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Homemade Cranberry Sauce Is Simply Delicious

partysugar — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:15:58 -0800

While some people swear by canned cranberry, in my opinion, nothing beats a homemade variation. Making cranberry is incredibly easy. All you have to do is combine the components in a pot and simmer for 20 minutes. From jelly to gelatin, there are many ingredients that can be mixed with the cranberries. In this recipe, plump dried cherries add a sweet tartness to the sauce, while fresh orange juice provides a nice acidity. When I was cooking it, I considered pureeing it in the food processor to make it smooth, but in the end, I decided the chunks of cranberry were necessary for a rich texture. To look at how I made it, read more.

Cranberry Sauce with Dried Cherries
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups cranberries (one 12-ounce bag)
3/4 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
zest and juice of 1 orange (about 1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons grated ginger, peeled
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar

Directions

Combine cranberries, cherries, shallots, vinegar, orange zest and juice, ginger, and brown sugar in a medium saucepan, and cook over medium heat until cranberries pop.
Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, until cranberries release their juices, about 15 minutes. If the cranberry sauce becomes too thick, add water until the desired consistency is reached. Transfer to a bowl to cool.

Makes 3 cups.

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Easy Winter Treat: Pears With Cherries and Chocolate Sauce

YumSugar — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:18:11 -0800

Winter isn't the most bountiful time for produce, but the season does bring deliciously fresh pears, which I add to everything from salads to cocktails. In fact, baked pears are one of my favorite desserts to make for a casual dinner party. They're insanely easy and relatively healthy. Plus, pear desserts look and taste sophisticated, so guests are always impressed.

To whip up a pear dessert with local produce, why not try this version with dried cherries and a simple chocolate sauce? It's just a little bit decadent and requires a minimal amount of effort. To get the recipe, read more.

Pears and Dried Cherries With Chocolate Sauce
From Everyday Food

Note: With its sharp-edged bowls, a melon baller is a good tool to have when you're preparing pears. If you don't have one, use a teaspoon.

Prep: 10 minutes
Total: 40 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 (about 1 1/2 pounds total) firm, ripe Bartlett pears
1/2 cup dried cherries
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel pears with a vegetable peeler. Halve lengthwise, leaving the stems intact. Using a melon baller, scoop out seeds. With a paring knife, remove thin fibrous core that runs from stem to bottom.
In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, place pears (cut side down), cherries, and 1/4 cup water; cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until pears are tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make chocolate sauce: In a small saucepan, combine corn syrup and chocolate. Stir over low heat until melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in cream until smooth.
To serve, divide pears and cherries among serving plates; drizzle with warm chocolate sauce.

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Cranberry Sauce with Dried Cherries

partysugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:35:05 -0800

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Bobby Flay's Sandwich Tips

partysugar — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:00:01 -0700

Yesterday we brought you a fun little video of Bobby Flay making sandwiches, and today we've got his tips for crafting the best 'wich! While Flay is known for his superior grill skills, he's also a sponsor for Best Foods mayonnaise and a master of sandwich making. Here's how the Iron Chef recommends building a better sandwich:

When a sandwich contains several moist ingredients (mayonnaise, tomatoes, etc), use a thick, crusty bread like ciabatta.
When putting together a simple sandwich with fewer ingredients, like ham and cheese, select thinly sliced bread.

Get the rest of Flay's fabulous suggestions when you read more.

For sandwiches on the go, separate the elements: Put the bread in one baggy, the condiments in a small Tupperware or squirt bottle, and the veggies in another baggy. Assemble just before eating.
Get creative! Instead of using lettuce, opt for other crunchy vegetables. When they come in contact with oil-based condiments, sliced cucumber and fennel won't wilt or turn soggy.
Add a kick to any sandwich with strong flavors like smoked Spanish paprika, fresh ground black pepper, chili powder, or fresh lime juice.
Make sure your sandwich is full of color. Incorporate fresh vibrant elements such as parsley leaves, finely diced red onions, or green, yellow, and red peppers.
Don't forget to have fun with your ingredients! Who says you can’t enjoy the crunch of blue corn chips on your sandwich? Why not include chopped toasted walnuts or pecans? How about dried cranberries, cherries, or raisins? The sky is the limit.
Think outside the box. By adding a creamy lemon-chive vinaigrette, you can take the classic egg sandwich from breakfast to dinner.
Make your own custom sauces. Jazz up store-made condiments with fresh herbs, citrus juice, horseradish, roasted tomatoes, olives, or chiles.

