Cranberry and Almond Brunch Bread

It's only since I've begun blogging that I've realized just how often I bake breads. Honestly, when it comes down to it, I far prefer working with bread dough than finicky pastries or cookies.

Over the weekend, I was feeling like I needed a kick of fruit. Of course, we didn't have much in the house except a bag of frozen, neglected cranberries.

I figured cranberries, even encased in sweet dough and glazed with icing sugar, could still count as a fruit serving, right? Right?

Truthfully, I'm not entirely sure what to call this recipe. The recipe I adapted it from calls this style of bread a "yeasted coffee cake"... but I definitely think this feels more like bread and less like cake. It would be perfect as part of a brunch, or, if you're like me (and I hope you are) as a post dinner nosh.

Cranberries and Almond Brunch Bread

(adapted from Martha Stewart's Yeasted Chocolate Coffee Cake)

Ingredients

Bread

2½ tsp active dry yeast
¼ cup plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar
3/4 cup warm milk (100º-110º)
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
½ tsp almond extract
3 cups all purpose flour, plus more for surface
½ tsp Kosher salt
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature (plus more for greasing bowl)
1 large egg lightly beaten with 1 tbsp milk (or cream) for egg wash

Filling

¼ cup whole almonds, roasted and then finely chopped
1½ cups frozen cranberries, thawed
¼ cup almond or cherry liqueur (I used homemade cherry liqueur)
12 oz light cream cheese
1 large egg yolk
¼ plus 2 tbsp icing sugar

Glaze

1 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp milk 

Directions

1. Sprinkle yeast and a pinch of sugar over warm milk. Let sit for 5 minutes or so until yeast proofs. Whisk in remaining sugar and the egg and yolk and almond extract.

2. Using the paddle attachment, mix flour and ½ tsp salt in the bowl of a mixer. Add yeast-egg mixture and mix gently until just combined, about 30 seconds.

Switch to the dough hook, add butter and beat until smooth (it will be slightly sticky), about 10 minutes.

3. Grease a large bowl. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead a couple of times to ensure smoothness. Place in bowl, turning to coat with grease.

Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft free location. Allow to rise to the point of doubling in volume, about 1½ hours.

4. While dough is rising, soak the thawed cranberries in liqueur. Allow to steep for at least an hour.

5. For the filling, mix together cream cheese, egg yolk and icing sugar until smooth.

6. Punch down dough. Transfer back to floured work surface. Let rest for a few minutes and then roll into an 18" square. Brush edges with egg wash.

7. Spread cream cheese mixture over surface.

Then sprinkle with chopped almonds and soaked cranberries.

8. Roll mixture up, jelly roll style.

9. Preheat oven to 350º. Coil dough and place on greased parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet. Brush with egg wash. Let rise, covered with plastic wrap for 20-30 minutes or until risen by half.

Remove wrap, cut dough with 6 slashes.

10. Bake dough, rotating pan halfway through for about 55 minutes or until golden. Reduce oven temperature to 325º and continue to bake until deeply golden, about 15 - 20 minutes more. Transfer to rack to let cool.

11. Combine glaze ingredients and pour over bread.

Take a look at what's going on inside the bread:

Oh, so deliciously tart! The sour cranberries mix with the sweet cream cheese filling - I just love a cake that balances those sweet-tart flavours!

Almond Cranberry Oatmeal Bars

Most of the time, I reach for food because I'm craving a specific flavour profile. If I want something vibrant, I'll usually hit up something with a ton of fresh herbs. If I'm looking for something smoky, I'll make something involving bacon.


Every once in a while though, I find myself craving something that relates to an image or colour. After this morning's post about cherry blossoms, I found myself staring into the pantry on the search for something pink.

The closest I could come was cranberries - of which there were very few left. But it wasn't just pink I was after, but something slightly floral too. Almond extract would suit that purpose.

Oatmeal Almond Cranberry Bars

(loosely inspired by epicurious)

Ingredients

1 cup oats
½ cup flour (I used whole wheat because it was closer to the front of the cupboard than white)
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup chopped dried cranberries
¼ cup chopped toasted almonds
¼ cup flaked unsweetened coconut
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 tbsp almond butter
1 egg
½ tsp almond extract
½ tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Line an 8x8 pan with aluminum foil (make sure you have an overhang so you can easily remove the bars later) and grease with butter.

