Cranberries! Cranberries! Cranberries! {sauce, butter, sugared}

The only time I have used cranberries in my baking was for granola bars and I think once in cookies. They aren't a berry I tend to think of very much. I thought now, with Thanksgiving and then Christmas around the corner, it would be as good as time as any to change that.

Here are 3 ways I used fresh cranberries in preparation for my holiday dinners! 

Thanksgiving isn't Thanksgiving without a side of cranberry sauce. When I was young, the very look of the stuff put me off even wanting to try it. It was a weird red jelly like subsistence that came from a can. And even weirder people ate it with turkey. My younger self thought that very odd. Since I have started cooking my own Thanksgiving dinners I have understood better what the side dish could really add to a turkey dinner! Or to a turkey sandwich... umnum! 

I thought this Thanksgiving I would try making my own cranberry sauce from scratch. It is a very simple process and the cranberries themselves contain enough pectin to thicken without having to add any gelatin.

Cranberry Sauce

454g fresh cranberries

400g sugar

450ml water

Wash and rinse the cranberries removing any smooshie cranberries or stems.

Weigh out the sugar and add the water into a medium saucepan and heat on a low/medium heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar dissolves.

Add the cranberries. Turn up the heat slightly and watch as the cranberries start to burst! Once they are all burst and the sauce is slightly thickened, then take off the heat and chill for at least 3 hours. I jarred the sauce in 4 old jam jars. It makes quite a bit, but all the more to share with friends and family! Or just half the recipe!

Instead of offering a side of cranberry sauce with your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner why not offer a slice of cranberry butter! It works great on any dinner roll or spread on turkey! Or even better for those leftover turkey sandwiches! 

This cranberry butter makes a great gift too! If you don’t think you will need as much as this recipe please feel free to half it. It will keep in the fridge for a week and frozen for about 6 months as long as it’s properly wrapped and stored.

Cranberry Butter

250g unsalted butter

150g cranberry sauce

Beat the butter and cranberry sauce together for a few minutes until fully combined. It may look like it won’t come together, but keep beating it, it will come together!

Another way to use fresh cranberries is to make them all sugary! It works as a great way to top pies and cakes and other baked treats!! This is a little sticky and I used light corn syrup, which isn’t readily available in the UK. If you have a big Tescos near you that has a world food section, they sell it there. It’s where I found mine. You could try using golden syrup, but it has a yellowy tint, so not 100% sure how it would work?

Sugared Cranberries

cranberries

light corn syrup

sugar, granulated

The amount of each depends on how many you need or want for the baked treat you are making.

Lightly brush with a pastry brush a cranberry with the corn syrup and then immediately roll in the sugar. Set aside or unto your baked good!

Up next week Creamy Cranberry Pie! 

Bramble and Chocolate Bread!!

Winter is here! It makes me want to stay in a bake 24/7, if only I had the time! Skimming through my cookbooks looking for some good comfort food, I stumbled upon this recipe in Sue Lawrence’s A Cook’s Tour of Scotland.

It seemed interesting and having all the ingredients, except for the brambles (blackberries), it was decided! After a walk to the store I was all set! The house wasn't so warm so it took a little longer to rise then stated. The brambles burst in the oven and it oozed out of the top of the loaf. It was beautiful.

Bramble and Chocolate Bread

500g/1lb 2oz unbleached strong white flour, sifted

7g sachet of fast-action/easy-blend dried yeast

25g/1oz golden caster sugar

1 level tsp salt

2 tbsp sunflower oil

150g/5 ½ oz quality milk and/or dark chocolate, chopped

250g/9oz brambles (blackberries)

Mix together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt; make a well in the center and slowly pour in the oil and enough tepid water (about 300ml/10fl oz/ ½ pint) to make a softish dough. (To have tepid water, mix two-thirds boiling water and one-third cold water.)
Using floured hands, bring the dough together and turn out on to a floured board then knead for 8-10 minutes, or until smooth. Keep the board lightly floured. The dough should be soft and shiny-looking but not too sticky. Place in an oiled bowl and cover with oiled clingfilm. Leave somewhere warm for 1-2 hours.
Lightly oil a baking sheet. Punch down the dough and roll out to a rectangle about 38 x 28cm/15 x 11 in. About the size of a baking sheet.
Scatter the chocolate and brambles over the long half then roll up along the long side to make a roly-poly about 38cm/15 in long.
Place this on the prepared baking sheet and cover loosely with oiled clingfilm then place somewhere warm. Leave to rise for about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 230C/450F/gas8. Remove the clingfilm, slash the top of the loaf five to six times and bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool until just warm before eating. Don’t want to burn yourself with hot melted chocolate!

Blackberry Crumb Bars!!

