Chicken with Cranberries and Apples

I’m still pushing autumn flavors over here at Gusto. You might have cranberry overdose next week, but in case you’re like me — never enough cranberries — you’ll like this one.

Cranberries and apples and cider — what a line up! This Eating Well recipe will take you less than 30 minutes to prepare, something my birthday buddy Rachael Ray would approve.

What do you think about Rachael? Most people either love or hate her. Doesn’t she seem like someone you could hang out with? You know she’d talk your ear off, but I can relate to that. I imagine hanging out with her in the living room, with our guys, watching hockey, drinking beer, making snacks and having a good old time. It’s not weird that I imagine scenes like this, is it?

I served this with brown and wild rice that I had cooked a few weeks back and stored in the freezer. I love that combo of rice but it takes too darn long to cook. So every now and then, when I have the time, I cook up a big pot and portion it out into quart-sized freezer bags. I sauteed some mushrooms, onions and garlic and mixed the thawed rice in to reheat it.

I also served my usual Broccoli with Garlic and Hot Pepper as a side too.

Yum. Just looking at it, I’m thinking I want to make this again real soon.

Chicken with Cranberries and Apples

You’ll need a large skillet with lid.

• 1 pound chicken tenderloins, trimmed and cut in half
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 2 crisp red apples, such as Braeburn, Fuji, Gala or Arkansas Black, thinly sliced – I left the peel on
• 1 large red onion, quartered and sliced
• 3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice, divided
• 1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen (thawed)
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Sprinkle both sides of chicken with 1/4 teaspoon each thyme, salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and add the chicken. Cook, stirring, until lightly browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.

Add the remaining tablespoon oil to the pan. Add apples, onion, 2 tablespoons cider (or juice) and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon each thyme and salt. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring often, until the apples and onion are softened, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add cranberries and sprinkle flour over everything in the pan; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Return the chicken to the pan and pour in the remaining cider (or juice). Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes more.

Original recipe: Skillet Chicken with Cranberries and Apples, Eating Well, September/October 2011

Weekend Baking: Cranberry Scones

In my kitchen dreams, I have a large stand-alone freezer. In my kitchen reality, I have a standard freezer drawer. I love buying seasonal items, like cranberries, and freezing them for later use. But my other half doesn’t have that same freezer philosophy, as I was reminded when he pulled out two freezer bags full of cranberries and said,

“Are you really going to use these?”

“Yes, yes I am, as a matter of fact I’m baking cranberry, er, um, scones, yeah, cranberry scones this weekend.”

So that’s how I decided to make cranberry scones last weekend. They turned out great. But. There’s always a but. But, I made too many, thinking they would rise more, and they ended up looking more like cookies than scones. But they tasted like scones! They tasted better than most scones because they weren’t dry at all.

I don’t know whether my baking powder needs to be replaced (probably) or if I just made them too small. I made well over 24 of them so it might be the latter.

If you’re not a freezer hoarder like me, you can use dried cranberries for this recipe. A few of the comments in the original recipe at The Kitchn used dried cranberries and gave suggestions on how to do that.

I topped my scones with vanilla sugar, instead of regular sugar. Vanilla sugar is real easy to make. Fill a saved-from-recycling glass jar with granulated sugar. Slice a vanilla bean lengthwise with a sharp knife. Scrape the tiny seeds onto the knife blade. Stick the bean and the seeds into the sugar. Give it a good stir. Seal the jar and let it sit a few weeks. I like to occasionally sweeten and flavor my coffee or tea with vanilla sugar or add it to recipes like this one.

Cranberry Scone Cookies

Fresh Cranberry Scones

Makes about 2 dozen. You’ll need two baking or cookie sheets, food processor (or pastry blender, optional) or fork, large bowl and biscuit cutter or drinking glass.

1-1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup light brown sugar
Zest of 1 small orange (or lemon)
2-1/4 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
Extra flour
White sugar, for topping (or vanilla sugar)g

Heat the oven to 350F and prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment or Silpat, or lightly sprayed with oil.

