muffins onto a wire cooling rack.

Notes:

*The original recipe stated that the recipe makes 1 dozen muffin. I filled the muffin tins quite high, and had enough for 18 muffins. Recipe could easily stretch to 2 dozen.

** I thought that 1 t of cinnamon was a little heavy handed -- but I am not a big cinnamon fan. The amount could certainly be reduced to 1/2 t in my opinion

***Despite its' difficult reputation, butternut squash is a very manageable vegetable to peel and deconstruct. I used a carrot peeler to remove the skin and a food processor to grate it. (And don't throw out the seeds. Toss with a little olive oil, sea salt and fresh rosemary -- and roast for about 10 minutes. Utterly addictive!) 

****Golden raisins would be a nice substitution

Recipe: Fresh Orange-Cranberry Sauce with Walnuts

Fresh Orange-Cranberry Sauce with Walnuts

Adapted from Bon Appetite (December 2001)

Yield: Approximately 4 cups

Ingredients

1 12-ounce bag cranberries

1 c sugar

1 c fresh orange juice

1 t grated orange peel

1 medium seedless orange, all peel and pith cut away, fruit diced

3/4 c walnuts, toasted, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 T Grand Marnier (optional)

Instructions

Combine first 4 ingredients in medium saucepan; bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook until cranberries are tender and mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in orange pieces, walnuts and Grand Marnier (if using).

Transfer to bowl and let cool completely. Cover and chill until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

Recipe: Pound Cake

Pound Cake

Adapted from William-Sonoma Desserts

Yield: Two 9-By-5 inch Loaf Cakes

This rich, moist pound cake can be served with seasonal (poached) fruit and ice cream, used to line a pan for an old fashioned icebox cake, cut into chunks for a creamy trifle or ice cream parfaits, or split into layers for a cream-filled cake.  Best of all, it freezes really well!

Ingredients

4 c flour

1 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

3 c granulated sugar

8 eggs, lightly beaten

2 t vanilla extract

1/2 c heavy (double) cream

Instructions

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 F. Butter two 9-by-5 inch loaf pans and line with a parchment paper sling (see below). Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat together the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy and lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs two at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.

On low speed, add half of the flour mixture and mix until incorporated. Mix in the cream until blended. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until a smooth batter forms. 

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

Bake until the top of each cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about one hour.

Briefly cool in the pans on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans to cool completely. Dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or, wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil and freeze for up to 2 months. 

To make a Parchment Paper Sling: 

This technique works when using square or oblong cake pans.

Cut a piece of parchment the length of the loaf pan. Line the bottom and sides, leaving an overhang on both sides. After the cake has sufficiently cooled, the cake can be lifted out of the pan with the aide of the parchment paper overhang.

This is a great "trick" if you are baking anything that needs to be cut into bars (but is prone to stick to the pan) -- such as brownies or lemon squares.  It is also very handy when baking a cake with a crumb topping, as it eliminates the need to invert the cake to get it out of the pan.

If you don't have parchment paper in the house, heavy duty aluminum foil will also do.

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/bake-it-better/2012/03/secrets-to-making-raspberry-streusel-bars/