Salads and Starters

To make the filling, combine the cranberries, water, and honey in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, or until soft. Stir in the chicken, olives, cumin, chipotle, cilantro, almonds, butter, and cranberry mixture. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to a ⅛-inch thickness. Using a cookie cutter or bowl, cut out rounds approximately 5 inches in diameter. Brush the perimeter with the egg mixture. Place a scant ¼ cup filling in the center of a round. Fold in half and crimp the edges with a fork. Repeat the process to use the remaining pastry and filling. Brush the tops of the empanadas with egg mixture. Place the empanadas on a nonstick baking pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serves 4

Seared Sea Scallops with Cranberry-Lime Sauce

This easy dish will make your friends think they are eating restaurant food. Be sure to check the scallops and remove the connector muscle.

Cranberry-Lime Sauce

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons minced shallots

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries

⅓ cup cranberry juice

¼ teaspoon minced lime zest

½ cup heavy cream

16 medium-to-large sea scallops

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon canola oil

½ teaspoon unsalted butter

Minced fresh chives or finely shredded lime zest, for garnish

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and salt. Sauté for 2 minutes or until translucent. Add the cranberries, juice, and lime zest. Increase heat to mediumhigh and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the heavy cream and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. In a blender, purée the mixture until smooth. Return to the saucepan, cover, and keep warm over very low heat.

Pat the scallops dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallops and cook for 1 minute. Add the butter to the pan and cook for 2 more minutes, or until the scallops are browned. Turn the scallops over and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until browned on the second side. Using a slotted metal spatula, transfer to paper towels to drain. Place 1 tablespoon of cranberry-lime sauce on the center of each of 4 plates. Divide the scallops among the plates and garnish with chives.

Serves 4

Crab Cakes with Cranberry-Lemon Aioli

Panko are coarse Japanese bread crumbs, which can be found in Asian markets.

Aioli

¼ cup fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons sugar

2 to 3 tablespoons water

4 cloves minced garlic

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 egg yolks

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Crab Cakes

8 ounces fresh lump crabmeat, or thawed frozen crabmeat

¼ cup panko or dried bread crumbs

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1 tablespoon minced chives

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon minced lemon zest

3 tablespoons mayonnaise, preferably homemade

½ teaspoon salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons canola oil

To make the aioli, combine the cranberries, sugar, and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 10 minutes, or until the cranberries have popped and the mixture has thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

In a food processor, combine the garlic, lemon juice, salt, cranberry mixture, and egg yolks. Process until smooth. With the machine running, drizzle in olive oil and process until thick and creamy. (Add the 1 tablespoon water to thin, if necessary.) Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

To make the crab cakes, preheat the oven to 400°F. In a small bowl, combine the crabmeat and panko. Stir to blend. In a medium bowl, combine the shallot, chives, mustard, lemon zest, mayonnaise, salt, and egg. Fold in the crabmeat mixture to blend. (The uncooked crab mixture can be covered and refrigerated for up to 6 hours.) Shape into 4 cakes. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the crab cakes and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Serve immediately, with the aioli.

Serves 4

Cranberry Poached Pear Salad with Brie and Pancetta

The saltiness of pancetta is an excellent balance to the mild flavor of Brie. You could also substitute Stilton cheese for the Brie, as Stilton pairs well with poached pears; if you do so, just omit the pancetta and garnish the salad with toasted walnuts.

½ cup Merlot wine

½ cup cranberry juice

2 tablespoons sugar

½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped in a food processor

2 firm, ripe Bosc pears, peeled and halved lengthwise

4 ounces pancetta, cut into ½-inch dice

2 ounces Brie cheese, cut into 4 pieces

1 small head curly endive, washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil or walnut oil

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice salt

In a medium saucepan, combine the Merlot, cranberry juice, sugar, and cranberries. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cut the rounded side from the pears so they lie flat. Add the pears to the saucepan and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer for 10 minutes, turn the pears over, and cook 10 minutes longer, or until tender when pierced with a knife. Remove from the heat and let cool in the liquid. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pears to a plate.

