Cranberry Goodness

From November to January, and maybe a bit longer, we always have some type of cranberry sauce/chutney in the fridge.

First … this is the season when fresh berries are easy to find on your grocers’ shelves and second … they mix really well with citrus which is also coming into season.

There are tons of sauce, dressing and chutney recipes that transform tart berries into tasty accompaniments. From a simple orange and cranberry curry, to a spicy chili infused chutney that makes any poultry or pork dish better.

Perhaps the other classic hoiliday treat is pecan pie. However, it is just too cloyingly sweet and gelatinous. Then we came across a Cranberry-Pecan Tart … YUM!

It’s a bit fiddly in that you need to move the dough into and out of the fridge a number of times. But the tart shell is better than any we’ve attempted in the past.

Then there is the sugar into caramel which is a bit scary the first time … just fight that urge to give the sugar a stir. The results are well worth the effort and it freezes well so you can have treats all through the holidays … when you get tired of cookies.

Smoked Serrano Cranberry Chutney

Spicy and sweet accompaniment to any holiday meal.
Servings: 2 cups

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh (or frozen) cranberries
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 smoked serrano chiles
  • 1/4 cup dried apricots
  • 2 Tbsp crystallized ginger minced
  • 1 Tbsp crushed Urfa chiles
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions

  • In small sauce pan, bring water and orange juice to a boil.
  • Stir in cranberries and brown sugar.
  • Reduce to a simmer and stir in remaining ingredients. Continue simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thckens and coats the back of a spoon (about 15 to 20 minutes).
  • Serve warm, room temp or chilled. This also freezes well, allow to thaw on counter and microwave or stovetop reheat to have warm sauce.

 

Cranberry-Pecan Tart

The perfect tart pastry filled with caramel, pecans and cranberries.
Course: Dessert
Keyword: berries, Pecans, Tart

Ingredients

tart dough

  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 Tbsp heavy cream
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cup AP flour
  • 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 8 Tbsp unsalted butter cut in 1/4" pieces and chilled

filling

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
  • 3 Tbls unsalted butter cut into 1/2" pieces
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 6 oz fresh cranberries
  • 1 1/4 cups pecans toasted and corsely chopped

Instructions

For the tart dough

  • Whisk egg yolk, cream and vanilla together in bowl. Process flour, sugar and salt in food processor until combined (about 5 seconds). Scatter butter over top and pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal., about 15 pulses. With processor running, slowly add egg yolk mixture and process until dough just comes together, about 12 seconds.
  • Turn out dough onto sheet of plastic wrap. Form dough into 6-inch disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Let dough sit on counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes, before rolling. (Wrapped dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, let dough thaw completely on counter before rolling.)
  • Roll dough into 11-inch circle on lightly floured counter. (If dough becomes too soft and sticky to work with, transfer to baking sheet and refrigerate for 10 minutes.) Place dough round on baking sheet, cover with plastic, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
  • Remove dough from refrigerator but keep dough on sheet. Loosely roll dougy around rolling pin and gently unroll into 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom, letting excess dough hang over edge. Ease dough into pan by gently lifting edge of dough with your hand while pressing into corners with your other hand.
  • Press dough into fluted sides of pan, forming a distinct seam around pan's circumference. (finished edge should be 1/4 inch thick. If some sections are too thick, press dough up over edge.) Run rolling pin or knife over top of pan to remove any excess dough. Wrap dough-lined pan loosely in plastic, place on large plate, and freeze until dough is firm, about 30 minutes before using. (Dough-lined pan can be wrapped tightly in plastic and frozen for up to 1 month.)
  • Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375º. Set dough-lined pan on rimmed paking sheet. Line chilled tart shell with parchment paper or double layer of aluminum foil, covering edges to prevent burning , and fill with pie weights. Bake until tart shell is golden brown and set, about 30 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Transfer sheet to wire rack and carefully remove foil and weights. Let tart shell cool on sheet while preparing filling.

