Cranberry Tart is a beautiful dessert that can be served year-round. But I thought it particularly appropriate for Valentine’s Day…even though the only chocolate in it is the white chocolate I sprinkled on top (which doesn’t really count).
Making this tart was my excuse to finally purchase a tart pan. It’s not absolutely necessary, but it does make a pretty presentation with the fluted edges. However, a 9″ regular pie dish (like Pyrex) will work fine. By the way, I didn’t grease the pan and the tart still released perfectly.
CRANBERRY TART
Crust:
- 79g (2/3 cup) slivered almonds
- 33g (3 T) granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 152g (1¼ cup or 5¼ oz) all-purpose flour (it’s always better to weigh, if you can)
- 140g (10 T) butter, soft
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit.
Toast almonds either in the oven or a dry skillet until lightly browned. Let cool.
Place almonds, sugar, flour, and salt in the food processor with the steel blade. (You can use the blender, but you’ll have to mix the rest by hand or with an electric mixer.) Pulse until the almonds are a fine crumb – about 8 pulses. 
Add in softened butter and almond extract. Pulse until mixture clumps together. 
Place a 9″ tart pan on a cookie sheet – this is important since tart pans have a removable bottom and you don’t want to accidentally push it up when you lift the filled tart. (You don’t need the cookie sheet if you’re using a regular pie plate.) Scatter pieces of the dough around the tart pan (or regular 9″ pie pan), putting more near the edges. 
With fingers, press down the dough starting with the sides so it evenly covers the sides all the way up the top, and the bottom of the pan. Pay special attention to the corners – push them in so you have a nice sharp inside edge with more room for the filling.
Place a piece of waxed paper over crust and fill with pie weights, uncooked beans, or rice. Bake in preheated 375º F for 12 minutes. Remove waxed paper and weights by bringing corners together and carefully rocking it out – you don’t want the crust to stick to the paper. (If some of it does stick to the waxed paper, scrape it off and replace it in crust.)
Continue to bake the now-uncovered crust for another 5 minutes or so until lightly browned. Carry the cookie sheet with the tart pan on top to a rack and completely cool.
Filling:
NOTE: As Queen of Freeze, I encourage you to freeze the unused egg whites from the required egg yolks in the filling for future use. Waste not, want not!!!
SECOND NOTE: I wanted a deeper red color but don’t like to use commercial food colorings. So I made my own red coloring using a red beet. It’s quick to do and doesn’t affect the flavor of the curd. But, you don’t need to color the filling – it’s a pretty pink on its own – or you can use purchased coloring, if you want.
- optional for deeper red color: 1 red beet
- 12 oz cranberries (either fresh or frozen), rinsed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup pomegranate juice (I use Pom)
- 2 T lemon zest
- optional: 2 tsp beet juice extracted from the beet
- 8 T butter, cold and cut into pieces
- 2 eggs, whole
- 2 yolks
Preheat oven to 350º Fahrenheit.
If you want to make a deeper red colored tart: wash, peel, and roughly chop beet. Place in a small saucepan with about 1/2 cup of water. Bring to boil and cook, uncovered, until water (which is now red) boils down to about 2 teaspoons. Let cool.
In another saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar, salt, pomegranate juice, and lemon zest. Bring to a boil and cook until the cranberries start to pop – about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. 
Note: Possible suggestion (although I haven’t tried this): To eliminate the above step of separately boiling the beet, try quartering the peeled beet (so you can find them easier), and add them to the cranberries before boiling. Then remove the 4 beet pieces before running the cranberries through the food mill.
Place butter in a medium sized bowl. Set food mill or strainer on top of bowl and pour cranberry mixture through the food mill or strainer. Extract as much liquid as you can. The hot liquid will melt the butter and cool down the liquid. 
Beat the whole eggs and yolks together in a small bowl, then slowly whisk into the cranberry mixture. Add beet juice (if using).
Clean out the saucepan you used for cooking the cranberries. Pour the filling through a strainer (to remove any bits from the egg and/or cranberries) into the empty saucepan. This takes some time since it’s thick! You don’t HAVE to do this step, but the curd is silkier if you remove the bits. You can see what would have been left in the curd if I hadn’t strained.
Over medium heat, cook until thickened, stirring often – about 5 minutes.
When oven is preheated, pour filling into cooled crust. (Make sure tart pan is still sitting on a cookie sheet – you really don’t want to chance pushing up on the bottom!)
Bake at 350º F about 8 minutes, until center 3″ is still jiggly but sides are firm. Don’t wait until center is firm or it’ll be overcooked. Remove from oven. 
While tart is still hot, remove tart pan side by very carefully scooting the tart pan from the cookie sheet onto a wide can or bowl. (Make sure the diameter of the bowl is smaller than the tart pan opening.) Gently press down on tart pan edge and it should fall right down. Don’t move the tart yet – let it completely cool before moving it. 
Once tart is completely cooled, remove tart pan base – it may crack if it’s still warm. To remove base, run a thin, long implement (or maybe unflavored dental floss – I haven’t tried that, though) between crust and tart pan bottom. Carefully, nudge tart onto a serving plate.
