Nov-Dec-2015_Pg 11_no bleed

AT SEASON’S PEAK

Eat, Drink & Be Berry About 90% percent of cranberries harvested in the United States are dried, juiced, jellied or jammed. We’re a big fan of canned cranberry sauce with our turkey dinner or sandwich, but fresh cranberries are a natural for desserts and drinks. You need to add sugar though; fresh cranberries are extremely tart. Cranberry Chocolate Brownies Makes about 16 brownies WHAT YOU WILL NEED ½ pound unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into pieces 1 pound semi-sweet chocolate chips 3 large eggs, cold 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 cup granulated sugar ½ cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder

Sugared Cranberries WHAT YOU WILL NEED 3 cups water 3 cups sugar 2 cinnamon sticks 6 whole cloves 3 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed 1 cup superfine or granulated sugar HOW TO PREP

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil over medium heat. Add sugar, cinnamon sticks and cloves, reduce heat to simmer, and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and transfer to a medium-sized bowl. Stir in cranberries, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Before serving, drain cranberries and remove cinnamon sticks and cloves. Toss with superfine sugar. Serve cold.

½ teaspoon kosher salt 1½ cups fresh cranberries HOW TO PREP Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line the bottom and sides of an 8 by 12 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all four sides. In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter and chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring at each break, until melted and smooth. Transfer into the base of a mixer or large bowl and add the eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and sugar and beat until smooth and thick. Add the flour, baking powder, and kosher salt and mix to fully incorporate. Using a spatula, stir in fresh cranberries. Transfer the brownie batter to the baking pan using your spatula to smooth. Bake until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and come out almost clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool before cutting. Cranberry Mojito Makes 6 cocktails 1 cup fresh mint, trimmed ½ cup sugar 1¼ cups fresh lime juice 1¾ cups light rum ¾ cup frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, thawed 2 10-ounce bottles sparkling water, chilled 4 tablespoons fresh cranberries HOW TO PREP In a large pitcher, mash mint and sugar with a wooden spoon or muddler. Add lime juice, rum, thawed cranberry juice concentrate and sparkling water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Serve over ice with fresh cranberries.

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