Holiday Parties

From Meg's Kitchen

Tis the season to be jolly, overeat and toast all the goodness that surrounds us.  I have had to miss a few parties and gatherings this year because of cataract surgery (eyes are still adjusting but for the first time in over 50 years I do not have to wear glasses all my waking hours).  But there have been a few food related events I have attended or hosted that have included memorable dishes.

Yesterday I attended my art group's 2nd annual holiday potluck luncheon (there are 12 awesome members in this group, who are not only great and/or budding artists but also wonderful cooks).  I brought a chocolate hazelnut meringue cake from Martha Stewart (you can get the recipe through Google) and everyone thought it was great.  BTW, it is a gluten free recipe.  My favorite dish was probably one of the simplest - sliced (peeled) persimmons topped with pomegranate seeds.  I have made persimmon bread in the past (my aunt had a persimmon tree and was very generous).  But I had never tried the fruit raw.  Man, have I missed out!

I did not use all the raw cranberries that I purchased for our Thanksgiving feast and I saved them knowing that I would find a use for them.  Lo and behold ( OK, looked up the phrase because I had no idea what it meant and it is supposed to mean "look and see") I found a recipe for 1 1/2 cups raw cranberries which is about what I had left over.  The recipe was provided by a Pacific Northwest chain grocery store.  I made a few changes, are you not surprised?  The recipe follows.

Roasted Cranberry and Goat Cheese Flatbread

This is supposed to serve 8 but the 4 of us ate it all as an appetizer...  But it was the only appetizer served.
It takes about 45 minutes to prepare.

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
3 TBSP maple syrup (pure maple syrup would be wonderful but not necessary)
1 TBSP chopped green onions
1/2 tsp dry thyme or 1 tsp leaves of fresh thyme
2 flatbreads (about 14 oz each - I used Trader Joe's gluten free flatbread)
4 oz goat cheese
1/2 cup chopped pecans
For topping: Honey or Agave syrup to drizzle on and chopped greens (about 1/2 cup) such as arugula, water cress, spinach...

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a small pan mix the cranberries, syrup, onions, and thyme.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the mixture begins to thicken.  Remove from the heat and stir to break down the cranberries.  The mixture will thicken as it cools.

While the cranberry jam is coming together, bake the flatbreads on an oven rack until the breads are just crispy - about 5 minutes.

Remove the breads from the oven and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Spread the flatbreads with the cranberry jam and top each one with the goat cheese (you might consider layering the goat cheese on the bottom and spreading the cranberry jam on top because it wasn't easy for me to spread the cheese over the gooey jam.  Sprinkle the chopped pecans over the flatbreads and return them to the oven for about 5 minutes.

Garnish with chopped greens and drizzle with Agave syrup or honey.  Cut into small wedges and serve immediately.  Leftovers (if any!) can be refrigerated. 

Variations:  You could substitute the cranberry jam and goat cheese  with orange marmalade and brie cheese or fig jam with blue cheese...  the variations could be endless.

Double Chocolate Biscotti

From Mary’s Kitchen

The day is grey and very windy.  The Christmas tree and decorations are already up – poinsettia by the door.  Definitely an indoor day, so I baked.  I think I have already mentioned that I need little excuse to bake….

Meg commented that biscotti make great gifts and they do.  Some of my friends have come to expect the biscotti bag at the holiday.  They are easy to make, festive and keep well – if not eaten quickly.  Here is another of my favorite recipes, for a double chocolate biscotti.  I’ve fiddled with this recipe a lot too.  In previous versions I’ve used pistachios or pecans, instead of walnuts.  The cranberries have been a staple, as is the crystallized ginger. This is a good recipe for those who want to avoid added fat (assuming we can discount the fat in the chocolate chips.

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups flour
1  cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa

1  tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cups broken walnut pieces

3/4 cups dried cranberries

3 oz crystallied ginger slices, chopped into ~1/4” chunks

3 large eggs, room temperature

2 tsps vanilla extract

Measure the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl, then whisk together.  Stir in the chocolate chips, nuts, cranberries and ginger.  In a small bowl, lightly beat together the eggs and the vanilla extract.  Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients.  Mix by hand with a wooden spoon until just combined. The dough mixture will be very stiff – I can’t see this working in a mixer.  Turn the dough out onto a floured board or countertop. Knead a few times to bring the dough into a cohesive brick.  Use a bench knife to cut the dough into 2 equal pieces, then roll each into a log about 15" long.  Place the logs lengthwise on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 

Bake the logs in a preheated 350-degree oven for 35 min – convection mode is best.  The logs will spread a little and the tops will crack and dry.  Remove from the oven, then reduce the oven temp to 325 degrees.  Let the logs cool on the baking sheet for about 14 min. Transfer the logs to a cutting board.  Use a serrated bread knife to cut the logs crosswise at an angle into ~1/2" wide slices. Place the slices cut side down onto parchment covered baking sheets, then bake again for 12 min.  Turn the slices over and bake again for 5-7 min.  Let the biscotti cool completely on a rack.  Makes about 3 ½ dozen biscotti.  They will keep in a covered container for several weeks.

Some notes on experiments:  

I gave a copy of this recipe to my sister, who also is an avid baker. She commented that the taste was great, but that hers never came out as crunchy as mine.  Over one holiday visit when we were baking together, I looked at her copy – I’d forgotten to include the soda in the recipe…  Not intentional, I assure you.  Our lesson is that leavening does make a difference.  I tried using the pre-chopped ginger nuggets, but I find that crystallized slices deliver a less sugary piece with a better ginger “bite”.   The mini-chocolate chips tempted me once, but I find they tend to fuse in the cooking and create big, grainy chocolate pieces.  I did not try that version again.  You are hopefully getting the idea that experimentation with biscotti recipes is acceptable, even encouraged.  Even when new attempts might produce a product ready for prime time, all seem somehow to get eaten. 

Meg's Comment

Mary, this recipe sounds devine.  I can just taste the various flavor combinations - the smooth chocolate, spicy ginger and tangy cranberries - Yum. I don't do a lot of baking; partially because I try to be gluten free and the hubs is not and thinks that gluten-free doesn't taste as good. Plus there are not many recipes for baked goods that serve one. The hubs' favorite dessert is flan (recipe coming soon). Finally, baking is more of an exact science than other cooking where substitutions and errors in recipe reading are most often inconsequential.  I am notorious at misreading recipes - for example I made the hubs flan for his recent birthday but misread the recipe and failed to pick up eggs when I shopped for the sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. And this is why Mary, the scientist, is a better baker than I.  However, you would think that a librarian would be a good reader - I guess not for detail when you are accustomed to reading as many books as possible so that you can recommend books to your readers.