The Rural Voice, 2006-12, Page 46Rural Living
Make holidays red hot with cranberries
Selected by Bonnie Gropp
With Christmas comes turkey and
turkey is never complete without
cranberries. But there are many
ways to turn your festive meals red
hot. From beverages to dessert,
cranberries bring colour to your
holiday entertaining.
FESTIVE CRANBERRY
CHICKEN BREASTS
(Chicken Farmers of Ontario)
10 oz (284 mL) can chicken broth,
undiluted
1/3 cup (75 mL) frozen orange
juice, concentrate, undiluted
1 tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp (7 mL) rosemary leaves,
crumbled
1 tsp (5 mL) poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp (2 mL) each salt and
freshly ground black pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3/4 cups (175 mL) whole berry
cranberry sauce
finely grated peel of 1 orange
Stir chicken broth with orange
juice. Remove 1/4 cup (50 mL) and
whisk in cornstarch. Set aside. In a
small bowl, combine rosemary,
poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.
Rub into both sides of chicken.
Spray a large non-stick skillet with
cooking spray and set over medium-
high heat. Brown chicken until
golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side (in
batches if necessary). Return chicken
to pan then stir in broth mixture
(without the cornstarch), cranberry
sauce and orange peel. Bring to a
boil, then reduce heat, cover and
simmer gently turning once during
cooking until chicken is cooked
without a trace of pink in centre,
about 10 minutes.
Push chicken to one side and stir
in cornstarch mixture. Stirring
continuously, bring to a boil and cook
until sauce thickens. Serve sauce over
chicken.
CARAMELIZED APPLE AND
CRANBERRY CROUSTADE
(Foodland Ontario)
1/2 cup (125 mL) unsalted butter
6 cooking apples (such as spy),
peeled and each cut into 8 wedges
42 THE RURAL VOICE
Caramelized Apple and Cranberry Croustade — If making pastry is not your
forte, this is one pie that's easy to put together and will be a showstopper for
company meals. Serve with sweetened, softly -whipped cream.
1 cup (250 mL) cranberries (fresh
or frozen)
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
9 sheets phyllo pastry
1/2 cup (125 mL) icing sugar
1/2 cup (125 mL) sliced almonds
In large skillet, melt half of the
butter over medium-high heat. Stir in
granulated sugar and heat, stirring,
until melted. Add apples and cook,
stirring often, until starting to turn
golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Add
cranberries and cook for 5 minutes,
stirring often. Remove from heat and
stir i.. vanilla. Let cool.
Melt remaining butter. Place side
of 10 -inch (3 L) springform pan
(without the bottom) on greased
baking sheet and grease inside.
Keeping remaining phyllo covered
with plastic wrap and damp tea towel
to prevent drying out, lay 1 sheet on
work surface and brush lightly with
some of the melted butter. Sprinkle
lightly with some of the icing sugar.
Crumple or scrunch up and press
evenly inside pan, not letting it come
up the side. Sprinkle with 4 tsp (20
mL) of the almonds.
Repeat to make 4 layers of phyllo.
Spoon apple -cranberry mixture into
centre, leaving 1 -inch (2.5 cm)
border. Brush 1 sheet of phyllo with
butter, sprinkle with icing sugar and
crumple over apples making sheet go
to side of pan. Sprinkle with
remaining almonds.
Butter and sugar 3 more sheets
and loosely crumple into 3 large roses
to cover top. Butter and sugar
remaining sheet; scrunch into smaller
rose and place in centre.
Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven for
15 minutes. Sprinkle with any
remaining sugar; bake in 400°F
(200°C) oven for 10 minutes or until
golden. Let cool slightly. Remove
pan side and place on plate. Cut into
wedges to serve.
CRANBERRY CHRISTMAS
GINGERBREAD
1 1/2 cup (340 mL) sifted all-
purpose flour
1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
1 tsp (5 mL) ground ginger
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened
1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar
1/3 cup (75 mL) whole -berry
cranberry sauce
1 egg