The Well Rounded Cranberry

 Cranberries are just for jellies or juices. They can be used in everything from stuffings to mocktails along with being the star of many a dessert. They're more well rounded than you think.

Cranberries should be a part of the Thanksgiving dinner. Ditch that slimy jelly though and rethink them. A great idea using them as a glaze for the bird itaelf. It's cooking two pounds of the fresh berries in a sweet savory mix of onions,butter sugar rosemary and the cranberries along with vinegar and orange zest.It;s cooked over a low flame until the cranberries burst.It's simmered and then strained (save the mash for a side).The glaze is then brushed over the turkey after two hours of roasting. This can also be used for chicken too. Cranberries can also zing up stuffing too.Used the dried ones or Craisins for a filling that;s also redolent with walnuts too.It's still perfect with gravy thanks to the the traditional sage and thyme added. For this tormbread or bread cubes can be used.Surprisingly these bright gems can also be highlight veggie dishes too. Try a kale and cranberry salad. It's even more tastier with the addition of almonds and goat cheese. A zingy Dijon -orange viniagrette dewesses it. Brussels sprouts can also benefit from it.Roast the two together with a maple glaze for a unique  side.

Keep in min that cranberries are also great in a dessert. They're perfect in a pie , in a mousse like form with the addition of gelatin , heavy cream and coconut milk. Another dessert that the kids would love are cranberry bars with cream cheese frosting.This is combining fresh berries with a cookie dough and then decorating it with a creamy topping. You could even add a sprinkle of Craisins on top for an even more festive look. Another fun cranberry dessert recipe is tartlets. This is mix of a buttery crust made just butter cream cheese and flour. The filing is a custardy mix of egg, cranberries, vanilla and sugar. You could add a glaze but a puff of whipped cream would really give it that gilded edge. What about those fun mocktails and cocktails? A fun mocktail is mixng cranberry juice with any flavored seltzer like Waterloo Seltzers. Try it mixed with  their cherry or blackberry lemonade flavors. There's the perfect amount of fizz and sparkle. Add a sprig of mint or a stick of mixed otange wedges and cherries.The most famous cranberry ccoktail is the Cape Codder.This is mixing vodka with cranberry juice. You could also make a cheery cranberry sangria with red wine and triple sec. Add some orange juice for a sweet citrus-y kick. 

It would be a shame to just have jellied cranberries. Try them in either savory or sweet dishes. Wnjoy them in any drink. They're an incredibly versatile fruit that's perfect in anything and everything.

Your Pie Guide

Fall is definitely the time for pies. Yet pie isn't just pie anymore. It's crostatas, tarts and tarltets too, Anything fruit or custard filled goes these days and what you make of them is up to you.  Pies could be for the week, save the fancier stuff for the weekend. They're all good.

Pie is more or less the most basic. You can bake a crust and fill it with anything or have the crust cook with the filling which is the better choice.  Basic pie dough  hasn't really changed since the 1500's when royal pie lover , Elizabeth I made cherry and apple pie popular. It's a mix of flour, ice water salt and shortening. This last is always the subject of controversy. Should you use straight out lard or vegetable shortening? Some home bakers insist on butter. Go with Crisco, which is basically solidified soy bean oil. It has produced flaky crusts for generations. You can go with coconut or even vegetable oil but you will not have a tender, melt in your mouth crust. Another option is bought pie crusts which simply can be popped in the freezer when you need them. Can you use pie crust for crostata? I suppose you could but keep in mind that actual recipe does have sugar and butter in it. You may have to decrease the amount of sugar used in the pie filling. Now can the pie crust do triple duty for tarts and tartlets? No. Tarts and their little ones have a crust that requires egg yolks, sugar and vanilla along with butter.  As for handheld pies, the best option is a simple pie crust. This is the sturdiest and won't open, causing a filling spill out.

