December 07, 2018

Cranberry bars

December 07, 2018/ Rebecca Davis

In under an hour, you can have a unique holiday dessert that’s equal parts festive, beautiful, and delicious using minimal dishes, steps, and ingredients.

Take me to the recipe!

I love a holiday cookie situation. But I HAAAATTEEEE how long it takes to actually bake the cookies. So this year, we’re only making bars that can be baked in one go and cut into pieces. You’re welcome.

One place where most bars fall short is in their appearance. I love a brownie or blondie, but they’re not the most attractive dessert. Instead, make these simple cranberry bars and you have a holiday showstopper without much fuss.

These bars have the same sweet/tart profile of a lemon bar, but in a more festive color. I’ve also simplified the recipe so that you can reuse the same kitchen tools for the crust and the filling. And unlike most cranberry curd or bar recipes, I recommend not straining the cranberries after they’re pureed. It doesn’t make enough difference to justify the extra time, effort, and dishes.

A couple of notes:

I like these bars to be tart, so I used the smallest amount of sugar possible. If you like things a little sweeter, don’t be afraid to increase the sugar up to 3/4 of a cup. But remember that you’re going to dust the tops with a mountain of powdered sugar, so there’s always a chance to add more later.
I listed a vast range in the cook time for the tart because it has cooked at wildly varying speeds for me. When I pour the filling directly into the hot shell, it cooked faster, but when my timing was off and I left the crust out to cool while I made the filling, it was a little slower. Also, when I used super fresh cranberries, there was more liquid in the filling and it took longer. Anyway, you get it. Check the tart at about 15 minutes knowing that there is a chance it will take much longer.

Cranberry bars

Time: About 50 minutes, plus time to decorate once the bars are cooled
Yield: 16 medium squares or slices

Shortbread base
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
10 Tbsp cold butter (1 stick + 2 Tbsp), cut into ½-inch cubes
1/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
Heaping ¼ tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350.

Butter the bottom and sides of a 9x9 tart pan or a 9x9 brownie pan. Set aside. (If using a brownie pan without a removable base, line the tin with parchment paper with a bit of extra paper overhanging on two sides so that you can remove the tart whole before decorating.)

Combine all of the shortbread ingredients in a food processor and pulse 15-20 times until the mixture looks like coarse sand.

Dump the mixture into your tart pan or brownie pan. Start by pressing the mixture into a medium-thin layer up the sides of the pan. Then press the remaining shortbread mixture into the bottom of the pan in an even layer.

Bake in the middle of the oven until blondish-brown, about 17-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prep your filling.

Filling
10 oz of fresh cranberries (a scant 3 cups or most of the bag you can buy fresh in the store)
Juice and zest of 1 large lemon (about 2 tsp zest and 2 Tbsp juice)
1/2 cup sugar + 2 Tbsp- 3/4 cup (I start with the smaller amount and taste the pureed berries and sugar BEFORE adding the eggs to see if I need more. If your berries are really fresh, they’ll be more tart and you may want to increase the sugar.)
3 Tbsp flour
3 large eggs

In a small saucepan, combine the cranberries, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Heat over a medium flame until bubbling and the cranberries can be squished with a spatula without any give, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Wipe out your food processor and puree the cranberries until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Add the sugar and flour and puree for another few seconds until combined and the mixture looks like liquid. TASTE YOUR PUREE HERE. If it’s too tart for your taste, add more sugar, but don’t forget that we’ll be adding powdered sugar to the top of the tart once it’s baked and cooled.

Add the eggs and puree again until combined, about 10 seconds.

Turn the oven temperature down to 300.

Remove the tart shell from the oven (if you haven’t already) and fill with the cranberry mixture. Depending on what base you use, you may have some filling left over.

Bake for 18-34 minutes, until there is no wobble left in the middle when the tart is jiggled and the filling feels firm, but springy when lightly touched.

Let cool completely before decorating.

Decoration

2 oz cranberries (whatever is left in the bag)
1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup powdered sugar

In a small sauce pan, combine 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup granulated sugar and heat over a low flame. Stir constantly until the sugar dissolves, about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. Don’t let the sugar water get too hot; you’re just trying to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat.

Add the cranberries and cover well with syrup. Remove from the syrup with a fork or slotted spoon and tap off the excess liquid. Roll the berries in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and cover completely. Remove to a plate and let harden for 20-30 minutes.

When bars are cool, cover with powdered sugar. Add the cranberries in whatever pattern you like.

November 12, 2018

Squash, polenta, and kale Caesar salad

November 12, 2018/ Rebecca Davis

Crunchy polenta croutons, spicy roasted almonds, creamy Delicata squash, and garlicky kale combine in this hearty, seasonal, not-sad salad.

Take me to the recipe!

There ought to be a place on the internet where parents can go to brag about the common and mostly harmless, but also spectacularly sudden and disgusting illnesses of childhood. Without going into detail (this is a FOOD blog, after all), instead of sleeping, we spent Saturday night showering, taking baths, doing laundry, and scrubbing carpets. No bueno.

Delicata squash is one of the stars of this show. It requires less prep since the peel is edible. Just split it in half, scoop out the seeds, and slice. After roasting, the squash is sweet and creamy and the peel gets slightly crunchy, so it’s also a nice textural balance if your littles aren’t into “slimy” foods.

The dressing is my favorite dairy-free Caesar with tahini swapped in for the oil to make it a little creamier. The garlic, anchovies, and lemon taste even brighter and the sesame adds a nutty note that complements the rest of the salad’s flavors.

