Thanksgiving Series: Cranberry Curd Tart

I'm a bit obsessed with cranberries.  I love cranberry sauce, cranberry juice, anything with cranberries!  So when I ran across a recipe for a cranberry curd tart, I couldn't resist making it this Thanksgiving!  I got the original recipe from here, but I wouldn't want to make a few changes, so I will write out how I will make this next time.

Ingredients:

• 1 baked pie shell
• 3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons orange juice
• 1/2 cup butter, cut into bits
• 2 eggs 
• 2 egg yokes

In a medium saucepan bring the cranberries, sugar, and orange juice to a simmer over medium heat.  Cook until the cranberries pop and soften, about 15 minutes.  Set a colander over a bowl and pour the cranberry mixture into the colander.  Stir and press down the cranberries to extract as much jelly as possible.  (You can save the solids for smoothies :)  

Transfer the cranberry to a medium saucepan.  Add the butter.  In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs and egg yokes and add to the cranberry mixture.  On medium-low heat whisk continuously until it bubbles and thickens, about 10 minutes.  Pour the cranberry mixture into the pie shell and let stand at room temperature until cooled, then refrigerate.  

Thanksgiving Series: Wild Rice Pilaf with Pecans and Dried Cranberries

Last year I shared some classic Thanksgiving recipes, like mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, and pumpkin pie.  This year I wanted to try some new things.  This rice pilaf turned out really well, although it was a bit time consuming, so I probably wouldn't make it every day.  I got the original recipe from here, but I made a few changes.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 cup wild rice
• 1.5 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 of a medium onion, finely chopped 
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped 
• 1-2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup pecans, 
• 1.5 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

In small dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pecans until they are fragrant and lightly browned, about 6 minutes.  Coarsely chop the pecans.

Bring 1.75 cups of the chicken broth, bay leaves, and half of the thyme to a boil.  Add wild rice, cover, and reduce heat to low.  Simmer until rice is plump and tender and has absorbed most of the liquid, about 35-40 minutes.  Set aside and keep warm.

Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium-heat until foam subsides, about 2 minutes.  Sauté the carrots, celery, onion, and bell pepper until softened.  Add the white rice and stir to coat grains with butter.  Cook, stirring frequently until the grains begin to turn translucent, about 3 minutes.  Boil the remainder of the chicken broth in microwave.  Add the chicken broth and the rest of the thyme to the white rice mixture.  Return to a boil then reduce the heat to low.  Sprinkle the cranberries evenly over the rice.  Cover and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 16-18 minutes.  Combine the wild rice, white rice mixture, pecans, and parsley in a large bowl.  

Greta's Ginger Snaps

I got this recipe for ginger snaps from my college roommate Greta.  I remember her mother baking them for us when I went home with her one weekend, and they have stuck in my memory every since.  They're a lovely holiday cookie that you just can't get enough of!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar, plus a few tablespoons for rolling
• 1 egg
• 6 tablespoons molasses*
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 2 cups flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cream the butter and sugar in a KitchenAid mixer.  In a separate bowl, mix together the baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and flour. Add the egg and molasses and whip on high speed for about 1-2 minutes, or until fluffy.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.  Roll dough into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar and place on baking sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies crack.  

*In order to keep the molasses from sticking, you can grease your measuring spoon.