Since this is the time for apples, then make an apple pie.  What are the best for filling? A good bet is Granny Smith. These bright green, tart tasting gems make the best filling and are not overly sweet.it also has a firm flesh which holds up well in baking. It also won't get mushy either. Another sturdy pome is the Winesap.It's a tart and spicy taste with  solid white flesh.  Can you use the same apples in crostatas? Not really. These open faced pastries require smaller sized apples like Galas but you could use the bigger ones if you're in a pinch. As for tarts, use the same as for the pies. Tarts are another intense bake so a good sturdy fleshed fruit is required. As for the extras, yes use the cinnamon but also have freshly ground nutmeg too. It adds more oomph to the pie. There's also brown sugar and lemon juice , the last added as a preservative. The crostata has a slightly different recipe. Some call for the addition of flour, usually a quarter of a cup. Also orange zest is used to give it some zing. As for the tarts, you can use the same filling recipe for the pie.

It's apple pie, crostata, tart and tartlet season. Make whichever appeals to you.Any one is great on a cool fall day, whether to make or to eat.

The Lamb Experiment Part Two Icing Is Coming

This is part two of the Lamb Experiment. Yesterday I baked the Wilton lamb using my Mom's mold. It came out pretty OK. Now was the time  to ice and decorate it.

This is the original instruction booklet that came with the mold. I used the original icing recipe with one difference.I made it vegan.

I used Country Crock's baking stick along with Crisco's vegetable shortening. I wasn't a big fan of shortening until I saw what it can do to icing. It gave it a creamy texture and a lovely white color.

Confectioner's sugar was Domino's - what else. I used only four and a half cups instead of the recommended five.

It really is the perfect white icing. 

The Wilton recipe recommended a 1/4 cup of milk, except that  milk can make the icing spoil if it's left out.I went vegan and used Blue Diamond Almond milk instead.

It was perfect. I'm still amazed at how creamy the icing is.

The decorating requires a bit of the icing to be colored for the eyes,nose mouth and ears. I used Wilton's, putting two blobs of frosting in coffee cups. They were decorated with Wilton's gel dyes.

I stole a trick from The Great British Baking Show and put the dye on a toothpick for the right amount of color. It was then twirled into the icing..It produced cotton candy pink for the mouth nose and ears.

And a sweet cotton candy blue for the eyes

This is Lambie. The white spots are the flour left from baking. It can be gently scraped off with a butter knife.

Remember, to give any cake a crumb coating or a first layer of icing before the actual frosting and decorating.

Then it was onto the fluffy fleece.

Again I used Wilton's plastic and disposable decorating bags and tips. These are neat because they're printed with a line telling you where to end filling it.

Don't make the mistake I did. Please chill the icing before using. It gets messy and gooey as all get out when it's warm.

Here she is. pretty as ever.

I added tart blackberries for some fun and to offset all that sweet icing.

Miss Lambie is just the first in a series of lambs.I plan on making a vegan one , along with a chocolate one with coffee icing. It should be fun. 

Ewe'll find making an Easter lamb enjoyable. (sorry, I could not resist.)It's a great family and friends project.

Fall Fruit's Savory Side

Fall is here  and with it comes bushels of apples and pears. Many home bakers will be excited by this  as they make everything from pies to tarts to crumbles. Yet both fruits have a savory side. They can easily be incorporated into mail dishes , adding a certain tart sweetness and complexity to meats and veggies.

As any German will tell you having apples in the main meal is crucial. Apple sauce goes hand in hand with our potato pancakes and cuts their occasional greasiness. Cut up apples figure prominently in red cabbage, in fact they the ingredient that gives the salad its' signature tartness.An apple chutney  or whole  apples is usually served with roast pork .The last is cooked with the meat and the fruit picks up the pork's rich flavor while the meat absorbs the apples aroma and juices. Any kind of apple , from Granny Smith to Fuji are excellent in slaws. Mix shredded apples with cabbage , along with carrots and scallions for a crunchy sharp slaw,perfect with any tailgating barbecue. Another idea is a Waldorf salad, a yummy mix of chopped apples, grapes chicken, celery and walnuts. This is an excellent dish for a Sunday brunch, especially when served with a sparkly French cider. Apple chutney is a great side to both pork and beef .It's easy to make, cooking it , usually for thirty minutes, is the most labor intensive. It's a mix of the fruit,blended with onions, spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg.

