o much has been
written about cranberries as the perfect accompaniment to turkey that
we often overlook their appeal in desserts. Of course, the most
obvious way to use them would be in a pie, tart, or quick bread where their
tart flavor plays off the sweetest of the other ingredients. But Alice Medrich in 'Cocolat'
gives us a new idea for sweetening these bright red berries, and that is to
candy them. Actually, candying cranberries is very similar to
the way you candy the rind of an orange or lemon; where you first simmer the
berries in a sugar syrup and then leave them to macerate for a few days.
This process of soaking them in a sugar syrup produces a cranberry which is
tender and sweet yet, at the same time, retaining that hint of tartness.
Now, you can use these candied cranberries, along with their syrup, as a
dessert topping over cakes and ice cream or, if the syrup is drained from the berries. you can add
them to fillings for cakes or pies. And make sure you do not throw
away any leftover syrup from the drained berries, for it can be brushed on
sponge cakes or added to frostings for both flavor and color.
We all have favorite desserts from childhood and
one of my favorites was this dessert made with a graham cracker crumb crust,
that was filled with a no bake cream cheese mixture, and then topped with a can of cherry pie filling.
Today, I still make this dessert although I now prefer using these Candied
Cranberries in place of the much sweeter cherry pie filling. This is
an easy dessert as it uses a graham cracker crumb crust which is, by far,
the simplest of all the pie crusts. If you have problems with getting
the right crust consistency, the test to see if you have the right amount of
crumbs to melted butter is, once you have mixed the ingredients together, to
squeeze some in your fist and if they hold together, you have the perfect
crust. To liven up the flavor of the crust with a subtle ginger taste,
I have added some crushed ginger cookies along with the graham cracker
crumbs. Once the crust is made and left to chill in the refrigerator,
the next step is to simply mix the filling ingredients together. The
filling is then poured into the crust, covered, and left to chill in the
refrigerator several hours or even overnight. I usually prefer serving
the candied cranberries separate, alongside the tart, but you can drain the
berries and then place them decoratively on top of the filling. Either
way is delicious and makes for an easy, festive, and elegant dessert.
Candied
Cranberries: Pick over
the cranberries and remove any berries that are soft or rotten and then place 2
cups of cranberries, along with lemon zest, in a 6-8 cup stainless steel (or other heatproof) bowl.
The cranberries are going to be 'steamed' so you will need a steamer or pot that
is large enough to hold the bowl of cranberries. Fill the large pot or
steamer with a few inches (5 cm) of water and bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile,
combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour
the boiling syrup over the cranberries and cover the bowl with a heavy plate.
(You need to 'weigh' the bowl down so it will not move around once it is in the
pot with the water. It may be necessary to place two plates on top of the
bowl.)
Set the
covered bowl of cranberries into the pot or steamer. Cover the pot and
steam the berries over low to medium heat for about 45 minutes.
Remove from
heat and let cool. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let the berries sit in
the syrup for 3 to 4 days at room temperature. The syrup will become a
little jellied. If using right away, drain the berries before using,
keeping the syrup for some other use. If storing, place the covered
berries, still in their syrup, in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Crust:
Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, ginger
cookie crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press onto the bottom and
up the sides of a well greased 9 inch (23 cm) tart pan with removable bottom or
springform pan. If using a springform pan, press the crumb mixture onto
the bottom and about one inch (2.54 cm) up the sides of the pan . Cover
with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes while
you make the filling.
Filling:
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy and smooth.
Add the sugar and beat until you have a light and fluffy mixture. Scrape
down the sides of the bowl and beat in the vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, beat the whipping cream
until soft peaks form. Gradually fold the whipped cream into the cream
cheese mixture. Spoon or pipe the filling onto the chilled crust. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight.
Just before serving drain the cranberries
and place them on top of the cream cheese mixture. Alternatively,
place the candied cranberries, with their syrup, in a bowl to serve alongside
the tart. Instead of candied cranberries, you can serve fresh berries with
this tart.
Makes 1 - 9 inch (23 cm) tart. Serves
about 6 - 8.
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o much has been
written about cranberries as the perfect accompaniment to turkey that
we often overlook their appeal in desserts. Of course, the most
obvious way to use them would be in a pie, tart, or quick bread where their
tart flavor plays off the sweetest of the other ingredients. But Alice Medrich in 'Cocolat'
gives us a new idea for sweetening these bright red berries, and that is to
candy them. Actually, candying cranberries is very similar to
the way you candy the rind of an orange or lemon; where you first simmer the
berries in a sugar syrup and then leave them to macerate for a few days.
This process of soaking them in a sugar syrup produces a cranberry which is
tender and sweet yet, at the same time, retaining that hint of tartness.
Now, you can use these candied cranberries, along with their syrup, as a
dessert topping over cakes and ice cream or, if the syrup is drained from the berries. you can add
them to fillings for cakes or pies. And make sure you do not throw
away any leftover syrup from the drained berries, for it can be brushed on
sponge cakes or added to frostings for both flavor and color.
