Apple Cranberry Conserve

My absolute favorite preserving recipes are small batch, quick prep, simple ingredients, great flavor and versatile. Am I asking too much?
Last month at my Preserving Class we hit all the above listed points with the Apple Cranberry Conserve! I served the conserve with a double creme cheese, but since have loved it with grilled chicken, added it as a layer to a pumpkin quick bread and served it as an ice cream topper....

Something to keep in mind; because of the short cooking and processing times, I thought the flavor was better after sitting for a week or so. I just did a rough chop so the cranberries were not chopped and the apples were chopped the same size as cranberries. You could chop a bit smaller for a softer texture in a shorter amount of time.

APPLE CRANBERRY CONSERVE

2 ¼ cups diced apples (I used a combination of Ginger Gold and Paula Red)
¼ cup water
½ cup dried cranberries
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 package pectin (Powdered for a firmer texture, liquid pectin for a softer set)
2 ¾ cups sugar
¼ cup chopped walnuts

Combine apples, water and dried cranberries in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and add sugar. Return to a full boil and add liquid pectin and boil 1 minute without stirring. Remove from heat and stir in nuts. Fill jars, wipe rims, attach lids and rings and process in hot water bath for 5 minutes. Allow to sit at room temp for 24 hours undisturbed.

Cranberry Orange Quick Bread

With Thanksgiving just behind us, I had an extra bag of cranberries in the fridge begging to be used!

(BTW, I didn't freeze nearly enough cranberries last year and had to buy a bag in August....the only store that stocked them was Whole Foods and I paid $4.89 for 10 ounces, ouch.  Putting several bags in freezer as we speak, on sale for $1.88/12 ounces, very nice.)

I wanted a little something sweet, but not too sugary.  I did an internet search for fresh cranberry bread recipe and of course several options popped up.  None of them seemed to be exactly what I was looking for, so I altered Martha Stewarts to fit my taste buds.  Here's what I came up with:

4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces cranberries
1/4 cup candied peel, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

Topping:
1 tablespoon turbinado or raw sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest

(I prepare the orange zest mixed with raw sugar in larger batches and keep in a ziploc baggie in the freezer for use on truffles, sugar cookies, gingerbread and garnishing an espresso or cappucino.  Zest of 1 orange mixed with 4 Tablespoons raw sugar, mix to combine and let dry overnight on parchment lined sheet pan)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour 9X5 bread pan.  I like glass bread pans as they don't brown the crust as quickly as the metal pans do.

In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, egg, milk, orange juice and vanilla.  In another large bowl, combine all dry ingredients.  Stir together until a stiff batter has formed and stir in cranberries and candied peel.  Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle with raw sugar/orange zest combination.

Bake 1 hour-1 hour 10 minutes checking with a cake tester.  Remove and let cool in pan 15 minutes then turn out onto a baking rack or parchment paper.

It turned out amazing!  Moist and tart, with bits of candied peel and a crunchy sweet top layer instead of icing!

A note about candied peel.  I included the recipe in my cookbook "Seasons In My Kitchen" because I think grocery store peel is one of my top ten nastiest foods.  Candied peel are super easy to make and winter is the best time as all the citrus shipped here in Michigan is at it's peak!  I usually peel whatever citrus we are eating and keep them in the fridge for a few days until we have enough to make it worth the effort.  I mix grapefruit, orange and lemon, occasionally I separate them, especially the lime.  I then store it in the freezer up to a year to save cabinet space, but any airtight container will work and they will keep shelf stable for a couple months!  Dip the peel into melted dark chocolate for a fabulous holiday treat or add to any number of baked goods....you'll never go back to commercially prepared peel!

Another note...there are no photos because Google is being a shit and making me pay for more space.  Sorry.  I'm being stubborn on principle for a couple days :)

Madeleines

Ahhh, not much evokes France as much as the simple madeleine, a pound cake like small cake, made in a special shell shaped pan.  I saw the sweetest mini madelein pan at the local crack dealer, oh excuse me, Williams Sonoma store.  Non-stick and just right for bite size treats.  The madelein pan was all I have dreamed of and more!!  I have a stash of dried cranberries and many oranges left from The Market's "Gifts from your Kitchen" class (candied orange peel) so I went about adapting a recipe and here is the results!

CRANBERRY ORANGE MINI MADELEINS

• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
• 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) butter, melted
   and cooled
• Confectioners’ sugar for dusting or melted white chocolate for drizzling

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 375°F. Using a pastry brush, heavily brush softened butter over each of the 20 molds in a mini madeleine pan, carefully buttering every ridge.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, granulated sugar and salt. Using a wire whisk or a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat vigorously until pale, thick and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Sprinkle the sifted flour over the egg mixture and stir or beat on low speed to incorporate.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the orange zest and half of the melted butter just until blended. Fold in the remaining melted butter and dried cranberries. 

 

Bake the madeleines until the tops spring back when lightly touched, 8 to 12 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and invert it over a wire rack, then rap it on the rack to release the madeleines. If any should stick, use your fingers to loosen the edges, being careful not to touch the hot pan, and invert and rap again.

Let the madeleines cool on the rack for 10 minutes. Using a fine-mesh sieve, dust the tops with confectioners sugar and serve. Makes 20.  If using a large madelein pan, just up the baking time about 4 minutes and I often flour the pan for easier removal.

 

I put my little bits on a gold charger and decorated it with fresh cedar and fresh cranberries and dusted the whole plate with confectioners sugar to look like snow.  It was a beautifully simple presentation and fabulous for a holiday gathering!

    Here is a bit closer view!!