Red & Blue Cobbler

Leftover cranberries and an orange sat in my fruit drawer, and I had plenty of Triple Sec but lacked other ingredients needed to make my favorite margarita. As we endured our 13th day of snow-covered ground, with more on the way (the first time that's happened in the Kansas City area for almost three decades), the idea of comfort foods sounded better and better. I'd already made rustic turkey soup** and homemade spaghetti sauce in the last 48 hours and we'd finally finished all of the holiday desserts.

So, with the help of the cranberries, orange, liqueur, and some frozen blueberries, and taking cues from a cranberry sauce recipe supplied by the Culinary Center of Kansas City* and the topping from an ancient magazine recipe, I made a sweet and satisfying cobbler that I hope you'll enjoy too.

Let me know what you think!


Red & Blue Cobbler
Makes 9 large servings

Filling:

1/4 cup orange liqueur
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
       (VOE - my original recipe called for 1/2 cup liqueur and 1/4 o.j.; I have reversed these to reduce the sweetness a bit)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons orange rind
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups cranberries, after rinsing and sorting
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (thawed)
3 teaspoons cornstarch
         (VOE - I originally added the cornstarch, stirred into 1/2 cup of water, but this made the  mixture too soupy, so I've left it out here)

Topping I:

1/8 cup oatmeal
1/8 cup walnuts

Topping II:

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar

In a crockpot, stir together liqueur, orange juice, cinnamon, orange rind and sugar until sugar dissolves. Add cranberries and cook on high for one hour.

Stir in blueberries and cook on low, about five hours until all berries are soft. Stir in corn starch and let cook one more hour. Grease a square baking pan and pour berry mixture into it. Spoon off some excess liquid.

Topping I: Chop nuts and oatmeal fine, in food processor, and sprinkle over top of mixture.

Topping II: Melt butter in medium microwave-safe bowl, about 45-60 seconds. Stir in flour and brown sugar and cover bowl with lid or vented plastic wrap. Cook on high for 2-2 1/2 minutes, stirring after one minute, until slightly bubbly. Distribute mixture across a piece of foil and let cool until easy to handle; 3-5 minutes. Break up topping into small bits and sprinkle across berry and Topping I.

Refrigerate at least 6 hours or until set.


*I work part-time at the Culinary Center of Kansas City
**see this recipe at http://visualtraveler.blogspot.com/2009/09/rustic-turkey-soup.html

Cranberry Walnut Truffles

If you've spent any time with me in my virtual kitchen, you already know what fun I have creating a new recipe, which uses ingredients that I have on hand. If you love really dark chocolate and surprises, try these low-sugar, low-fat, antioxidant-rich truffles.

Cranberry Walnut Truffles
Makes 16-18

3/4 cup fresh cranberries, washed and sorted
4 ounces low-fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar (add 1-2 tablespoons more for a slightly sweeter truffle)
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup walnuts, grated fine

Place cranberries in a metal steamer and covered saucepan over high heat, about three minutes, until berries 'explode' and become very soft. Yield is approximately 1/4 cup. (VOE - turn off heat before opening pan to avoid additional explosions :)

Combine cream cheese, confectioner's sugar and cocoa thoroughly, and then stir in cranberries. Refrigerate 7-10 minutes, until slightly hardened. Pour walnuts into shallow pie or quiche pan, and line storage container with foil or waxed paper.

Remove truffle mixture from refrigerator and roll into balls with your fingers, approximately the size of a walnut. After you create each ball, roll it in crushed walnuts and place in container. (VOE - making truffles is messy business, but so worth the results) Do not stack truffles.

Return truffles to refrigerator for at least 1/2 hour before serving, perhaps with a glass of semi-sweet red wine or sherry. Keep refrigerated until they're gone. ENJOY!

