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tart

Desserts

Cranberry Fool

A fool is an English dessert, traditionally made by combining stewed fruit with a sweet custard. This fool recipe uses the syrup from stewed cranberries and sugar, with whipped cream and plain gelatin. This dessert is a great way to add ‘something cranberry’ to the dessert offerings at a holiday dinner. It is sweet with the slight tartness that only cranberries can offer, but is also creamy with an incredibly smooth texture. The color is a beautiful light magenta, and the combination of gelatin and whipped cream holds its shape slightly after being poured, making for a lovely, whimsical cloud-like presentation. This is a good item to make the day before a holiday dinner. Your guests are sure to rave about the uniqueness of it, as well as the excellent taste. Serves 6 to 8.

Ingredients:

  • 1 12 oz. bag cranberries
  • 1 and 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 and 3/4 cups cold heave whipping cream
  • 1 packet unflavored gelatin

Directions:

1. Make cranberry mixture:

  1. Set out a medium mixing bowl with a medium fine-mesh sieve over it.
  2. Put cranberries, all of the sugar, and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
  3. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cranberries will pop and start to foam. Continue to boil and stir occasionally for 5 to 7 more minutes, or until foam at the top of mixture is a bright magenta.
  4. Remove from heat and strain syrup through the fine mesh sieve, pushing down several times with a large spoon to get all of the syrup out of the cranberry mixture. Allow syrup to cool to room temperature, which will take about 45 minutes. This is critical, because if cranberry mixture is warm it will melt the whipped cream in step 2.

2. Make the whipped cream mixture.

  1. When cranberry mixture has cooled, get out your serving dish or individual ramekins or glasses.
  2. In a small microwave-safe ramekin, pour all of gelatin over 3 Tablespoons of cold water and stir to combine.
  3. In a large bowl, beat all of whipped cream on medium speed for several minutes, until medium peaks start to form.
  4. Slowly pour cranberry syrup into mixture, continuing to beat with the mixture.
  5. Turn mixture off, and microwave gelatin mixture on High for 15 seconds.
  6. Quickly stir the gelatin mixture and pour into whipped cream mixture (it may be helpful to use a fine-mesh sieve for this to help prevent gelatin ‘clots’ from forming.
  7. Stir mixture with a spatula for about 1 minute, scraping the bottom of the bowl. If desired, beat mixture on low speed for another minute or so.
  8. Using a large spoon, transfer mixture to serving dish or dishes. Cover with plastic wrap and for at least 4 hours, or up to overnight.
  9. Remove from refrigerator just before serving. Happy Holidays!

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Desserts

Tart But Sweet Grapefruit Sugar Cookies

This recipe is the thing that inspired me to start Cottage Kitchen!  As a long-time sugar cookie fan, last holiday season I decided to stray from my usual but beloved vanilla sugar cookie in favor of…a grapefruit cookie.  I figured a fresh grapefruit would provide a delicate citrus taste to the soft and sweet sugar cookie.  It worked just like I planned and to boot, the grapefruit zest gave the cookies an appealing, very slight pink color.  Topped with a frosting flavored with a little fresh grapefruit juice and sanding sugar sprinkles, these cookies are fragrant and delicious.

 After baking these cookies as an experiment one morning, I called my sister to chat and mentioned what I had baked.  Later that week, I called my mother and asked her, “Did I tell you I baked sugar cookies, but flavored with them with grapefruit instead of vanilla’.  She answered, “You didn’t tell me, but your sister did.  That is such a creative idea.  You really have a gift for experimenting with food.  You really need to find a way to share that with the world.  And so today, I am proud to launch Cottage Kitchen.

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

  • 1 and 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup + 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
  • ¾ tsp. baking powder
  • ¼ tp. Salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 large egg
  • Zest grated from 1 large pink grapefruit

For the icing:

  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh pink grapefruit juice
  • ½ cup sanding sugar sprinkles, preferably light pink or white

Directions:

For the cookies:

  1. In a medium bowl, mix together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside. 
  2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together ½ cup softened butter and sugar.  Beat in egg. 
  3. In large spoonfuls, add dry ingredient mixture and stir to incorporate. 
  4. Lastly, add in grapefruit zest and stir to incorporate.  Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days.
  5. When ready to bake cookies, preheat oven to 375 F. 
  6. Remove chilled dough from refrigerator and allow to sit out for about half an hour.
  7. With a rolling pin, roll out dough onto a lightly floured surface. 
  8. Cut out cookies using 3-inch cookie cutters, then transfer to an un-greased cookie sheet. 
  9. Bake for about 9 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies begin to brown very slightly. 
  10. Cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool for one hour before decorating.

To make the icing:

  1. Using a fork or an electric mixer, beat powdered sugar into ¼ cups softened butter. 
  2. Add grapefruit sugar, and continue to stir. 
  3. If necessary, add a very small amount of water in order for powdered sugar to be fully absorbed. 
  4. Spread icing evenly over tops of cookies, sprinkling each with about 1 tsp. of sanding sugar. 
  5. Allow icing to dry for about 2 hours, if not eating right away.  Makes about 20 cookies. 
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