How do you make the ultimate sandwich? Share your tips with us below!

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Custom Blends: Frozen Yogurt's Newest Trend?

YumSugar — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:00:04 -0700

If the new pomegranate flavors from Pinkberry and Red Mango don't do it for you, consider this: what if you had an endless number of flavors to choose from?

High-tech blending processes may be the next big wave in the frozen-yogurt trend. That's what I discovered when I visited the San Francisco outpost of Yogen Früz, a fro-yo chain with a high-tech yogurt concept. First, I chose from single-serving packages of a base yogurt in various flavors (low-fat vanilla, nonfat vanilla, or low-fat chocolate) with probiotic cultures.

Then I chose two toppings out of a large selection that included frozen fruits (strawberries, cherries, mangoes, lychees, blueberries, etc.) and dry toppings (Cap'n Crunch, almonds, coconut flakes, granola, and the like). Together they went into a proprietary machine. Twenty seconds later, I was enjoying my lychee mango vanilla creation, which was whipped, creamy, and studded with icy chunks of mango and lychee.

Yogen Früz may have pioneered the idea, but - with specially designed yogurt-blending machines available on the web, other boutique yogurt bars have caught on. Have you tried this type of yogurt? Now that the fancy frozen yogurt trend is waning, do you think custom blended fro-yo could be the next big thing?

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All About Cherries

partysugar — Thu, 17 May 2007 08:21:32 -0700

Like strawberries, cherries are another of my favorite spring/early summer fruits. Since today is National Cherry Cobbler day, I thought I would take the time to let you know all about cherries. Cherries grow on trees and are a member of the stone fruit family - along with plums and peaches. When purchasing cherries avoid those with blemishes, mushy/light skin, or those that are shriveled. Cherries do not ripen after they have been picked, so choose those that appear plump, firm, smooth, dark/brightly colored with their stems pliable and attached (dry stems = old cherries). As they bruise easily, handle with care and thoroughly rinse and wash before consuming. Refrigerate to improve flavor and length of life, yet eat at room temperature for the best taste. Store cherries in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

You should eat them in about three days. Generally speaking darker colored cherries are sweeter making them an excellent dessert. There are a wide variety of cherries on the market from Bing to Ranier to Queen Anne, and the peak cherry season is June/July. A sour variety is best for making pies, jams, and pastries - save the sweet ones for eating alone. To pit, slam with a knife as you would a clove of garlic to remove the skin or use a paper clip to slide in and stab the pit out.

Celebrate Chocolate-Covered Cherries in a Cookie

YumSugar — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 01:18:31 -0800

Like so many bizarre food holidays, I'm not sure we really need a National Chocolate-Covered Cherry Day. But that day is today, and I can't argue that chocolate-covered cherries are worth celebrating. I used to be a big fan of syrupy chocolate-cherry candies like Cella's, but as I've gotten older, I gravitate toward more sophisticated and less artificial cherry flavors.

For an adult take on this sweet candy treat, I recently found a tremendous recipe for Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies; this dessert blends bittersweet and semisweet chocolate with dried cherries for a bold, decadent flavor. The consistency falls somewhere between a cookie and a fudgy brownie, and the flavor is more reminiscent of candy. To celebrate this weird food holiday, get the recipe, just read more.

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies
From the San Francisco Chronicle

Makes about 5 dozen cookies

INGREDIENTS:

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup butter
3 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into chunks
3/4 cup coarsely chopped dried cherries

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°.
In the top of a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool.
In a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, until mixture is thick and fluffy (ribbon consistency). Remove bowl from mixer, add cooled chocolate and vanilla, and stir the mixture by hand to incorporate.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into the mixture, and stir until just combined. Fold in the semisweet chocolate chunks and cherries.
Drop by rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheets lined with parchment, and bake for 8-10 minutes, until tops are shiny and cracked.