2. In a large bowl, stir together first eight ingredients (through salt).

3. In a separate bowl, stir together remaining ingredients.

4. Pour wet ingredients over dry. Stir until just together. Dump mixture into pan, and pat into place.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Lift the foil and bars out of the pan, and let cool on a rack.

Cut into 16 squares.

The almond extract adds a lovely sweetness and tone to these oatmeal bars, and the almond butter helps to keep them moist.

Really though, this is a very adaptable recipe. You could replace the almonds and cranberries with chocolate chips and walnuts, with dried apricots and pecans, with just about anything. Why not try white chocolate and cranberry?

Chocolate Bark with Pistachios, Cranberries, Coconut and Sea Salt.

Inspired by the December issues of Martha Stewart, and motivated by feeling ill but still obligated to make something for a staff meeting on Monday, I whipped up a batch of dark chocolate bark using 5 ingredients from my cupboard.

Let's just say it was a hit. The art teacher at the school proclaimed it to be "Fabulous", which I absolutely insist you pronounce with an emphasis on the "Fah" sound, as she does.

Pistachio, Cranberry, Toasted Coconut Bark with Sea Salt

Ingredients

1 lb good quality dark chocolate (I used the leftover Callebault chocolate from the Cranberry-Chocolate Parfaits)
¼ cup toasted unsweetened coconut
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup unsalted pistachios
¼ tsp sea salt

Directions

Line a 9 x 12" baking sheet with parchment paper.

Met chocolate in a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set on top of simmering water. It is incredibly important that you be careful with the water when melting the chocolate. One drop mixed in will cause the whole thing to seize up.

Pour onto baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Immediately sprinkle toppings over chocolate. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Peel off parchment, and break bark into pieces.

Chocolate-Cranberry Parfaits

With my parents around this weekend, I wanted to create something for dessert that would be light but rich tasting.

Enter the good folks at Cooking Light!

Let me express this in terms of an equation:

Good quality chocolate

+

Sugared fresh cranberries

=

Chocolate and cranberry parfait with mascarpone.

Did I mention that this is a recipe from Cooking Light?

Chocolate-Cranberry Parfaits

Ingredients 

1 1/3  cups  granulated sugar, divided
1  cup  water
1  cup  fresh cranberries
1/2  cup  sparkling white sugar or turbinado sugar
3  tablespoons  cornstarch
1/4  teaspoon  salt
2 1/2  cups  fat-free milk, divided
2  large egg yolks
1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
4  ounces  semisweet chocolate, chopped
1  cup  frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
1/4  cup  mascarpone cheese

Directions

1. Combine 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup water in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer; remove from heat. Combine the sugar syrup and cranberries in a small bowl. Cover and chill for 4 hours.

2. Drain cranberries in a colander over a bowl, reserving liquid for another use, if desired. Place sparkling sugar in a shallow dish. Add cranberries, rolling to coat. Spread sugared cranberries in a single layer on a baking sheet; let stand at room temperature 1 hour or until dry.

3. Combine remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl, stirring well. Combine 1/2 cup milk and egg yolks in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Heat remaining 2 cups milk in a medium heavy saucepan to 180° or until tiny bubbles form around edge (do not boil). Stir egg yolk mixture into cornstarch mixture. Gradually add half of hot milk to sugar mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add egg yolk mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and chocolate, stirring until chocolate melts. Spoon pudding into a bowl; place bowl in a large ice-filled bowl for 15 minutes or until pudding cools, stirring occasionally. Cover surface of pudding with plastic wrap; chill 20 minutes.

4. Combine whipped topping and mascarpone in a bowl, stirring until well blended. Spoon about 1/3 cup pudding into each of 8 bowls or footed glasses; top each serving with about 3 tablespoons mascarpone mixture and about 2 tablespoons cranberries.

The Return of Vegan Cooking with Kat

We whipped up a couple of recipes and had, what I would deem, our first disaster.

First up: Roasted Garlic and Sundried Tomato Bean Dip. We've made it before here. It's still totally delicious and we ate the whole bowl with toasted pitas.

Second up: Polenta Terrine. Kat brought the recipe over, so I don't have it for you to play with. It was supposed to be layers of polenta alternating with layers of roasted mushrooms, roasted peppers and steamed swiss chard topped with a tomato basil sauce.