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the cranberries until lightly chopped. If you don’t have a food processor, chop the cranberries as best you can. This can be tricky as they’ll roll and pop all over the place. One idea is to put them in the juice moat of a carving board and slice them there, hopefully they won’t roll, but this will take longer.

Dump the cranberries into a bowl and toss them with the brown sugar and orange zest. In the food processor, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.

Cut the chilled butter into small pieces and process with the flour in the processor until fine and crumbly – don’t overdo it. If you don’t have a food processor, use a pastry blender or a fork to cut the butter into the flour. Mix with the sugar and cranberries and stir in the beaten egg and milk.

Sprinkle the counter or a board with flour, and dump the dough out on it. It will be very wet and sticky. Very sticky. Push it with a flour-covered wooden spoon or your flour-covered hands into a slab. Cut out rounds using a biscuit cutter or a glass, dipped in flour, and put on baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops with sugar or vanilla sugar.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until just getting golden. Serve warm with plenty of butter.

Original recipe: Fresh Cranberry Scones, The Kitchn

Cranberry Apple Cake

I love baking with cranberries and apples in the fall and winter. I found this Ina Garten (aka The Barefoot Contessa) recipe from her cookbook, How Easy Is That?, on the Serious Eats website. Ina calls it “Easy Cranberry Apple Cake,” and it lives up to the “easy” part of that title.

I grew up near cranberry country in southeastern Massachusetts. A few times during my teenage summers, my neighborhood friends and I cooled off with a swim in the irrigation canals of the cranberry bogs in the next town. We were young and stupid, not thinking about the pesticides that probably lurked in the water. We’d hang out there until the migrant workers started hooting from afar at two of my more buxom friends.

Nowadays the closest I get to the bogs is on visits home when we drive by them on our way to Plymouth. Ocean Spray used to have a museum in Plymouth, I think it was called Cranberry World, but, alas, it is no longer there.

Cranberries freeze really well so stock up your freezer while packages are still in your grocer’s produce section; they’ll be gone in a few months. They’re incredibly tart on their own, but if you add a little sweetness to them, they’re fabulous in all kinds of baked goods. I like to keep small amounts of homemade cranberry sauce in my refrigerator so I can stir it into yogurt and oatmeal, add it to savory pan sauces, spread it on sandwiches or serve it on the side with meats. Plus, it packs a nutritional punch.

I made this rustic-looking cake for Thanksgiving. I’m not sure “cake” is the right name for this dish; it reminds me of a pie too. It’s like an upside-down cake but with a sweet coffee cake texture. I used a 9″ dish instead of the 10″ dish suggested in the recipe. You can tell by the photo below that my pie expanded as it baked. I ended up with some sticky filling on the bottom of the oven. The pastry outgrew the dish and I had to scrape some of it off the sides. However, it was delicious. The leftovers were great for breakfast, with or without vanilla ice cream.

Cranberry Apple Cake

• 12 ounces fresh (or thawed frozen) cranberries, rinsed and picked over for stems
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 Tbsp grated orange zest (2 oranges)
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tsp plus 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sour cream — I used low-fat sour cream
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Combine the cranberries, apple, brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice and 1 tsp of the cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, beat the eggs on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. With the mixer on medium, add 1 cup of the sugar, butter, vanilla and sour cream and beat just until combined. On low speed, slowly add the flour and salt.

Pour the fruit mixture evenly into a 10-inch glass pie plate. I only had a 9-inch plate available and it overflowed in the oven while baking.

Pour the batter over the fruit, covering it completely. Combine the remaining 1 Tbsp of granulated sugar and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and sprinkle it over the batter. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean and the fruit is bubbling around the edges.

Serve warm or at room temperature. It’s fantastic with vanilla ice cream.

Original Recipe – Easy Cranberry Apple Cake, Serious Eats, adapted from Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That? by Ina Garten

Chicken Cranberry Parmesan

I found this recipe in a Boston Globe article about a cranberry farmer, Cindy Rhodes from Wareham, MA. The recipe is great, but the better news is that she and her husband are launching a new retail product in January — frozen cranberries. New England is full of cranberry lovers so I’m sure they’ll sell well up there. But down here in North Carolina? I’ll buy them. But how many others will?

