Tag: Dried Cranberries

Courgette Cake – Version 2

  • I wanted to bake a courgette cake as I have made before but found I had spelt flour to use up soon and dried cranberries.
  • Also I did not have any hazelnuts.
  • So I made a variation of this well loved cake.
  • It would be called a keks in Polish – a light fruit loaf.

Ingredients – Cake

  • 150g spelt flour
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon of vanilla sugar
  • 150g of light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
  • 150g of sultanas
  • 150g of dried cranberries
  • 100g of finely cut chopped walnuts
  • 1 medium size courgette coarse grated
  • 3 eggs
  • 125ml of sunflower oil

Ingredients – Lemon Icing

  • Fine grated rind of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
  • 150g of icing sugar

Method – Cake

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM4 180°C
  • I used a continental style long loaf tin, greased it  and used a single sheet of grease proof paper  to line the long sides and the base.
  • Mix together the flour, salt, sugars and cinnamon, making sure that any lumps in the brown sugar are all pressed out.
  • Mix together the sultanas, dried courgettes, nuts and the courgette.
  • Lightly whisk the eggs and oil together.
  • Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix thoroughly together with a wooden spoon.
  • Add the courgette mixture and mix well in.
  • Place the cake mixture into the tin and smooth the top.
  • Bake for 50 – 55 minutes – check after 40 minutes and cover the top with greaseproof or foil if browning too much before it is baked through.
  • Leave to cool before icing.

Method – Icing

  • Place the icing sugar in a bowl and add the grated lemon zest.
  • Mix in the lemon juice until you have a thick icing.
  • You might have to adjust the thickness with  more lemon juice (or water) or with icing sugar.
  • Put the icing on the top of the cake and let it drip down the sides.
Crown bone china tea plate

Duck with Red Cabbage & Cranberries

Recently I used duck, red cabbage &  dried cranberries as a filling for pierogi and really liked the combination.  I was pleased with the easy way I made the red cabbage mixture so I decided to use this with pan fried duck breast.

It turned out  well very and I think this will be replacing my slow cooker red cabbage method especially to use with quicker pan fried or grilled meat.

Ingredients for Cabbage & Cranberry Mixture

  • 1 small red cabbage (around 600g once core removed)
  • 100 -150g of dried cranberries
  • 2 – 3 tablespoons of butter
  • Salt & ground black pepper

Method

Rather than boiling, steaming or slow cooking the red cabbage, I used a sort of stir-fry & braising method which worked very well.

  • Put the cranberries in a dish and cover them with some boiling water and leave them for about half an hour.
  • Shred the cabbage.
  • In a deep frying/ saucepan heat some water and add the butter.
  • Stir in the cabbage and simmer gently for a few minutes.
  • Cover the pan – a glass lid is good so you can see what is happening – you need to check and stir occasionally.
  • Simmer for around 10 minutes.
  • Add the cranberries & water, stir and on put the lid back on.
  • Simmer for around 10  to 15 minutes.
  • Keep a check on the water so it does not dry out.
  • If the cabbage has not cooked enough – adjust the water and cook for a bit longer.

Ingredients – Duck

  • Duck breasts – 1 per person
  • Italian herbs
  • Salt & ground black pepper

Method

  • Rub the duck breasts with Italian herbs, ground black pepper and salt and leave for at least an hour.
  • Pre-heat the oven to GM5 – 190°C
  • Put a baking tray in the oven for around 10 minutes to heat up.
  • Heat a heavy based frying pan (I use a cast iron pan) until it is very hot –  you do not need any added oil or fat.
  • Place the duck breasts in the pan skin side down and turn the heat down to medium and cook for 2 minutes. Turn them over and cook for a further 2 minutes.
  • Put the duck onto the heated baking tray.
  • Bake in the oven for around 15 minutes.
  • You can serve the duck breast as whole pieces or slice them up.
  • Place the duck on top of the cabbage and cranberry mixture to serve.

Served on Royal Doulton, Tapestry 1966 – 1998