December 14, 2002
From the desk of Jane Galt:Cranberry Fruit Bread
I'm not a big fan of fruitcake; candied fruit is not my thing. But even you candied fruit haters out there should give this a try -- there's something about this bread, with its big chunks of cranberry, that's really special. It's not like your normal cranberry bread, which is really orange bread with a few cranberries thrown in. In this one, the cranberries are the main event.
You will need:
4 cups of flour
3 cups of sugar
1 Tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 teaspoons of salt
2 oranges
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup of water
1 cup chopped nuts
2 eggs
1 lb cranberries
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1/2 cup chopped citron
1/2 cup mixed candied fruits
Bowls of various sizes
2 small saucepans
Sifter
2 full-sized loaf pans or 4 smaller ones
1. First things first: turn the oven on to 375 degrees.
2. Put your 3/4 cup of water on the stove to boil. In a different pan, put 1/4 cup of butter (1 stick) over low heat to melt.
3. Wash the oranges in very hot water. (Some oranges are coated in wax; this removes it.) Grate the zest -- the orange part of the skin -- off the orange with the finest section of your grater. As soon as the white shows through on a section you're grating, you're done with that section and it's time to turn the orange.
4. Once you've grated the oranges, cut them in half and squeeze the juice out. If you don't have a juicer, you can purchase plastic manual models for a buck and change at the supermarket, and it makes a nice brunch accessory.
5. Combine the melted butter, boiling water, juice, and zest and set aside to cool.
6. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside
7. Chop the cranberries into coarse pieces, perhaps 1/6 of a cranberry.
8. Chop the citron and nuts, if you did not buy them pre-chopped.
9. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk or fork until lemon-yellow and foamy.
10. Add the warm orange mixture to the eggs.
11. Add everything else to the bowl. Mix with your hands (I know, but it's really better. Trust me.) just until everything's damp.
12. Butter your loaf pans with the remaining butter.
13. Pour the mixture in and let stand for 20 minutes
14. Bake at 375 degrees 1 to 1.5 hours.
Posted by Jane Galt at December 14, 2002 10:02 AM | TrackBack | Technorati inbound linksA suggestion:
If you butter the loaf pans before mixing the mixture with your hands, you don't have to wash your hands again between the mixing and puring into the pans.
I hope your recipes get more people cooking--cooking is really easy and the food tastes so much better.
Posted by: Chris Pastel on December 14, 2002 03:00 PMI don't get #4: If you don't have a juicer, you can purchase plastic manual models for a buck and change at the supermarket, and it makes a nice brunch accessory.
Is this a reference to those hollow plastic fruits with "juice" inside? I've seen lemons and limes, but not oranges. I think plastic fruit juice should be saved for more desperate times; some OJ from a Tropicana carton would work better here.
I have a small kitchen, and haven't wanted to waste the space a juicer would take up (since I neither make fresh lemonade nor squeeze my own OJ). But a small tool like a "citrus reamer" costs just a few bucks and takes up very little room. It works well on lemons and limes, and adequately on oranges; haven't tried it on grapefruit.
You can see a picture of Crate & Barrel's version
here; they want $4 for it. Which probably means you can find one at Walmart for under $2.
Mine is wood, a bit shorter than C&B's, and pointier. I think I got it at the late lamented Lechters.
Happy Baking.
Then take it to the top of Nob Hill and roll it down toward the bay.
Posted by: Gene 6-Pack on December 14, 2002 07:24 PMMy wife and took a one-evening recreational cooking course at The Institute of Culinary Education in Chelsea -- REALLY, a LOT of fun.
Anyway, the very nice lady who taught us told us to ALWAYS heat up your nuts in the oven (I forget for how long and at what temperature) for EVERY recipe. Jane, I'd add that step.
Posted by: Norman Rogers on December 14, 2002 08:27 PMComments are Closed.