Chill at least 6 hours. Making it the day ahead is best.
Mashed potatoes can get a little boring. True, they’re filling, easy, cheap, and everyone likes them. But, maybe it’s time to add in mashed parsnips…you know, to shake things up a bit.
Place potato slices in strainer and rinse well to remove excess starch. Let drain. 
When parsnips have browned, add potatoes to the pot. Cover, decrease heat to low, and cook about 20 minutes – until potatoes are tender. Uncover pot and let set 2 minutes to allow steam to escape.
Mash mixture until smooth. 
Warm the milk and pour 1/2 cup of it into the potatoes. (Use the rest, if needed. Save it for any leftover mash.) Add in chives and fold mixture gently together. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
I’ve been a from-scratch cook for as long as I can remember, pushing the boundaries over the years as to what I would make and what I would buy. (Puff pastry and filo dough are still on my “never in a million years” list.)
In another small bowl whisk 
Pour egg white mix into the flour mixture and blend together with a spoon, until all flour is incorporated.
Lay out a sheet of parchment paper (NOT waxed paper). Place the dough in the middle and form it into a square with your hands – this will help the dough roll into a rectangular shape.
Cover with waxed paper (or parchment). Roll out the dough to a 12″x10″ rectangle – or as close as you can get. Mine was nowhere near that – it really doesn’t matter. The dough should be of even thickness – 1/16th inch. The bands really helped with that.
Carefully remove waxed paper and set it aside. 
Beat the remaining 
Sprinkle on the seed blend you set aside. Cover with the waxed paper and gently run your hand over top to press in the seeds. (Without the waxed paper the seeds will stick to your hand.) Remove and discard waxed paper. Lightly score top with a dull knife to desired shapes. 
Slide parchment onto a rimless baking sheet (I prefer silver colored). Bake at 375º F for 14-18 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking time to promote even baking, until lightly browned. The edges always turned darker for me.
Slide parchment onto wire rack to cool completely. Break apart crackers at scored lines.
Turn off heat and stir in 1/4 cup basil, sugar, and pepper.
Cook for 5 minutes. SET A TIMER! You don’t need to cook it fully right now – it will continue to cook in the oven. Pour pasta into a strainer to drain, but 
In another bowl, beat egg with a fork then mix in 1/2 cup (1.5 oz) (44g) Parmesan and cottage cheese. 
Once the pasta is draining, pour the cornstarch-cream mixture into the now-empty pot. Over a low heat, bring to boil.
Immediately turn off flame and stir in the cottage cheese mixture. 
Add in half of the mozzarella and 1/2 cup of the marinara. 
Stir in the cooked ziti, breaking up stuck together pasta. 
Pour into an 8″ x 8″ casserole dish (or it’s equivalent). 
Top with remaining marinara sauce, then sprinkle on remaining mozzarella, followed by the rest of the Parmesan (20g). 
Cover with a lid or foil and bake at 350º Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle on 1 T basil. 
Let set 20 minutes before serving.
When I harken back to Christmases past, one thing that stands out is the English Toffee Bars my best friend’s mother made every year. Besides my mom’s fudge, English Toffee Bars were a favorite.
Add the yolk, vanilla, and salt. Beat 1 minute. 
Add the flour and mix on low speed, just until flour is incorporated. 
Place dough on a piece of parchment paper, and pat it out to 11.5″ x 11.5″, trying your best to keep it of even height.
Slide parchment on onto a rimless cookie sheet. Place in preheated 375º F oven. Bake 11-14 minutes, rotating once, until browned. Remove from oven. 
Immediately, top hot dough with chocolate bar pieces and let sit for 2-3 minutes , until chocolate softens.
Spread chocolate. 
Sprinkle with toasted nuts, pressing very lightly so nuts adhere to chocolate.
Cool bar on cookie sheet about 20 minutes so it sets. Slide parchment onto counter. Slice off uncoated edges, then cut slab into squares while still soft (if you wait until they’re hard, they’ll break when cut). Once bars are completely cool, refrigerate to firm up.
Sometimes advice passed on through the ages is wise and true. BUT, sometimes one needs to re-examine it, thus finding it no longer (if ever) viable.
In a saucepan, melt 3 T butter. Sauté shallots over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add in garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, just to bloom the garlic. Remove pan from heat. 
In a small bowl, mix together the flour, paprika, salt, cayenne, white pepper, and nutmeg. Blend into the butter mixture, smashing out any lumps – this is your only chance to do so! 
Return pan to heat and cook roux (that’s what this paste is called) for 2 minutes over medium/low heat. (This will get rid of the flour taste.) 
Pour in the milk and cook over medium/low until thickened, stirring constantly. Turn off burner but leave pot in place in order to use residual heat. 
Stir in Gruyère and 1/4 cup Parmesan until melted. 
Remove pot from warm burner and let cool 5 minutes. 
