Tag: cooking with fruit

Cinnamon Orange Cranberry Swirl Coffee Cake

Posted on by laurielufkin

This recipe is a take off on my Mom’s Cranberry Swirl Coffee Cake–a Sue Lufkin classic recipe!

You can add nuts if you want to the filling and sprinkle some on top but I have too many nut allergy people in my life to do this.    If you don’t feel like making the candied orange zest, then don’t.  Replace the orange zest with toasted walnuts, change the name and presto–new cake!

I baked the cake in the photo in a Nordic Ware Fleur De Lis bundt cake pan but any 8″ tube pan will work.  I also only did one layer of the cranberry/orange mixture as you will see in the photo at the end of the recipe.   Enjoy!

Yummy—Cinnamon Orange Cranberry Swirl Coffee Cake

For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 ÂĽ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
Âľ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoons fresh orange zest
1 cup sour cream
1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce, stirred
1/3 cup candied orange peel  (directions to follow)
ÂĽ cup sweetened dried cranberries

For the glaze:

¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
1-2 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees,  Grease and flour an 8” tube pan or a 9-12 cup bundt pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in dry ingredients a little at a time, alternating with the sour cream.

Stir together  all but 1 tablespoon orange zest with the cranberry sauce and set aside.

Place 1/3  of the batter in the prepared pan.  Spread half of the cranberry and orange mixture over the batter and swirl with knife.  Reepeat with remaining batter and  cranberry mixture, ending with the batter.  Smooth top of the cake and bake in preheated oven for 45-55 minutes until cake tester comes out clean.

Cool cake in pan 10 minutes and turn out on to serving plate t cool completely.  When cake is cool, whisk together confectioners’ sugar and orange juice.  Drizzle over cake and sprinkle cake with remaining chopped candied orange zest and dried cranberries.

For the zest:

*you can make less of this if you want to but you might as well make a bunch of it all at once.  Keeps for months in the sugar and is great on and in baked goods .  Also fun on the edge of a martini glass.

4 cups granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
2 ½ cups water
3 oranges, peeled, and as much pith removed from the peel as possible, cut into ¼” strips

In a small sauce pan, bring the sugar and water to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Remove from heat.

In another pan, place zest and cover with additional water.  Bring to a boil, strain and repeat two more times.  Dry the pan, pour the sugar syrup over the blanched zest and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook until the zest is tender and translucent.  Allow to cool slightly and remove to a cooling rack. When cool, toss in additional sugar.  Put some of the sugar in an airtight container and store in a cool dry place till ready to use.

*Keep the drained syrup and store in the refrigerator–it is orange spiked at this point and excellent to sweeten cocktails or brush on layers of cake to keep them moist before frosting.

As always, feel free to ask my any questions you might have about this or any of my recipes.

It’s Native Strawberry Time!

Posted on by laurielufkin

It’s Native Strawberry Time!

Just about Father’s Day you see the signs popping up at every farm stand on Cape Ann.  It is native strawberry time!  This is what strawberries should taste like and we wait all year for them!  These are the recipes from episode #8.

Here are some recipes to expand your mind about how you might use them-two savory and one sweet dish–easy to make and sure to be a hit with your Dad too!

These are the recipes from episode #8 of Inspired Cooking.  The show airs on Cape Ann TV Tuesdays at 8:30, Fridays at 4:30 and Sundays at 11:30 am.  I hope you will watch!

Native Strawberry Salsa with Mangoes and Cilantro

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2/3  cup orange juice

Juice of one lime

1 mango, diced

3 cups native strawberries, hulled, one cup mashed, two cups chopped

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoons minced pickled jalapeno (or fresh, if desired)

Salt & pepper to taste

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar and juices.  Add remaining ingredients and toss to combine.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with blue corn chips for a great presentation

Herb Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Strawberries and Basil

*this recipe serves 2-3 people

½ recipe Double Duty Herb Vinaigrette

1 1-1 ÂĽ pound pork tenderloin, cleaned

2 cups strawberries, hulled and halved

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar (or more to taste)

2 tablespoons olive oil

ÂĽ cup chicken stock

Mixed salad greens

1/2 cup goat cheese

1/2 cup blueberries

pitted black olives

3 tablespoons basil, chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

Place pork in a large zip top bag.  Pour vinaigrette in bag and refrigerate for 2-6 hours.

About an hour before serving, toss together strawberries, vinegar and sugar in medium bowl.  Set aside.

Remove pork from the bag and pat dry.  Season with salt & pepper and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large oven safe sauté pan, heat oil over high heat.  Sear pork tenderloin on all sides until browned.  Remove pan from heat and place in oven until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 155 for medium rare, about 5-10 minutes.   Remove pork from pan, place on a plate and cover lightly with foil to keep warm.

Return pan to stovetop.  Over medium heat add stock and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Bring the stock to a boil and add strawberry mixture and reduce heat.  Warm strawberries through.   Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Slice pork tenderloin, arrange on the plate, top with strawberry sauce and sprinkle with chopped basil.

Serve with mixed greens tossed with Double Duty Herb Vinaigrette, black olives, and blueberries and topped with crumbled goat cheese.  Enjoy!

