Cranberry Recipe

Cranberry Cake

The name “Cranberry” derives from the Pilgrim name for the fruit, “craneberry,” so called because the small, pink blossoms that appear in the spring resemble the head and bill of a Sandhill crane. The cranberry, along with the blueberry and Concord grape, is one of North America’s three native fruits that are commercially grown. The Native Americans first used cranberries. They discovered the wild berry’s versatility as a food, fabric dye and healing agent. Today, cranberries are commercially grown throughout the northern part of the United States and are available in both fresh and processed forms. You can find cranberries in anything from a drink to eating dried cranberries in chocolate; it is a very versatile fruit. Here is one of our baker’s favorite cranberry recipes.

Ingredients
For dough
1/2 cup warm water (105–115°F)
2 (1/4-oz) packages active dry yeast (5 teaspoons)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
5 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup warm milk
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
For filling
1/4 cup water
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 cups fresh or thawed frozen cranberries (9 oz)
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, very soft
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup walnuts (optional), chopped
For glaze
1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons milk
Special equipment: a standing electric mixer fitted with dough hook; 2 (9- by 2-inch) round cake pans

preparation
Make dough:
Stir together warm water, yeast, and a pinch of the sugar in a small bowl and let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, discard and start over.)

Put 5 cups flour, salt, and remaining sugar in bowl of electric mixer and mix with dough hook at low speed until combined. Whisk together milk and eggs in a small bowl, then add to dry ingredients along with yeast, beating at low speed until flour is incorporated. Beat at medium speed until a very soft dough forms, about 2 minutes. Add butter and continue beating at medium speed until dough is smooth, soft, and elastic, about 4 minutes (it will be quite sticky).

Rinse a large bowl with hot water. Add dough to wet bowl and cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Prepare filling:
Bring water and 1 cup granulated sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add cranberries and simmer just until they begin to burst, about 2 minutes. Pour through a large sieve into a bowl and cool berries, reserving syrup for another use (such as a flavoring for seltzer).
Form and bake buns:
Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface and dust with flour, then roll out into a 16-inch square.

Brush off excess flour, then spread evenly with butter with a small metal offset spatula.

Stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar and sprinkle evenly over dough. Dot dough evenly with drained cranberries, then sprinkle with nuts if using.

Beginning with side nearest you, roll up dough, firmly but not tightly, into a log, then pinch seam to seal. Trim 1 inch off each end with a large knife and discard, then cut log crosswise into 12 slices.

Arrange slices, cut sides up, in buttered cake pans (place 1 slice in center of each pan, then evenly space 5 more around it). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F while buns are rising.

Bake buns in lower third of oven until puffed and golden, 30 to 35 minutes, then cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes.
Make glaze:
Stir together confectioners sugar and milk with a fork until smooth. Drizzle over buns while still hot.

Serve buns warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12 pastries.

Kick up your Labor Day Barbeque!

Grilled Ribeye with a Coffee Rub

You would normally think of coffee as a beverage to wake you up in the morning. Not anymore, coffee beans are being used in all kinds of dishes from meats to ice creams. The history of coffee can be traced to at least as early as the 9th century, when it appeared in the highlands of Ethiopia. According to legend, shepherds were the first to observe the influence of the caffeine in coffee beans when, after their goats consumed some wild coffee berries in the pasture, the goats appeared to “dance” and have an increased level of energy. From Ethiopia, coffee spread to Egypt and Yemen, and by the fifteenth century had reached Persia, Turkey, and northern Africa. From the Muslim world, coffee spread to Italy. The thriving trade between Venice and the Muslims of North Africa, Egypt, and the Middle East brought many African goods, including coffee, to this port. The first European coffee house opened in Italy in 1645. When coffee reached the Thirteen Colonies, it was initially not as successful as it had been in Europe. However, during the Revolutionary War, the demand for coffee increased so much that dealers had to hoard their scarce supplies and raise prices dramatically
Most Arabica coffee beans originate from Latin America, East Africa/Arabia, or Asia/Pacific. Robusta coffee beans are grown in West and Central Africa, throughout Southeast Asia and to some extent in Brazil. Beans from different countries or regions usually have distinctive characteristics such as flavor, aroma, body, and acidity. Whichever coffee bean used, it will make a great addition to any meal.

Try our chef’s delicious coffee rub on a grilled Ribeye.
Ingredients
Steak:
4 (1 1/2-inch-thick) bone-in rib-eye steaks (7 pounds)
3 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
Rub:
½ cup oil
¼ cup beef base
½ cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons lemon pepper
1-pint ground espresso beans/ coffee

Preparation
In a mixing bowl combine ingredients for rub and set aside
Cook steak to desired temperature
When steak is done remove and rub coffee rub into steak
Let sit on open grill for 5 minutes