Per serving: 70 calories, 1 g protein, 11 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat (2 g saturated), 16 mg cholesterol, 18 mg sodium, 0 fiber.

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Rustic Italian Salad Makes an Impressive Lunch

YumSugar — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 08:00:25 -0800

During the holidays, it seems I just go from one rich, multi-course family meal to another, so the day after Thanksgiving, I wanted a light but satisfying lunch that would impress even the harshest of family critics.

This salad was just the thing. The pears, grapes and dried cherries added a natural sweetness to the salad that contrasted well with the aged balsamic vinegar and pecorino cheese. The pine nuts added a buttery flavor, and the prosciutto a crispy texture. To make this for your family - mine went nuts over it! - read more.

Insalata Rustica
From Bon Appétit

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 ounces 1/8-inch-thick slices prosciutto, chopped
1 1/2 cups stemmed seedless red grapes
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
10 cups (loosely packed) greens, such as frisée, arugula, and torn radicchio
2 Bosc pears, cored; 1 cut into matchstick-size pieces, 1 thinly sliced
Aged balsamic vinegar (for drizzling)
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
4 ounces 1/8-inch-thick rectangular slices Pecorino Romano cheese, each slice cut on diagonal into triangles

Directions

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Whisk 1/2 cup oil and lemon juice in small bowl. Season dressing with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add prosciutto to skillet and sauté until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer crisp prosciutto to paper towels to drain.
Toss grapes with 1 tablespoon oil on rimmed baking sheet. Roast until grapes begin to shrivel, about 15 minutes. Cool grapes on baking sheet.
Place cherries in small bowl. Add enough hot water to cover cherries by 1 inch. Let cherries soak in bowl 15 minutes to soften. Drain.*
Mix greens, matchstick-sized pear pieces, dressing, 2/3 of prosciutto, grapes, and cherries in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among plates.
Garnish with pear slices, drizzle with vinegar, and sprinkle with pine nuts and remaining prosciutto. Garnish with cheese.

Serves 8.

*Dressing, prosciutto, grapes, and cherries can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

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Happy Hour: 2003 Walter Clore Private Reserve Red

YumSugar — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:15:44 -0700

Last night, I popped the cork on this 2003 Columbia Crest Walter Clore Private Reserve Red ($35). The wine wasn't a single varietal (like Syrah or Zinfandel), but rather a Bordeaux-style blend of several different grapes. Red wine from France's Bordeaux region implies a blend of several different varietals, including Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

The hue was a deep purple, and the taste bone-dry with a velvety finish and full body. Drinking the wine reminded me of the pleasures of Summer - blackberries and cherries - with a hint of chocolate.

What else did the wine remind me of? The person who sent it to me as a gift. As my favorite wine columnists say, "Wine can conjure up memories in a way that few other things can."

It's certainly true that drinking this wine conjured up great memories of our friendship. Does the same hold true for you when you drink wine?

Local Loving: Rosamunde's Sausages

partysugar — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:00:17 -0700

Anytime I end up drinking in San Francisco's lower Haight district, I have to make a pit stop at Rosamunde Sausage Grill. The hole in the wall joint is perfect for a meal on the go or for grabbing a sausage to enjoy at a nearby bar. One yells his/her sausage of choice - beer, Italian, smoked haberno tequila chicken, lamb, etc. - over the crowd. After a seven-minute wait, another quick decision for toppings (onions, kraut, grilled hot or sweet peppers, ketchup, mustard) is made before being met by pure sausage bliss.

Despite its tough appearance, Rosamunde's succulent, juicy sausages are a sophisticated, grown up take on the classic hot dog. The gourmet fillings - sun dried tomatoes, cherry, fennel - enhance the flavor of the thick skinned sausages. I love this place for its unpretentious atmosphere, delicious food, and ability to satiate after too many beers.Have you been to Rosamunde's? What did you think? If you aren't in the area, what's your favorite local spot to go for sausages or late night food?