I made these bars after my husband came home with a bunch of fresh berries. He loves blackberries because they are a little sweet and yet very tart. This bar recipe is perfect because the crust is sweet and buttery and holds up the blackberries very nicely. Because of the short baking time, the blackberries hold their shape and you bite into tangy berries in each bite. The tart juices mix with the buttery crust and caramel-y crumb topping for a truly fabulous summer treat! I found this recipe on the Martha Stewart website. ~ Janet

Blackberry Crumb Bars:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, and 1/2 cup (1 stick), room temperature, plus more for pan

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan

½ cup packed light-brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup confectioners' sugar

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 containers (5 ounces each) blackberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter and flour paper, tapping out excess.
2. Make topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; add 1 cup flour, and mix with a fork until large moist crumbs form. Refrigerate topping until ready to use.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat room-temperature butter, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy; add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture. Spread batter evenly in pan; sprinkle with blackberries, then chilled topping.
4. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Using paper overhang, lift cake onto a work surface; cut into 16 squares

Martha said, "Sprinkle blackberries on top." The OCD in me lined them up! :) 

note: While you prepare the cake, refrigerate the crumb topping. This will help give it a nubbly texture once baked. To store, keep in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 3 days.

Patisserie Valerie New Reading Branch!!

Patisserie Valerie opened in Reading (The Oracle Riverside) at the end of May and I had the pleasure of visiting opening week! 

Here's official my review (it has since been removed 31/1/2016) on the Oracle website and here are the pictures that go with that review: 

Almond Macaroon 

Eclair' Cafe' (coffee) 

Mixed Berry Tart

Brioche

Cherry Danish

Gateaux Slice

Selva- a 3 layer cake of a dense chocolate between layers of whipped cream,
zabaglione (liquor flavored) custard and fresh fruit.

I want you to know that we shared these indulgent treats and the macaroon was bought earlier in the week for my coffee morning with my mum friends! ;0)  

I don't think I ate anything for the rest of the day!! Patisserie Valerie is going to be a great addition to Reading! A perfect little cozy place to go for a coffee and a treat or if you're hungrier breakfast/brunch/lunch!! 

Amalfi Lemon Curd Slice!! from Jamie's Italian

I was recently treated to lunch at Jamie’s Italian in Reading. The number one reason I wanted to go here was for this:

I know right? It's b-e-a-tiful.

It was amazing! Tart and fresh, but very rich! In a good way! The crushed berries were a perfect pairing with the lemon curd. It's was as good as it looks!

Jamie’s Italian has hit the spot with the Amalfi Lemon Curd Slice (smooth lemon curd with toasted pistachios & crushed berries).

This is what inspired me to seek out a recipe to make my own lemon curd. If you check it out I didn't have that much success with it. I haven't given up I just haven't had a chance to try again.

And here’s what else we had:

World's Best Olives, we also had the bread selection.

Ravioli stuffed with prosciutto and potatoes with an aubergine (eggplant), cherry tomato, and pine nut sauce.

Kids Menu: Happy Fish Fingers with Shake Me salad.

My full review is on the Oracle website! (has since been removed due to updates in news feed 1.2.2016)

FYI: Today between 3pm and 5pm at Jamie’s Italian in Reading Gennaro Contaldo will be signing his new book Two Greedy Italians Eat Italy. Check out Jamie’s website for more info.

and

If you grab a copy of his latest magazine issue you can make your own Jamie's Italian dishes!

note: The Amalfi coast is famed for its production of Limoncello liqueur and the area is a known cultivator of lemons. The correct name is "sfusato amalfitano", and they are typically long and at least double the size of other lemons, with a thick and wrinkled skin and a sweet and juicy flesh without many pips. (wikipedia) 

Healthy Berry Crisp

(serves 4) Using American measurements. 

1.      Coat 4 ramekins with cooking spray. I used a large muffin tin which works just as well.

2.      Mix together the following in a large bowl

a.       2 cups of fresh or frozen berries – I like to use fresh blackberries and blueberries, you can use any you like just NOT strawberries, they do not reduce in the same way as the smaller berries.

b.       2 ½ tsp granulated sugar

c.       2 tsp uncooked instant tapioca. – You may substitute cornstarch, although less healthy

3.      Evenly divide the berry mixture among 4 ramekins
4.      Mix together the following in a separate bowl for the topping

a.       3 Tbsp oats (do not use quick-cook)

b.      2 ½ Tbsp flour

c.       2 ½ Tbsp chopped walnuts

d.      2 Tbsp brown sugar (dark or light)

e.       4 tsp walnut oil (may substitute another type, but this really adds to the flavor)

f.       2 tsp maple syrup

g.       ¼ tsp salt

h.      ¼ tsp cinnamon

5.      Evenly divide topping over the berry mixture
6.      Bake at 350F for about 30 mins – crisps should be browned and bubbling
7.      Serve with a little vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or double cream (UK style).

Hope you enjoy!

“I’m getting married in 5 months (Oh My God 5 months!) so as you can imagine, I’ve been searching for a way to satisfy my sweet tooth and not pop the seams on my already paid off wedding gown. This recipe for individual berry crisps does exactly that."

 ~Sarah Ex-Pat Bride

The Ex-Pat Bride

All done!! Yum!!

Sarah and I met through our British partners! I am impatiently waiting for her to move to the UK so we can do all sorts of fun stuff together!! Like cooking!! Sarah's story, although all her own, isn't too far from mine! Follow her adventures as an Ex-Pat Bride on her blog! Sarah's blog no longer exists 1.2.2016.