maple – LoremIpsum

This is a wonderful cranberry dessert that is perfect any time of of the year, especially during the holidays. I don’t remember when we actually made this dessert for the first time, but I do remember the little “catastrophe” that followed….

My husband, Matt and I were over at my parents’ house back in 2010 for a Sunday lunch. My dad normally grills out when we come over, and I remember my mom, sister and I put together this delicious cranberry-maple pudding cake at the last minute. After a satisfying lunch, we were ready to go home. With leftover food in his hands, Matt carried out the pudding cake, car keys, and some of my “stuff” to the car. Unfortunately, the dessert would never make it home…

The cranberry dessert slipped from Matt’s hands, and fell to it’s final destination, the concrete driveway, producing broken casserole dish pieces galore. Okay, I may be exaggerating a little, but we were certainly not going to eat the leftovers in fear that we might swallow some broken glass! Disappointed as we were, I guess we saved ourselves some calories that night, and the next few days as well!

For Christmas this year, we thought we’d whip up this lovely dessert once again. This time, there was no clumsiness and I fully enjoyed leftover cranberry-maple pudding cake for the next week.

As far as taste, this dessert is sure to please those that like cooked fruit (not my dad). The maple syrup calms down the tart cranberries and creates a slightly sweet and delectable flavor. I am reminded of a cobbler with a sweet cornbread taste, juicy fruit, and an interestingly irresistible texture. Top it with a simple squirt of Reddi-wip, a dollop Cool Whip, or my favorite… a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, and you’ve got yourself a crowd pleaser.

Enjoy!

Cranberry-Maple Pudding Cake

Ingredients
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup pure maple syrup (grade B or grade A dark amber)
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 tsp. finely grated orange peel
pinch plus 1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal (preferably stone-ground)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 large egg
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Creme fraiche, softly whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream

Directions
1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Combine first 4 ingredients and a pinch of salt in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat.
2. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and 1/2 tsp. salt in medium bowl.
3. Whisk egg and sugar in another medium bowl. Whisk milk, melted butter, and vanilla into egg mixture. Add flour mixture to egg mixture; whisk to blend.
4. Pour warm cranberry mixture into 11 x 7 x 2-inch or 8 x 8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Pour batter over.
5. Bake cake until golden and cranberry mixture bubbles at edges, about 28 minutes. Cool 15 minutes. Serve cake warm topped with creme fraiche whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.

Yield: 6-8 servings
Recipe from: Gourmet Magazine

I’m so sorry that it has been over a week since my last post! I think I almost burned myself out of cooking for a while due to the week of arctic weather we had here in Texas! I cooked every single day since I couldn’t leave my house, so when we finally got some warm weather, I was outside running, washing cars, and NOT staying inside the house!

This is a new muffin recipe my mom tried, called Maple Muffins. My dad said these are very good and that “they’re a keeper”. I’ve never had a maple muffin, so these were a nice change to the typical blueberry or banana muffin we always make. The maple flavoring is just right… not too subtle, but not overbearing either; just perfect. You can serve these with jam, butter, MORE maple syrup, or my favorite…sweet honey. I love the crunch from the walnuts or pecans in these. These muffins are a great recipe for any breakfast brunch.

We got this recipe from Sarabeth Levine’s, Sarabeth’s Bakery: From My Hand to Yours cookbook. Levine writes, “This recipe was literally forced upon me by a customer who said her family had made these muffins for more than a hundred years. She promised they would be fantastic, and she was right! Their rich, bold maple flavor and crunchy tops are simply irresistible.” Enjoy!!!

Whisk the unbleached flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.

Whisk the maple syrup, melted butter, and milk together in a another bowl.

Then whisk in the egg and yolk.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until smooth.

Stir in the walnuts (we used pecans).

Let the batter stand about 5 minutes so the dry ingredients can absorb the liquids. Using an ice cream scoop, portion the batter into the prepared muffins cups.

Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees F. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F, and bake 15 minutes more, or until tops are golden brown and wire cake tester comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely.

Maple Muffins
Ingredients
Softened unsalted butter, for the pan
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup, preferably Grade B
12 Tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup whole milk
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted (we used pecans)

*Baker’s note: Grade B maple syrup refers to its color and flavor. It is darker and stronger than Grade A. It does not mean that grade B is inferior.

Directions
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Brush the insides of 12 muffin cups with softened butter, then brush the top of the pan. I used silicon pans and did not butter the pans.
2. Whisk the unbleached flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Whisk the maple syrup, melted butter, and milk together in another bowl, then whisk in the egg and yolk. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until smooth. Stir in the walnuts. Let the batter stand so the dry ingredients can absorb the liquids, about 5 minutes.
3. Using a 2 1/2-inch diameter ice-cream scoop, portion the batter, rounded side up, into the prepared muffins cups.
4. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake until the tops of the muffins are golden brown and a wire cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15 minutes more.
5. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool completely.

Yield: 12-14 muffins
Sarabeth’s Bakery: From My Hand to Yours by Sarabeth Levine