We had some problems with the layers. Erm... more specifically with them sticking to the pan.

It took both of us to try and reassemble the thing.

The end result was pretty good, although I think it could have benefited from a thick layer of cheese.

Lastly, I whipped up a quick Maple Cranberry Compote that we served on top of coconut ice cream (made with coconut milk, and completely non-dairy).

Alas, no pictures. We ate it before I had a chance to whip out my camera. So, at least you know it's good!

Maple Cranberry Compote

(Bon Appetit, October 2010)

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (preferably Grade B)
1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/4 cup cranberry juice cocktail
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

Combine cranberries, maple syrup, brown sugar, cranberry juice, and lemon peel in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to low and simmer until most berries pop and juices thicken slightly, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to small bowl. Chill until cold, about 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

I had a half bag of fresh cranberries left over from the pear cranberry tart and really wanted to clean out my fridge.

That, and I wanted to procrastinate from my marking.

So I found this recipe for Fresh Cranberry Muffins over on cookinglight.com and decided to give it a whirl. This is what I came up with:

I was long overdue for a classic cooking error though - I accidentally replaced the baking powder with baking soda. So... while still *okay* they have a metallic taste to them.

I suggest trying them except using the right ingredients!

Fresh Cranberry Muffins

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 muffin)

Ingredients

• 2  cups  all-purpose flour
• 2/3  cup  sugar
• 2  teaspoons  baking powder
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1  cup  chopped fresh cranberries
• 2/3  cup  2% reduced-fat milk
• 1/4  cup  butter or stick margarine, melted
• 1  teaspoon  grated orange rind
• 1/2  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 1  large egg, lightly beaten
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Stir in cranberries; make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk, butter, rind, vanilla, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pan immediately; place on a wire rack.

Note: These muffins freeze well. Bake them ahead, cool completely, and store in freezer bags. To serve, thaw at room temperature. Reheat in aluminum foil at 300º for 10 to 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

The Return of Monday Nights with Kat

You know what's awesome? Sleeping for 10½ hours. I can feel my sanity returning!

In spite of the lack of Bachelor/Bachelorette on tv right now, Kat and I have restarted our Monday night cookery fun. We had double fun last Monday because it was Labour Day! That meant we could get to work around 3.

Have I mentioned how much I love just sitting in the kitchen chatting over tea?

I love it. Like, seriously.

We had three killer recipes that night, beginning with Roasted Garlic, Sun-dried Tomato Chickpea Dip

We easily could have eaten the whole bowl!

From there, we moved on to a Lucy Waverman-inspired dish: Sicilian Quinoa with Roasted Cauliflower. She does hers with pasta and anchovies.

Lucy's version, from her cookbook.

 We replaced the pasta with quinoa, the anchovies with kalamata olives and made the Parmesan optional.

Capers, garlic, red pepper flakes and olives

Seriously, this was AMAZING.

Served on my Nana's china!

Quinoa is such a powerhouse grain and it just worked so beautifully with the salty/briny flavours of the capers and olives and the spiciness of the pepper flakes.

Ingredients:

8 cups small cauliflower florets (1 medium head)
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup quinoa
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tsp chili flakes
2 tbsp capers
¼ cup chopped kalamata olives
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 450°F.
Step 2: Break florets into bite-sized pieces and place in a bowl. Toss with 2 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast, tossing occasionally, for 10-15 minutes, or until browned and tender.
Step 3: While cauliflower is roasting, bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil. Add quinoa and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until all water is absorbed.
Step 4: Heat remaining 1/4 cup oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-low heat while pasta is cooking. Add garlic, chili flakes, capers and olives and sauté for 3 minutes or until garlic is pale gold and softened.
Step 5: Add cauliflower and lemon juice and cook for 2 minutes, or until cauliflower is heated through.
Step 6: Toss quinoa with parsley, cheese (optional) and extra-virgin olive oil. Stir together with cauliflower until well coated with sauce.

For dessert, we whipped up a Pear-Cranberry Crumble (the recipe was originally for a Pear Cranberry pie with streusel topping, but we opted to dump the pie crust).

Fresh out of the oven

I think the next picture really speaks volumes about how good we thought the dish was.

All gone!