Remove and discard 1 cup of the poaching liquid from the saucepan. Add the remaining liquid to the blender and purée until smooth. Return to the pan and simmer over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, or until the liquid is syrupy enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Put the pancetta on a small, sided baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until crisp. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Preheat the broilers. Place the pears on a small baking sheet. Place 1 piece of Brie in the hollow of each pear and broil 2 inches under the heat source for 2 minutes, or until the the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven.

In a large bowl, combine the endive, lemon juice, oil, and salt. Toss well.

Divide the greens among 4 plates. Place a pear in the center of the greens. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the reduced poaching liquid over each pear. Sprinkle with pancetta and serve.

Serves 4

Lentil Salad with Walnuts, Cranberries, and Feta Cheese

Served with a green salad or over greens, this salad makes a nice first course or light lunch entrée. The flavors of the salad develop as time passes, so let it sit for at least 15 minutes before serving.

¾ cup green French lentils

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons minced shallots

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

¼ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup crumbled feta cheese

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon red wine or cider vinegar

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Rinse and pick over the lentils. In a small saucepan, combine the lentils and water to cover plus 2 inches. Add the garlic, shallots, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 25 minutes, or until tender but firm. Drain. Add the walnuts, cranberries, feta, lemon juice, vinegar, and olive oil. Blend well. Season with salt and pepper

Serves 2

Cranberry Vinegar

With its clean, crisp flavor, this vinegar is a delicious alternative to balsamic vinegar in your salad dressing. Add the cranberries to the bottle and you have a beautiful house gift.

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, plus extra for bottle

2 tablespoons sugar

2 cups distilled white vinegar

In a medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let stand for 1 hour. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth and placed over a bowl. Using a funnel, pour the vinegar into a clean bottle. Add a few berries. Stopper and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Makes 2 cups

Goat Cheese Tart with Cranberry-Onion Confit

This confit is delicious with filet mignon or sirloin steak. For variety, you can also add fresh thyme, chives, basil, or green onions to the tart filling, or garlic or herbs to the crust.

Tart Shell

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 ½ tablespoons vegetable shortening

¼ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

½ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons ice water

Cranberry-Onion Confit

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups thinly sliced yellow onions

3 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped

Filling

5 ½ ounces soft goat cheese

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 eggs

To make the tart shell, combine the flour, shortening, butter, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. With the machine running, gradually add the water until a dough forms. On a lightly floured surface, form the dough into ball. Press into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a ⅛-inch thickness. Fit the dough into a 9-inch springform tart pan and trim the edges.

To make the confit, melt the butter over medium heat in a medium, heavy skillet. Add the onions, sprinkle with sugar and salt and cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. Add the vinegar and cranberries and simmer for 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside.

Adjust an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F. To make the filling, combine the goat cheese, heavy cream, and salt in a food processor. Blend until smooth. With the machine running, add the eggs one at a time.

Pour the filling into the tart shell. Bake until the center is golden and firm, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven. Remove the rim from the pan and cut the tart into 8 wedges. Serve hot, with a spoonful of confit on each wedge.

Serves 8

Watercress and Belgian Endive Salad

with Great Hill Blue Cheese and Cranberry Vinaigrette

The Great Hill Dairy is a small family-owned farm on the majestic Stone Estate, located on Buzzard’s Bay in southeastern Massachusetts. This is also cranberry country, and you’ll find that the fruit’s strong flavor pairs well with Great Hill blue cheese, or another sharp, crumbly blue cheese, and watercress. If you like, add the chopped mint to the vinaigrette. This salad goes well with the salmon on this page.

Cranberry Vinaigrette

2 teaspoons minced shallots

⅛ teaspoon Dijon mustard

⅛ teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons cranberry juice

⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons fresh or frozen cranberries

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

¼ cup canola oil

Leaves from 1 head Belgian endive

2 bunches watercress (about 4 ounces each), stemmed Salt

½ cup crumbled sharp blue cheese, preferably Great Hill Blue

To make the vinaigrette, combine the shallot, mustard, garlic, sugar, cranberry juice, salt, cranberries, and vinegar in a blender. With the machine running, gradually add the oil in a thin stream to make an emulsified sauce.

Cut the endive spears into thin crosswise strips. In a large bowl, combine the endive and watercress. Add the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Add the salt and toss again. Place a mound of salad greens on each of 4 to 6 plates and sprinkle with blue cheese.

Serves 4 to 6