Pears are also in abundance right now. Most home chefs and home bakers usually use them in buttery rich tart.  However pears, whether they be Anjou or Bosc can be perfect in main dishes as well. Of course there is pear salad.One version includes spinach for a healthy kick and bacon whose saltiness is the perfect marriage  of savory  and sweet. Assiago cheese can be sprinkled over it for more tang. Pear chutney is another good recipe.Pair it with ginger for a fiery bite that would be a great go with for ribs or even a roast beef.Try Bosc pears in a garlicky one that would work with roasted or even barbecued  chicken .An unusual fall party dish is a savory pear tart made with creamy feta and sage. Just slices of this paired with a sparkly white wine like Prosecco makes for elegant eating. Anything blue cheese and pear is wonderful together  as is cheddar and pear surprisingly. You can make a tasty and flavorful grilled cheese  with them for a fun and unusual lunch.

This season, don't look at just apples and pears for only baking. They can be incorporated in a wonderful variety of savory dishes, from grilled cheese to chutney . Try them this way for a new twist on fall fruit.

Party Nibbles

Nothing defines a party better than the food served at it.If you have good food then you'll have a good get together.The problem is that most holiday party fare is the same old same old.Now is the time to try new recipes to ensure you have satisfied guests as well as a reputation for being a hip host or hostess. Both Melissa Clark and David Tanis addressed this in their individual columns in today's New York Times Dining section.Ms Clark explores a new twist on cheese and crackers in her A Good Appetite column.She reconfigured the classic duo as a savory tart, sweetened by apples.The crust is chewy ,similar to a pizza crust ,thanks to the blend of whole wheat and corn flours.The topping is a vibrant blue cheese but you can sub another stinky cheese like Liederkrantz fromGermany or Tuma from Northern Italy (personally I'd rather have a Brie).Add on sliced apples of any variety and bake.This is best made a couple of hours before the party begins so that the pie is warm for guests. David Tanis of A City Kitchen goes another route.He offers sandwiches made from fresh from the oven biscuits and ham.This is a Southern spin on the traditional party sandwich.He makes buttermilk biscuits from a mentor's recipe,Jo Rooney.She advised Mr.Tanis not to double the recipe but to make two separate batches .That way there's a constant flow of biscuits and if you're making them for the party, they will always be fresh.As for ham, Mr.Tanis recommends curing pork tenderloins in a home made brine. However you can also buy the Spanish jambon or prosciutto.A dab of spiced mustard is recommended for more flavor.I would also make pulled pork and spread it on the biscuits in little smears too or make a ham salad ,using minced ham, celery and mayonnaise. Parties are always judged by their food.Be innovative and creative. With these two different and diverse recipes you will have a memorable one.They will be instant classics and much clamored for at the next big do.

The Surprise Ingredient Roses!

Summer is the time for roses. They grace our gardens with their delicate blooms and  sweet perfumes,However those beautiful buds can also be used in dessert as well and not just decorating cakes and cupcakes. Their essence can add a certain gourmet quality to an ordinary summer tart..

t was the highlight of Melissa Clark's A Good Appetite column in yesterday's New York Times Dining section. .Adding roses or any flower to food is nothing new.It was first done and was a huge success in medieval times and really became a chef's must during both the Renaissance and the 18th Century. Some Middle Eastern dessert recipes, especially Syrian and Armenian ones feature rose water in their puddings and baklavas. Nowadays flowers are used to spruce up salads and they're mostly begonias and sparklers(which look like snapdragons).

Ms. Clark uses the petals in a strawberry topped tart's cream filling. She simmers them with milk to extract their essence and then lets them stand for an hour. The best roses to use are th e most fragrant such as cabbage roses or American Beauties. A tea rose would be too delicate to try in this. The petals are then discarded and the liquid is added to a rich custardy mix of five egg yolks and whole milk along with flour. It's a surprise she doesn't use whole cream to make it really rich but the milk does work. She places the mixture in a almond cookie crust and tops with fresh strawberries. The flavors form the rose to the almonds to the berries work perfectly together.

Roses are not just for gracing a summer garden. They can grace the flavor of a delicate and delicious summer tart with their sweet , rich essence. The blooms are a perfect addition to any light summer dessert, giving it a rich and unusual flavor.