We also have crispy crunchy gluten-free croutons that are made with a store-bought polenta log. I accidentally discovered that putting a pizza stone in the oven while roasting the polenta SIGNIFICANTLY reduced the cooking time and increases the crunchyness. Huzzah!

The spiced, roasted nuts add even more crunch, which pairs nicely with the creaminess of the roasted squash. Toss on a few sweetened, dried cranberries and you have a harvest salad that hits all of the right salty and sweet notes. (A nutty cheese on top is entirely optional, but DELICIOUS.)

I daresay this hearty pescatarian salad would be a welcome addition to your Thanksgiving table too.

A couple of notes:

While there are multiple steps to this salad, most of them can be completed simultaneously. You can also double the dressing recipe and it will keep well in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Also, unlike dressed lettuce, which wilts quickly, kale only softens slightly and gets less bitter when left to sit with the dressing on, so make this salad ahead (or double the recipe) and eat it throughout the week.
- A note about the size of this recipe: This recipe yields a main course for two adults and two kids with either crusty bread or another protein on the side. If making this to last for the week or for a holiday meal, I would double or triple the recipe. All of its elements last on their own and are easy to toss into other meals.

Squash, polenta, and kale Caesar salad

Time: About 45 minutes, mostly active
Yield: about 2 adult main course salads or 4 side salads

2 small bundles of Lacinto (Tuscan) kale (about 6 cups)
Tahini Caesar dressing (recipe below)
1 log pre-made polenta, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2-4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 medium Delicata squash, halved, seeds scooped out, and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tsp kosher salt or more, to taste, divided
Roasted almonds (recipe below)
Dried cranberries, to taste
Nutty cheese, such as gruyere, gouda, or parmesan, to taste

Preheat the oven to 425.

Tear or chop the kale into small bites.

Make your dressing (see recipe below). Add about 1/2 of the dressing to the torn kale and mix well. Add more to taste or reserve the rest for serving later. Set aside.

Chop the polenta and toss with 1-2 Tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt. Spread onto your roasting pan and cook for 20 minutes. Flip and toss the pieces with a spatula, return to the oven and cook for another 15 minutes.

Clean and prepare the Delicata squash. Toss with the remaining 1-2 Tbsp of oil. Spread on a baking tray and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt. Roast for 15 minutes or until the squash is soft.

Add the squash to the same oven/baking sheet as the polenta for the polenta’s last 15 minutes.

Make the roasted almonds (see recipe below). Set aside.

Use a small, oven-safe dish for the nuts and add to the same oven that’s cooking the polenta and squash.

Add the squash, polenta, almonds, and cranberries to the salad. Feel free to use all or just some of the salad add-ins and reserve the leftovers for something else. Top with a few shavings of nutty cheese, if desired.

Roasted almonds
½ cup raw almonds
1 tsp olive oil
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp rosemary
¼ tsp Aleppo pepper
¼ tsp garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 425. Toss the almonds with olive oil. Mix the spices together and add to the almonds. Mix well. Spread on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 4-6 minutes, until you can smell the spices and the nuts are crunchy. Check often to avoid burning.

Tahini Caesar dressing
2 Tbsp mayo
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3 whole anchovy fillets (if your filets are thin and look like one side of a fish, use 6)
1-2 medium cloves garlic
¼ cup tahini
¼ cup water (added 1 Tbsp at a time)
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the mayo, lemon juice, mustard, anchovies, garlic, tahini, and 2 Tbsp of water in a food processor and blend well. Add more water, 1 Tbsp at a time, until you’ve reached your desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Remember that the anchovies are salty, so taste before you add more!

February 16, 2018

Chai spiced sweet potato and orange oatmeal

February 16, 2018/ Rebecca Davis

This puree is delicious with oatmeal, yogurt, or on its own. Though the chai mixture contains a lot of different spices, the end result is very mild. And yes, I realize that "Chai" actually means tea, but I think Starbucks has conditioned us all to use "Chai" as shorthand for versions of this spice combo.

I boiled the sweet potatoes here, but feel free to use the microwave, steamer, or oven if that suits you better. I find boiling to be the fastest and easiest method.

Though it's more work, use whole oranges instead of orange juice since the juice doesn't have nearly as much fiber as the actual fruit.

Chai spiced sweet potato and orange oatmeal

Chai spice mixture:
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cardamom
¼ tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves
¼ tsp fennel seeds
1/8 tsp salt

For the puree:
1 lb sweet potatoes (1 x-large or two small), peeled and cubed
2-3 large oranges, peeled
water (as needed)
1-1½ tsp chai spice mix

Cube potatoes and place in a medium saucepan. Add water until just covered or until the potatoes just start to float.

Bring to a boil over high flame. Once boiling, turn the flame down to medium. You want a strong simmer, but not a boil. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender, but not falling apart.

Drain and add to the blender. Peel and add oranges and 1 tsp of chai spice mixture. Blend until combined, pausing to scrape down the sides as needed. Hold off on adding water until the oranges are fully broken down because you won't likely need more liquid. If the mixture is too dry, add 1 Tbsp of water at a time until you've reached your desired consistency.

Yield: 2.5-3 cups or 22-25 oz

To eat with oatmeal:
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 cup water
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup chai spiced sweet potato and orange puree
2 Tbsp toasted coconut flakes (unsweetened)
1 Tbsp juice-sweetened dried cranberries
1 Tbsp maple syrup (optional)

Yield: One serving