The salad that I did for the church luncheon on Saturday was full of fall flavor. I used a bed of baby lettuces and arranged maple caramelized pear slices on one side and two wedges of white New York sharp cheddar on the other. It balanced the plates visually but also the tastes balanced out. The pears were very sweet, the cheddar very tangy. I finished the salad with dried cranberries, toasted pecans and a cranberry vinaigrette that was not only pretty it was delicious. I think I like this better than the Raspberry Lime vinaigrette I did last summer…I am not sure.

If you are looking for a starter course for Thanksgiving dinner I think this would be awesome. You can easily arrange it ahead of time and have it on the table.

Caramelized Pear-Cheddar Salad

for each salad you will need:

• 1/2 cup lettuce or baby spinach leaves – I had both in a mixture. I like the lettuce because some of it was a nice burgundy red and so complimented the fall theme nicely.
• 1/2 caramelized pear, sliced into a fan – just slice up through the pear lengthwise but not all the way to the top
• 2 tbs dried cranberries
• 2 tbs toasted pecans
• 1 1/4 inch thick slice Sharp Cheddar cut in wedges

Just place the salad on a plate and arrange the pear and Cheddar on the side. sprinkle with the cranberries and nuts.

Cranberry Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup cranberries
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup vegetable oil (try walnut oil for this)
• 2 tbs sugar
• 1 tbs maple syrup
• 2 tbs red onion, chopped
• 1 orange grated, juice added to vinaigrette
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Blend all ingredients except the grated orange zest to a blender.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Add the orange peel and let stand for 30 minutes for flavors to blend.

Caramelized Pears

• 1 pear for every 2 servings
• 3 tbs sugar
• 2 tbs maple syrup
• 2 tbs butter

1. Preheat your oven to 375F
2. Glaze pears with maple, sprinkle with sugar
3. Melt the butter over medium heat
4. Place pears in butter cut side down
5. Cook about 3 minutes or until the cut side is beginning to brown.
6. Add to greased pan and bake 30 minutes

image:Marye Audet

Post from: Baking Delights

Which is why it seems so amazingly unfair that I have lived in Texas for most of my adult life. Lest this turn into another whine about the four states where I would prefer to hang my Calphalon pots we will move right along to the post for today..

If you make these small they are great appetizers. If you make them a little larger they are a breakfast roll. Either way they are amazing. You can make this simple if you want and buy frozen pizza dough but it is simple to make and much better homemade.

The chewy dough holds creamy, piquant chevre, tangy cranberry, and a bite-ya-back touch of black pepper. It is an unexpected combination that really works. You can use the filling in puff pastry, phyllo nests, and other doughs for a change of pace, or you can make it really easy and serve it on crackers. Everyone needs a quick go-to appetizer recipe and this one may end up being yours.

Chevre, Cranberry, and Black Pepper Appetizer Pizzas

• 1 lb chevre (goat cheese)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon orange zest

Break up into a glass bowl. Mash together gently with a fork. Cover and allow flavors to blend for thirty minutes to an hour.

Pizza Dough: I still like the Daring Bakers Pizza Dough we did last autumn, but if you are looking for more here are several:

• Part wheat pizza crust
• Alton Brown’s Pizza Crust
• Epicurious Pizza Crust

Instructions:

Follow the dough instructions to the shaping. Break off egg sized balls of dough (or a little smaller) and form into small rounds on baking sheet. Allow to rise for 30 minutes. Gently make a well in the centers and add the chevre mixture by tablespoons. Bake at 375 for ten minutes or until done.

This will make about 24, depending on the size.

Post from: Baking Delights

I am loving the after Christmas clearances at the grocery stores.  I don’t know how it is where you are but apparently people around here did not bake, cook, or buy as much as usual because there are a ton of things clearanced.

I scored fresh cranberries for 50 cents a bag at the store the other day.  Cranberries are quite the popular item here so I bought enough to make cranberry whatever at least a couple of times a month from now until November.  Cranberries freeze really well, if you didn’t know that.  Just toss the bags in the freezer.

Anyway, I normally make cranberry bread during the holiday season, but I also had a mushy banana so I made cranberry banana bread.  I liked it a lot because the mellow sweetness of the banana tempers the sharp tartness of the cranberries.  Nice.

Look, if you are going to the trouble to make cranberry bread don;t be cheap with the cranberries or nuts if you add them).  Add enough to make it look like there are more than three in the recipe!  I have seen cranberry bread that looks like it is literally “cranBERRY” bread…I always want to suggest that the person try using more than one finely chopped berry the next time.

The best way to chop the cranberries for cranberry bread is by hand.  The food processor grinds them too much in my opinion.  Cranberries are best when they are chopped in fourths or eights. More or less I mean, I don’t take hours with it.

Cranberry Banana Bread

• 1/4 c unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Grated rind of 1 orange
• 1 cup mashed banana
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cup cranberries coarsely chopped
• 1 cup pecans chopped, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Grease and flour a loaf pan
3. Cream butter and sugar
4. Beat in egg
5. Combine dry ingredients
6. Sprinkle about two tablespoons of the dry ingredients over the cranberries and toss
7. Combine orange rind, banana, and milk
8. Add dry ingredients to sugar mixture alternately with the milk mixture
9. Fold in cranberries and pecans
10. Bake for about one to one and a fourth hours
11. Cool

Image:Marye Audet (c)2009, all rights reserved

Post from: Baking Delights