Tart filling

  • Reduce oven temperature to 325º. Pour water into medium saucepan, then pour sugar into center fo saucepan, taking care not to let sugar granules hit side of pan. Gently stir sugar with clean spatual to wet thoroughly. Bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat and cook, without stirring utnilsugar has dissolved completely and liquid as faint golden color and registers 300º, 6 to 10 minutes.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture turns dark amber and registers 350º, 1 to 3 minutes longer. Off heat, slowly whisk in cream until combined. Add cranberries and pecans and gently stir until evenly distributed and thoroughly coated in carmel. Pour filling into tart shell. Bake tart on sheet until filling is bubbling and nearly set (it should jiggle slightly when shaken), 25 to 30 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.
  • Transfer sheet to wire rack and let tart cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove outer metal ring of tart pan, slide thin metal spatula between tart and pan bottom, and carefully slide tart onto platter. Cut into wedges and serve. (Tart can be wrapped loosely in plastic and stored at room temperature for up to 4 hours.)

A Game of Fetch

Before winter storms close the Cascade Highway, we try to make one final trip to Upper Deschutes River.

The three of us love this spot. Jack for the fishing, JQ for shooting video and photos. As for Tip … this is his favorite swimming hole. Fun is had by all.

In the Fall you can often catch the spawn as the big Rainbows move into the river from Crane Prairie. The river is very different during each of the seasons. not sure when is our favorite. But then, why choose?

 

Dog Toy Nirvana

Ruffwear is a premium dog gear company and they are located in Bend. Their headquarters recently completed a remodel and ‘re-opened’ the retail store.

This is one of the few stores where any dog is welcome, so we made a special trip to let Tip look around. He has a bunch of Ruffwear gear, but it is nice to see what is new.

What is really nice about Ruffwear’s store is there is no guess work in finding a harness or collar that fits. Lots of places sell this gear, but rarely do they carry a full line.

We found a tote to hold Tip’s stuff when we are on the road.

Also, we picked up a replacement for his well chewed fetch toy, the Lunker Floating Throw.

It works great in the water, and recently we discovered it floats quite nicely on top of snow … a perfect solution to the inevitable “ball sinking in the snow – never to be found again” problem.

Trip to the City

There are times when it’s nice to make a trip into the city, walk it’s streets and enjoy it’s neighborhood eateries.

We understand the allure of living in Portland, Oregon. There is a vibrancy in that urban expanse.

Recently we visited the City of Roses, taking time to visit family and old friends. It was a typical PNW (Pacific Northwest) fall day, overcast with spots of rain and cold enough to require a jacket.

First morning found us at a favorite spot, the Pearl Bakery. After pastries with coffee we explored a few spots in the neighborhood. ending up at Powell’s Bookstore.

We enjoyed an Eastside Pub, Ancestry Brewing, which if you get a chance has great burgers and fine pints.

The city is still filled with hipsters and homeless amid the tall buildings that give a very different city feeling than Bend. The trip was just a few days, but more than enough to get our city fix.

We finished up with a stop at Edelweiss Deli to restock German delicacies and after a late breakfast with friends, we popped back over the mountain happy to be back home.

Hard Cider

 

In this country when we talk about cider, often it’s in reference to the unfiltered juice of apples.

The rest of the world is talking about a drink Americans call “hard cider.”  This may be changing as more and more craft brewers turn to apples as a fermentation source.

Last week while scanning the beer and wine selection at a local market, we noticed they had Legend Cider on tap.

Legend NW Cider Company is Oregon family owned and operated. Their cider is hand-crafted, has no added sweetners and is made from natural juices and Northwest-grown apples.

Luckily for us they began construction on a facility in La Pine this summer, but as is often the case, progress was slow. Finally, early this fall they opened their brewery for public tasting.

We decided it was past time to try their ciders, so stopped by the local tap room.

Our initial flight featured Apple, Columbia Gorge Grape, Paulina Pomegranate,  and Coastal Cranberry.

Subsequent samplings included Broken Top Blood Orange. Rockaway Beach Raspberry, and a limited offering Tank Blend.

Coastal Cranberry was a favorite of JQ and I particularly liked the Blood Orange. That said, we did reach an accord. We left with a growler of the tank blend, featuring cranberry and pomegranate.

We’ll definitely be back to refill the growler.

When ordering a flight at Legend NW Cider Company, you have the option to select four cider flavors of your choice. We really liked what we were tasting, so ordered nachos from the food truck adjacent to the brewery, then settled in to sample all seven ciders on tap.