Maybe I can start a cranberry movement by convincing more of you to eat more cranberries therefore increasing the demand for them here in the Triangle. I’m working on Jim, whether he likes it or not. (Ha! He just peeked at this over my shoulder, saw the title and said, “Oh no, not more cranberries.”)

You know I was bound to say it — they’re good for you. They’re loaded with antioxidants (anti-aging compounds), anti-inflammation compounds and Vitamin C. And then there’s this from The Cranberry Institute: “cranberries have long been valued for their ability to help prevent urinary tract infections by preventing E. coli from adhering to the cells that line the urinary tract.” That’s enough cranberry preaching for one day.

This recipe comes together easily and is very tasty. For the record, Jim liked it and wants me to make it again. So even if you’re not a cranberry fiend like me, I think you will like it too.

Edaville cranberry bog (South Carver, MA) by Andrew Watson

Cranberry Chicken Parmesan

• Oil or cooking spray
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/4 cup flour
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Olive oil
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (if frozen, do not thaw)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup Marsala
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• Juice and pulp of 1/2 orange
• 1/3 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 350. Oil a 9″x13″ baking dish. Pound the chicken breast halves to about 1/2” thickness. Combine the flour, salt and pepper on a plate. Dredge the chicken pieces, one at a time, in the flour mixture and shake off any excess. Set chicken aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the chicken. Cook for 5 minutes on a side or until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine cranberries, cinnamon, water, Marsala, brown sugar, orange juice and pulp. Bring to a low boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 8 minutes or until the berries pop and the mixture thickens slightly. Stir in the bread crumbs; the mixture will become thick, almost pasty.

Spread 1/3 of the cranberry mixture in the baking dish. Arrange chicken on top. Spread remaining 2/3s of cranberry mixture on the chicken. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is brown.

Original recipe: Cranberry Chicken Parm, Boston Globe

Nantucket Cranberry Sauce

I just found my favorite cranberry sauce recipe and wanted to share it with you in case you don’t have a recipe yet for Thanksgiving. I’ve got a lot to say about cranberries, surprise surprise, but I’ll save that for another time.

I found this recipe long ago in the December 1997 issue of Bon Appetit and have been relying on it ever since. They published it in their RSVP section by request of a reader who had the sauce at 21 Federal on Nantucket. Bob Kinkead, one of my favorite chefs, was in charge of 21 Federal back then. When I lived in Washington DC area, a long lunch at Kinkead’s was frequently a special treat I gave myself when taking a day off from work.

This recipe has all the New England flavors you would expect from me — maple, molasses and, of course, cranberries. You can make it ahead and pull it from the refrigerator a few hours before dinner to let it come to room temperature.

Cranberries by Liz West

Nantucket Cranberry Sauce

• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup light molasses
• 2 Tbsps golden brown sugar
• 2 Tbsps butter
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 12 oz package fresh or frozen (thawed) cranberries

Combine everything except the cranberries in a heavy saucepan and stir occasionally over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to low and add the cranberries. Simmer until the cranberries begin to burst, about 10 minutes. Increase the heat to high and boil until the mixture is reduced to about 1-3/4 cups, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Serve at room temperature. The sauce can be prepared five days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Cranberry Nut Bread

It’s cranberry season! Check your supermarket for sales. Lowes Foods and Food Lion had them on sale for $1.99/pack recently. I always stock up the freezer every fall when they’re on sale so I have fresh berries throughout the year. If you’re friendly with the produce guy, he may give you the scoop on upcoming sales and you won’t have to buy them at full-price. I owe my good cranberry fortune to the produce guy at the Lowes Food at Rts 42 and 50 in Garner.

I’ve made countless loaves of cranberry bread over the years. Usually I follow the recipe on the back of the Ocean Spray cranberry package. It’s convenient, easy and a delicious version that my mother always makes. Last weekend I gathered my ingredients, including a package of Trader Joe’s cranberries that’s been lingering in the freezer for way too long. However, when I looked at the back there was only a recipe for cranberry sauce. I pulled out my cookbooks and found a good recipe in The King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook.