Double Duty Fresh Herb Vinaigrette

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1 ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 ½ teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano

1 teaspoon minced fresh basil

1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons white wine

1/3 cup olive oil

2/3 cup canola/vegetable oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Whisk everything together in a medium bowl.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Orange Kissed Strawberry Shortcake

3 pints fresh strawberries, hulled; 1 pint crushed with potato masher 2 pints quartered, reserve 6 berries for garnish

2 tablespoons orange liqueur (such as triple sec or Cointreau)*

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

For the Orange Shortcake:

2 cups bleached all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

½ teaspoon table salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

3 tablespoons granulated sugar plus more for sprinkling

1 stick butter, frozen

2 tablespoons orange zest, finely grated

1 egg, beaten

½ cup light cream plus one tablespoon for brushing

1 tablespoon half-and-half

For the Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

1-2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar, to taste

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, mix crushed and quartered strawberries with sugar.  Set aside while preparing biscuits

Preheat oven to 425.  Lightly spray large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.  Set aside.

In another medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and 3 tablespoons sugar.

Using large holes of box grater, grate butter into dry ingredients. Toss butter with flour to coat. Add grated orange zest.  Use pastry cutter to finish cutting butter into flour.  Mix beaten egg with ½ cup light cream; pour into flour mixture. Toss with fork until large clumps form. Turn mixture onto floured work surface and lightly knead until it comes together.

Gently pat dough into 9- by 6-inch rectangle and cut 6 3” squares with a sharp knife. Place biscuits 1” apart prepared baking sheet, brush dough tops with one tablespoon light cream and sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes.  Place on a wire rack to cool.

When ready to serve, place heavy cream in a cold bowl and whip with vanilla extract and powdered sugar to taste.

Split biscuits in half and place ½ on serving plate.  Spoon on berries and a bit of whipped cream.  Top with remaining biscuit half, more berries and finish with additional cream.  Top with a reserved whole strawberry and enjoy!

*the very bottom line-if you don’t feel like making biscuits, dont.  Just brush the biscuits with a little of the orange juice or liqueur, make sure to “orange-ize” the strawberries and top with the whipped cream–heck–you can even buy the whipped cream at the store if you want to–I won’t tell!  Just enjoy strawberry season!

Cooking with Fruit-Inspired Cooking Episode #2

Posted on by laurielufkin

Here are the recipes from Cooking With Fruit, episode #2.  Please tune in Tuesdays at 8:30, Fridays at 4:30 and Sunday mornings at 11:30 to catch the show.  Thanks!

This show will be aired on GMG Thursday at 1PM

Orange Shrimp & Asparagus

Orange & Garlic Shrimp with Olive Couscous and Roasted Asparagus

4 large navel oranges, 3 zested and juiced, 1 peeled and segmented before grilling

½ cup plus 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

24 large shrimp

2 cloves chopped garlic

1 tablespoon salt plus more to taste

1 teaspoon teaspoon freshly ground pepper plus more to taste

½ -3/4 cup prepared olive tapenade, as desired

1 large bunches fresh asparagus, trimmed

1-box whole wheat couscous (to yield 5-6 servings)

1.  In a large zip top bag, combine orange juice, ½ cup olive oil, shrimp, garlic, one tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper and shake bag to distribute marinade.

2.  When ready to serve, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Toss asparagus with 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Roast in oven 12-15 minutes until softened but still bright in color.  Set aside.

3.  Prepare couscous according to package directions.  Fluff with a fork and toss with reserved orange zest and tapenade.  Set aside.

2.  Preheat sauté on medium high heat and place 1 tablespoon olive oil in pan.  Dry excess moisture from shrimp and 2-3 minutes per side until shrimp is cooked through.  Toss orange segments with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Divide couscous divided evenly among 5 or 6 plates, arrange asparagus artfully on the plates and serve with shrimp and garnish with grilled orange segments.

Spinach Salad with Warm Tomato Dressing & Goat Cheese

*from Tom Rafferty, Chef at Perwinkles Restaurant and Owner of Periwinkles Catering

1 7oz pkg Baby Spinach
2 cups diced Tomatoes
2oz Dried Cranberries
2 oz Nuts of Choice-Almonds Sliced or Pinenuts
4 oz Balsamic Dressing
1 tlsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Garlic Chopped
4 oz Crumbled Goat Cheese

Heat Saute Pan, add Oil , nuts and garlic, brown slightly add cranberries and tomatoes
Saute for 1 minute
Add Dressing, remove from heat
Pour over spinach on a platter
add crumbled goat cheese on top and SERVE

Blondies

Tropical Coconut Blonds (this picture is the same recipe, using pecans)

½ cup dried pineapple or other tropical fruit, diced

1/4 cup coconut rum

2 ÂĽ cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 sticks (one cup) salted butter, softened

1 Âľ cup dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

1 tablespoon orange zest

½ cup toasted coconut

½ cup white chocolate chips

½  teaspoon shortening

In a small saucepan on the stove top, combine pineapple and rum.  Simmer over low heat until the most of the alcohol has evaporated, about 8-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9” x 13” baking dish with nonstick spray.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and dark brown sugar until well blended and lighter in color.  Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix again.  Mix in the dry ingredients and beat until well blended.  Beat in pineapple, nuts and orange zest.  Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 23-27minutes or until center is set and edges are lightly browned.

When blonds are cool, combine white chocolate and shortening in a small microwave safe bowl.  Heat on high power for 1 to 1 ½ minutes until mixture is completely smooth when stirred.  Cut bars into desired size.  Fill a zip top bag with melted white chocolate mixture, snip a small corner of the bag and pipe white chocolate topping on to blonds.  Allow chocolate to harden and enjoy!