cranberry | Bewitching Kitchen

I adapted this recipe from a salad version published a few years ago by Jessica, from howsweeteats. Absolutely delicious, it will be part of our rotation for sure from now on. I urge you to give it a try.

FARRO AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH CRANBERRY-CINNAMON DRESSING
(slightly modified from Jessica’s howsweeteats)

for the grain and squash component:
2 cups cooked farro
3 cups cubed butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
kosher salt and pepper
1 cup whole pecans
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 cup dried cranberries
feta cheese to taste, crumbled
chopped fresh parsley, to taste

for the dressing:
3 tablespoons cranberry juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoona Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup olive oil

Heat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the squash on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, or until slightly caramelized and fork tender. While the squash is roasting, cook the farro, or you can cook that hours in advance and warm up before assembling the dish.

Toast the pecans on a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Drizzle in the maple syrup. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, as the maple syrup sizzles. Spread the pecans on a sheet of parchment paper until ready to use.

Make the dressing: Whisk together the vinegar, juice, honey, mustard, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Reserve.

Place the farro in a large bowl. Toss in the roasted butternut squash cubes, the dried cranberries, feta cheese and pecans. Drizzle on a few tablespoons of the vinaigrette and mix it all well. Taste the farro and adjust seasoning, if needed. Drizzle in more of the vinaigrette, top with the fresh parsley.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I fell in love with this recipe from the first bite and felt quite sad when I had the last one. Which, by the way, happened next day, when I polished what was left for my lunch, with a tasty fried egg on top.

Everything works, all flavors mingle together in harmony, the chew of the farro, the crunch of the pecans, the absolutely delicious dressing. Speaking of it, the dressing will be awesome on many types of salads also. This recipe is a total winner!

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I am deeply enamored with these cookies. Think Linzer wearing a different outfit… You will need a special ingredient, that can be found here.

ALMOND-CRANBERRY SANDWICH COOKIES
(adapted from Selefina website)

FOR THE COOKIE
226g butter, room temperature
50g sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp cinnamon (cassia), ground
1 tablespoon cranberry juice powder (from Selefina)
250g all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
50g almond flour
¼ tsp salt

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM FILLING
60g butter, softened
160g powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 to 2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp cranberry juice powder

Make the cookie:
Using an electric mixer, cream the room temperature butter with the sugar. Once combined and smooth, add in the egg and vanilla. Stir again.

In a separate bowl whisk together the remainder of the ingredients. Once mixed, add the dry into the creamed butter mixture. Mix only until combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, then chill for about 20 minutes. After the dough has had time to chill, remove it from the plastic wrap and roll it over parchment paper in the thickness you prefer for sandwich cookies, I like to go reasonably thin. Using a round cookie cutter, cut out your circles and transfer them onto a parchment-lined baking tray. Then go back and cut out a smaller whole in the center of just half your cookies. Freeze the unbaked cookies for 10 minutes before baking at 350F for 8-12 minutes.

Make the buttercream: In an electric mixer, whip the butter and then slowly add the powdered sugar at a low speed. Add in the vanilla, then some milk 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Whip on high speed to add air into the buttercream for just a minute or so. Then slowly add the cranberry powder until you get your desired pink color.

Assemble the cookies: To assemble, add the buttercream into a pastry bag with a 1M tip and pipe it onto the bottom cookie pieces. Before you add the tops on, make a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cranberry power to dust over the top cookies. Once they’re dusted pink gently press them onto the buttercream/cookie.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I never thought of showcasing a filling for sandwich cookies using a star icing tip to pipe a rose, but now I think it is one great way to do it. Of course, you cannot make it with jam, but it is pretty straightforward to whip up a little buttercream, and I believe totally worth it. Selefina has many interesting powders for sale. I have cranberry, butterfly pea flower, and mango. Stay tuned to see them in baked goodies soon!

The recipe for these cookies is found in their website but I modified it to use a lot less of the cranberry juice powder. It seemed excessive to almost empty my bottle to make a batch of cookies. The cranberry flavor came through bright and clear the way I did it, so I am happy with the way they turned out.