East meets West in this New England–Southwestern corn bread. It’s best eaten warm with a little butter, and is a fantastic accompaniment to a Southwestern-style black bean soup or chili. Use leftover bread to make croutons or a Tex-Mex corn-bread stuffing.
1 cup flour
1 cup fine cornmeal
3 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped
2 eggs
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced
¼ cup finely chopped green onions
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cranberries. Stir well to blend. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, milk, and butter together until blended. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir, just until combined, about 5 strokes. Add the chiles, green onions, and cilantro. Stir just enough to combine; the batter will be lumpy. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
Serves 4 to 6
Biscuits are perfect for mopping up the turkey gravy at Thanksgiving or serving with soup on a cold winter day. To turn these into a hearty appetizer or snack, slice them in half, spread them with mayonnaise, and fill with sliced turkey.
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces ½ cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a baking sheet with vegetable-oil cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
In a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Place the mixture in a large bowl. Stir in the cranberries, rosemary, and buttermilk. Mix well. The dough will be sticky. Transfer to a floured work surface. Dust your hands with flour and knead the dough about 10 times, or until smooth. Pat into a round about ½ inch thick. Using a 2-inch round biscuit cutter or drinking glass, cut out biscuits and place on the prepared pan. Gather the scraps and repeat until all the dough is used. Brush the biscuit tops with the beaten egg. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool slightly or completely.
Makes 14 biscuits
Serve butter or marmalade with these scones.
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small dice
½ cup dried cranberries
1 egg
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
¼ cup turbinado sugar
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a baking sheet with vegetable-oil cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
In a food processor, combine the flour, salt, granulated sugar, and baking soda, baking powder; pulse to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Transfer to a large bowl and add the cranberries. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and the ½ cup cream together until blended. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until a loose dough forms. On a lightly floured work surface, knead the dough gently, about 10 times, until smooth. Form a 6-inch round. Cut the round into 8 wedges. Transfer the wedges to the prepared pan. Brush the tops with 2 tablespoons heavy cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool slightly. Serve warm.
Makes 8 scones
You could easily substitute blueberries for cranberries in this coffee cake.
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract ¾ cup sour cream
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
To make the topping, combine the brown sugar, flour, and cold butter in a food processor. Process just until crumbly.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-inch springform pan lightly with vegetable-oil cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to blend well. In the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add the vanilla and sour cream. Blend until smooth. Gradually add the dry ingredients and beat until blended. Fold in the cranberries. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top evenly with the topping. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Release and remove the sides of the pan and transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool.
Makes 1 cake
You can substitute blueberries for cranberries in this quintessential New England recipe.
1 egg
⅓ cup canola oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped
½ cup sliced almonds
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray 12 muffin cups with vegetable-oil cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine the egg, oil, and buttermilk. Whisk to blend. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir to blend well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just until blended; the batter will be lumpy. Fold in the cranberries and almonds. Fill each prepared muffin cup three- fourths full with batter. Sprinkle each muffin with sugar. Bake for 25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then unmold onto wire racks.
Makes 12 muffins
The cranberries can be replaced by fresh or frozen blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries.
1 ⅓ cups fresh or frozen cranberries
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray 12 muffin cups with vegetable-oil cooking spray.
Rinse the cranberries, transfer to a small bowl, and sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons sugar. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, the ¾ cup sugar, the baking powder, baking soda, and cranberries. Stir to blend well. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and butter. Whisk to blend. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and stir just until barely mixed; the batter will be lumpy. Fill the prepared muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake for 15 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then unmold onto wire racks. Serve warm.
Makes 12 muffins
The thick, crisp crust of this bread is what makes it so great. Use toasted walnuts if you don’t have pecans. Using aluminum foil instead of plastic wrap helps to keep the crust crisp.
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice ¼ cup water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of an 8 by 4 by 3-inch loaf pan with waxed paper.
Sift the dry ingredients together into a large bowl. Make a well in the center. In a medium bowl, combine the egg, orange juice, water, and butter. Whisk to blend. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until blended; the batter will be lumpy. Fold in the cranberries, nuts, and orange zest. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack. Unmold and remove the paper. Serve now, or wrap in aluminum foil and store for up to 3 days.
Makes 1 loaf