Freezer Fun

Sometimes, it pays to rummage through your freezer. On Sunday, I found a bag of cranberries and put them in the refrigerator to thaw. Yesterday I pretended it was the middle of fall, turned on my oven, and played in my kitchen for a couple of hours. The result was this luscious pie in which cranberries become a purple-red mash of tartness, apples retain a touch of crunch, and a crumb topping adds another dose of sweetness. Perfect for fall, or any time your freezer yields this unexpected treasure.

Cranapple Pie
Serves 12-16

1 ½ cups cranberries, washed and sorted

2 cups water

¾ cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cups of apples, peeled and diced in one-inch pieces

½ cup water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

½ cup apples, peeled and diced in one-inch pieces

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup all purpose flour

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

1 baked, deep dish pie shell

Topping:

4 tablespoons butter or margarine

½ cup packed light-brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

In a large, non-reactive, non-stick saucepan, combine cranberries, water, sugar and cinnamon over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook, covered, for 10 minutes.

Blend cornstarch thoroughly in water. Add mixture and 1½ cups of apples to cranberry mixture and combine well. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 more minutes. Add remaining ingredients to the pan and simmer, uncovered, for 10 more minutes. Allow mixture to cool slightly and then pour in piecrust. Refrigerate while making topping.Melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir in sugar and flour, cover with a lid and microwave on high for 2 to 2 ½ minutes, stirring twice, until slightly browned and bubbly. Spread out on foil until cool enough to handle and then crumble all over top of pie. Cool pie at least three hours before serving.

Sweet Cranberries

The recipe contest required that entries use at least one cranberry product from the company sponsor and my wheels began to turn. No doubt I would enter a dessert recipe, and cranberry and chocolate would make a natural pairing, but plenty of other people had already used that combo. I needed something really different.

What about cranberry and white chocolate? Hmmm – okay. Now, should I make a cake, pie, cookies or cheesecake…? I decided to create a cheesecake with whole berry cranberry sauce in the filling and also as a pureed topping. I hoped to nail it within three tries and my neighbors agreed to be guinea pigs.

Since I’ve never liked side crusts on cheesecakes mine would only have a bottom crust – with nuts. I imagined a bright red, translucent glaze atop the white filling, and maybe some curls of white chocolate too.

Three tries and several weeks later, my neighbors and I had chosen the second version. Dense yet moist, the filling showcased a big dose of cranberry flavor and a whisper of melted white chocolate. Finally, white chocolate curls peeked out from between two layers of glaze, thinned with a bit of cranberry juice cocktail.

Somebody else won the contest but I gained a spectacular recipe that I'll forever enjoy sharing with friends and family.

Cranberry White Chocolate Cheesecake

At least 12 servings

1 cup finely crushed graham crackers

1/8 cup finely chopped walnuts

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

1 1/2 pounds low-fat cream cheese, softened

¾ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup brown sugar

5 large eggs

12 ounces Ocean Spray Whole Cranberry Sauce

4 ounces white chocolate, melted

¼ cup heavy cream

12 ounces Ocean Spray Whole Cranberry Sauce

6-8 teaspoons Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice

1 ounce shaved white chocolate

Crust: Combine crushed graham crackers, walnuts and cinnamon.

Stir in melted butter. Press crust onto bottom of springform pan to

just above lower lip inside pan. Refrigerate until filling is ready.

Filling: Stir cranberry sauce in a small bowl until it breaks apart and

becomes slightly liquid. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat
cream cheese until smooth and then beat in granulated and brown
sugar, a little at a time, until mixture is fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a
time, beating thoroughly after each egg. Beat in cranberry sauce
and white chocolate. Pour filling into pan and bake the cheesecake
in the middle of the oven at 325 degrees, for 1 1/2 hours (times may
vary with individual ovens). Allow cheesecake to cool on a wire rack
before refrigerating, covered, overnight.

Topping: Puree cranberry sauce to make a thick, smooth sauce,

and the spread half on top and sides of cheesecake. Top with
shaved white chocolate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Spread
remaining sauce over the entire cheesecake and serve.