Meanwhile, build a foil cylinder around each mushroom – heavy or regular aluminum foil will work. Cut 4 pieces of foil – 8″ long if using heavy foil, and 12″ long if using regular. 
For the heavy foil, fold in half lengthwise; for the regular, fold in thirds lengthwise. The goal is to make a 4″ high strip that will surround the Portobello. Grease one side of the strips with the remaining butter (You may not need all of it, but don’t be stingy – this will prevent the soufflé from sticking.) Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on the greased strips, lightly patting down to make it adhere to the butter. 
Surround each Portobello snuggly with a foil strip, coated side facing the mushroom. Secure it with a paperclip at the top. 
Place mushrooms on a parchment lined cookie sheet and set aside.
Let cool.
Deep breath! Pour the cheese sauce into the beaten whites. Turn the mixer on low and mix until just combined. 
Pour mixture on top of Portobellos, dividing as equally as you can – don’t get crazy about it, though. 
Bake at 350º F for 25 minutes – don’t open the oven door to check before that time. The soufflé should be golden and jiggly. 
Remove paper clip (take care – it’ll be hot!) and foil collar. Serve immediately.
One of my family’s favorite soups is HOT & SOUR. Not only does it have an appealing kick, but I love that you can eat a lot of it with almost no calories. Yay! When I start my meal with a big bowl, it takes the edge off my hunger so I don’t inhale half a dozen eggrolls.
Cut bamboo shoots in half widthwise, then into slivers lengthwise. 
Press out excess liquid from tofu, then cut into 1/2″ cubes. 
Bring vegetable stock to a boil. Add in mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Simmer for 5 minutes. 
In a small bowl stir together 3 T cornstarch and 3 T water. 
Simmer 5-10 minutes. In a small bowl whisk together the egg, 1/2 tsp cornstarch, and 1 tsp water. Turn off heat. VERY SLOWLY drizzle in the egg in a thin stream, going in all directions. 
Turn the heat on again and whisk gently to break up egg strands. Serve.
What could be better on a chilly evening than sipping a nice mug of MULLED APPLE CIDER?! (You could even add in a dash of an adult beverage, if you like.)
Cover and decrease heat enought to maintain a low simmer. (Make sure you cover the pot while cooking the cider. The first time I made it, I left it uncovered and most of the liquid evaporated.) Cook 30 minutes. Done.
Winter squash comes in many varieties and colors – very tempting to buy as a Fall decoration. Of course, cooking them may seem a bit daunting… what with the potential for slicing off a finger or two.
Remove neck (yikes!), slice into rounds, then cut into 1/2″ cubes. Cut the body (this is getting creepy) in half and scrape out seeds and fibers. (Remember to save the seeds, fibers, and skin for the broth!) Slice into 1/2″ thick pieces, then cut those into 1/2″ cubes.
Measure out 1¾ cup of cubes (put any remaining cubes with the skins and seeds for the broth.) Into a 12″ nonstick skillet heat the olive oil over medium/high until shimmering. Add the 1¾ cup of cubed squash, spreading out into a single layer. 
Cook about 5 minutes without stirring, until bottoms are browned. Continue cooking another 4-5 minutes, stirring now and then, trying not to turn them over – you want only one side browned. Remove to a bowl and set aside. 
Into the now empty skillet put the seeds and skins, cooking over medium heat about 4 minutes to brown. (Beware of popping seeds as they cook.)
Remove to a small saucepan. Add in the vegetable stock, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook 10-15 minutes.
Into the empty skillet melt 1½ T butter. Add in the onions, salt, and black pepper. Sauté over medium heat until onions start to brown. 
Add in nutmeg, cinnamon, and garlic. Cook another 30 seconds to bloom the spices. Pour the Arborio into the onions and sauté over medium until edges of rice become translucent. 
Add the wine to the rice and cook uncovered over medium high until it evaporates. 
As the wine is cooking, strain the broth made with seeds. Discard strained solids and set broth aside.
Stir in Parmesan, sage, remaining 1/2 T butter, and lemon juice. Adjust salt and lemon juice, if needed.
I can’t deny it – I’m a huge potato lover. Mashed, French fried, hash browned, scalloped, and baked: I love them all! (It must be a trait inherited from my Irish mother.)
Remove skewer and slice in half, lengthwise, along narrow side of potato so they lay flat.
Carefully, scrap out insides, leaving 1/8″ border to support the skin. (If you scrap a bit too much in a section, just take some of the potato and smash it down to form a patch.) Place potato pulp in a bowl.
With a fork, mash the potato, breaking down lumps – you don’t need to make it as creamy as you would with mashed potatoes…unless, you want. 
Add in the butter and stir until melted. Then add the buttermilk, sour cream, salt, pepper, cheese, and scallions. Mix gently, but thoroughly. 
Divide equally and fill potato skins. At this point, you can cover them and complete preparation later.
Just before serving time, broil potatoes about 4″ from heating element 10-15 minutes, until spotty brown on top. Serve hot.
Vegetarian Cooking For Carnivores BLOG 