Very Cranberry

Thanksgiving is only one day away so I am making my list and checking it twice...for baking ingredients not Black Friday sales, people! Since not everyone likes cranberry sauce (or they want the one from the can) I need to figure out what to do with my leftovers. Cranberry margaritas, duh! This recipe is from The Red Cat, one of my fave restaurants in NYC. Check out their delish zucchini recipe here. 

For this fabulous margarita, just make a cranberry sauce as you normally would for Thanksgiving dinner, but then instead of smearing it all over a turkey sandwich, add it to a cocktail shaker and watch your margarita turn a lovely shade of pink. Festive and delicious. Bottoms up!

Cranberry Margarita

Jam:
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

Drink:
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder, if desired
1 lime, cut into wedges
4 ounces Triple Sec or Cointreau
6 ounces Tequila

1. Make the jam: Bring the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and jammy, 30–40 minutes. Mix in the orange zest; let cool. DO AHEAD: Jam can be made 5 days ahead. Cover and chill.

2. Make the drinks: Mix the salt, sugar, and five-spice powder (if using) on a small plate. Rub the rims of Old Fashioned glasses with a lime wedge; dip in the salt mixture and fill the glasses with ice.

3. For each cocktail, combine 1 ounce lime juice, 1 ounce Triple Sec, 1½ ounces tequila, and 2 tablespoons cranberry jam in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice. Cover and shake until the outside is frosty, about 30 seconds. Strain into the prepared glasses.

Apple Expectations

How is November halfway over?? It's going to be Christmas in one second so...time to start baking!

I've been flipping through magazines trying to get some new ideas for Thanksgiving desserts. I've made all sorts of pies in the past, but the truth is that I have to produce an apple crisp or I will be asked to leave dinner! For realz. (These peeps expect a crisp or a crumble at each and every dinner that I attend. Holiday or not.) I was just thinking that maybe I could jazz it up somehow? Like with cranberries? I like the tartness that they add, but not sure if my dinner crowd will approve. I think that they may be apple crisp purists. Or just happy to get whatever I make? I'll go with that. I made a mini version today, essentially a half batch, and I was totes happy. (Just wish I had some ice cream or whipped cream.) We'll what I can get away with!

Apple-Cranberry Crisp

Topping
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 cup old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Filling
1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries
2 1/2 pounds Fuji or Rome or Granny Smith apples (or a mix - about 6 medium), peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Vanilla ice cream

1. For the topping: Combine brown sugar, oats, flour, and salt in large bowl. Stir to blend. Add the butter and rub in with fingertips until the mixture comes together in clumps. Cover and chill while preparing the filling. (The topping can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.)

2. For the filling: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Generously butter a 13x9x2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Combine the cranberries, apples, sugar, flour and cinnamon in a large bowl. Transfer the filling to the prepared dish. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit mixture.

3. Bake the crisp until the filling bubbles and the topping is crisp and deep golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Serve with ice cream, if desired. Makes 8 - 10 servings. 

Discovering Fall

It's been a crazy month and I'm personally looking forward to it's end. I'm exhausted. And I can't believe that Thanksgiving is only a few days away! I haven't been cooking at all, unless you count defrosting some of the contents of my freezer in anticipation of losing power (which I did not, thankfully!). I am totes looking forward to trying out some new fall side dishes and baking some pies. 

Somewhere along the way, and for some unknown reason, I made a carrot cake, a potential alternative to pumpkin pie or a nice fall birthday cake. (I probably bought carrots for another use and forgot why.) Speaking of birthdays, I recently had one of my own and on that oh-so-special day, managed to get a reservation to see Discovering Columbus, the installation by the artist, Tatzu Nishi. The exhibition has been extended because of The Hurricane, so you now have until December 2 to get your own reservation. (It's free, but you need an advanced reservation to see it.) I highly recommend it. When else are you going to be able to see a statue in person that is otherwise situated out of reach at 75 feet in the air? And then you should go home and make some carrot cake. Because there's...Cream. Cheese. Frosting.

The structure

Entering The Room

Columbus

Nishi's Wallpaper Design

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
From The Ski House Cookbook

Cake 
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground nutmeg
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups canola oil
3 cups shredded carrots (about 6 medium)
1 cup chopped pecans

Frosting
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1 (16-ounce) box confectioner’s sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter one 9 x 13 pan or two 9-inch round cake pans.

2. To make the cake, in a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a large bowl, beat the eggs lightly to combine, then whisk in the oil. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. Stir in the carrots and nuts. 

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan or divide the batter evenly between the two round pans. Bake for 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Remove to a rack to cool. For the round pans, cool for 5 minutes, then unmold and cool completely. 

4. To make the frosting, in a large bowl beat together the cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, butter, and vanilla. Spread the frosting evenly over the top. For a layered cake, spread the frosting between the layers and over the sides and top. Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated for up to 5 days. 

Just Squash It

Lately people have been asking me about what to make for Thanksgiving. Since it's still a few weeks away, I was thinking that I would devote next week to talking about ideas for different sides and desserts. But let's face it. The Occasional Cook can't promise consistent blogging or daily cooking, so I'm just going to have to throw out ideas as they come to me (and when I'm not as some random restaurant or wine bar).

I recently came across a recipe for a squash puree that struck me as both uniquely autumnal and somewhat healthy (the latter being a questionable adjective when it comes to Thanksgiving and the inevitable carbo load). I think it would make a great snack to nibble on while everyone is arriving and your host is still dealing with last minute preparations. You could easily sip some bubbles, a Chardonnay, or a Pinot Noir and be perfectly happy with this appetizer.



Butternut Squash Dip
(Adapted from Recipes for Health)

2 - 2 1/2 pounds butternut squash
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup sesame tahini, stirred if the oil has separated out
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pomegranate seeds and extra virgin olive oil for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Lightly brush a baking sheet with olive oil. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy membranes, sprinkle with salt and pepper and lay cut-side down. Bake for 45 minutes to one hour, or until very soft. A knife should cut through it without resistance, and the skin should be wrinkled. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, then peel and transfer to a food processor fitted with the steel blade (alternatively mash with a potato masher in a large bowl). Add the tahini, and puree until smooth and creamy.

2. Combine the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt on a cutting board and mash to a paste with the side of a chef's knife. Add to the food processor (or bowl) along with the lemon juice and cumin, and blend together (or stir together). Add additional salt to taste.

3. Serve the puree in a wide bowl or on a plate. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top, and garnish with pomegranate seeds. Serve with warm pita bread or pita chips. Makes about 3 1/2 cups.