Cranberries & Black Friday

While they don’t sparkle like real jewels, fresh cranberries remind me of cabochon rubies. And while I love rubies, why don’t fresh cranberries get the love they deserve?

Recipes using dried cranberries are endless! Really, what’s to love about them when they’re shriveled up and overly sweet?

Pairing their tartness against the sweetness of cranberry-orange nut bread or Meyer lemon and cranberry scones is magical.

Its name derives from the German kraanbere (English translation, craneberry), first named as cranberry in English in 1647 by missionary John Eliot. Around 1694, German and Dutch colonists in New England used the word to represent the expanding flower, stem, calyx and petals resembling the neck, head and bill of a crane.

The Narragansett people of the Algonquian Nation in New England used cranberries in pemmican (a mixture of tallow, dried meat and sometimes dried berries) and for dye. Calling the red berries sasemineash, they may have introduced the fruit to Massachusetts settlers. In 1663, the Pilgrim cookbook contained a recipe for cranberry sauce.

Did you know cranberries contain one of the highest concentrations of antioxidants of any fruit? A fresh bag will keep in the refrigerator about three weeks and in the freezer for not quite forever, but for years. I’d love a photo of how you use fresh ones.

Black Friday Deal
Has your inbox been inundated with Black Friday offers for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday?

On Friday, take advantage of a fantastic gift for the foodie in your life or even treat yourself – Flying Aprons Tucson Gift Cards starting at $50.00 will be discounted 10%! The savings will automatically be applied at checkout. The discount doesn’t apply to previous purchases.

Wishing you joy in the kitchen and a delicious Thanksgiving,
Michele

Meyer Lemon Fresh Cranberry Scones
Adapted from Gourmet magazine

1 ½ tablespoons freshly grated Meyer lemon zest, about 2 lemons
2 ½ cups all-purpose unbleached flour
½ cup + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces
1 ¼ cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 large egg + 1 large yolk
1 cup heavy cream
Crème fraîche or whipped cream or lemon glaze, optional
¾-1 cup powdered sugar, optional for glaze
1 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice, optional for glaze

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Line 1 large or 2 half sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. Using a microplane or zester, remove the zest from lemons, reserving them for another use or juice if making glaze.
3. In a food processor pulse flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, salt, butter and zest until mixture resembles coarse meal; transfer to a large bowl.
4. In a small bowl, toss cranberries with 3 tablespoons sugar then stir into flour mixture.
5. In another small bowl, lightly beat egg and yolk and stir in cream. Add to flour mixture and stir until just combined.
6. On a well-floured surface with floured hands, pat dough into a 1-inch-thick round about 8 inches in diameter and using a 2-inch round cutter or rim of a glass dipped in flour, cut as many rounds as possible. Reroll scraps as necessary, spacing 1 inch apart on baking sheets.
7. Bake 15-20 minutes or until pale golden colored.
8. To make optional lemon glaze, in a bowl, combine confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice. Glaze should be thin and drizzle on with a spoon. Or serve warm with optional crème fraîche or whipped cream.
8. Scones are best when freshly baked. They will keep, individually wrapped in plastic and foil in the refrigerator for 1 day or frozen 1 week.