It’s been years since I’ve baked out of this cookbook. I forgot how good and reliable it is. It has a strong New England slant that I like. King Arthur Flour started in Boston in 1790 as Henry Wood & Company and today is still going strong in Norwich, Vermont.  Browsing through other cranberry recipes, I came across one for a New England version of a Festival Bread that I once made. According to my note on the page, it was “Excellent!” I plan to make that one this year during the holidays. It’s a yeast bread filled with cranberries, golden raisins, currants and warm spices — cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg.

The Ocean Spray cranberry bread uses a lot more orange juice than the King Arthur version, omits the milk and boiling water, uses more cranberries and less nuts, and bakes at a higher temperature.

I did a combination of the two recipes and was very pleased with the results. As I usually do with quick breads, I substituted whole wheat flour for part of the all-purpose flour, and brown sugar for part of the granulated sugar. I also added vanilla and cinnamon to the mix. Next time, I will forgo the milk and boiling water and stick to orange juice. In case I don’t have oranges in the fridge, it’s good to know that the King Arthur version is equally delicious. Proof: the loaf was sliced only a little while before I took this photo. Look how much the two of us already ate.

cranberry nut bread in the rough

Cranberry Nut Bread

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Juice of one orange — zest the orange first, then juice it
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1/2 cup milk
• Boiling water
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups fresh (or frozen) cranberries, chopped if you wish
• 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
• Zest from one orange, about 1 Tbsp but more is okay

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease the loaf pan with cooking spray or butter.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In a 1-cup measuring cup, combine the orange juice, oil, milk and enough boiling water to make it 1 cup of liquid. Add this to the beaten egg and vanilla. Whisk to combine well.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring only enough to combine. Fold in the cranberries, walnuts and orange zest. Spoon batter into greased loaf pan and tap it on the counter to release any air pockets.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 60-75 minutes, depending on your oven. Mine took closer to 75 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool in pan for 15 minutes. Turn the loaf out onto a wire rack and let it cool completely before slicing.

Adapted from The King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook.

Pork Chops with Cranberry-Thyme Pan Sauce

Although I live in North Carolina, I still have the blizzard mentality when it comes to my pantry and freezer. That’s when you think, “just in case we have a blizzard, I better have enough food on hand.” Even living five years in Sacramento, where the only snow that falls is on the TV news report from the Sierra Nevada, didn’t cure me of this. It didn’t help that my Sacramento kitchen was straight out of the 1950’s with lots of cabinet space to fill.

My smaller apartment kitchen here in North Carolina limited my purchases but not completely. While packing to move into my boyfriend’s house I discovered two and a half packages of cranberries in my freezer. Who wouldn’t want cranberries year round, right? I’ll leave my disclosures about cans of pumpkin for another time.

In an effort to use up these cranberries before they appear again in the produce section, I followed this quick recipe for last night’s dinner. The aromas of cranberry and thyme reminded me of Thanksgiving.

flickr photo by vieux_bandit

Pork Chops with Cranberry-Thyme Pan Sauce

2 servings – doubles easily for leftovers

• 1 Tbsp butter (cut with some olive oil)
• 2 5 to 6 oz boneless pork chops
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1/3 cup cranberry sauce (canned or use recipe below)
• 2 whole green onions, chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme

Cranberry Sauce

• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup water, orange juice, or a mixture
• Optional – a few drops of orange extract, if you don’t want to use orange juice, or a tsp of orange rind
• ½ package cranberries (frozen okay)

Combine sugar and water in saucepan. Bring to boil, so that sugar dissolves. Add a few drops of extract (or juice or rind) and cranberries. Simmer until berries have popped, about 10 minutes. Pour into bowl and let cool. It’ll firm up as it cools.

Pork Chops

Melt butter with oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Saute pork until brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer pork to plate.

Add wine to pan. Bring to simmer while scraping up browned bits in bottom of pan. Stir in cranberry sauce, onions and thyme. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly reduced, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Season to taste. Return pork and any juices to pan. Cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Plate pork and spoon sauce over it.

photo credit: foodbuzz blog

Original recipe – Epicurious, Bon Appetit, November 2001