Tag Archives: Cranberry

Cranberry Scones

LaurenFoodE cranberry scones
For those of you who don’t know me IRL (that’s internet speak for “in real life”), you might not know that I spent six weeks studying abroad in Dublin the summer before my senior year of college. It still lives in my memory as the best consecutive six weeks of my life, mostly because it was six weeks of zero responsibility. Sure, I had to read some Irish books and write the occasional essay on them, but mostly my trip was about hanging out in pubs with the friendliest people on the planet, meeting friends who’d end up my lifelong pals, and traveling around a country teeming with greenery and Guinness. Sounds nice, eh?

One really cruel thing they do to you in Ireland is serve you a scone with Kerrygold butter and a cup of tea on your flight home, just to remind you of the incredible place you’re leaving. The only reason I didn’t cry when they served it to me is because I could barely keep my head up from exhaustion. Let’s just say I didn’t get a whole lot of sleep or sobriety during those six weeks.

Whenever I get a chance to relive that blissful experience, I take it. This recipe is just one of those moments.

On the menu:
Cranberry Scones
Makes 8
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

2 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
5 Tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 cup craisins, roughly chopped
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut in the butter to the flour mixture until course crumbs and some larger pieces of butter remain. Stir in the craisins. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the cream until combined.

Dump dough onto a clean countertop or cutting board and knead 5 – 6 times, until the dough is one large sticky ball. Press the dough into an 8 inch round cake pan. Dump back onto the counter or cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 8 identical wedges.

Bake on an ungreased baking sheet for 11 – 15 minutes, or until the tops of the scones are brown. Let cool for around 10 minutes on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature alongside a nice, hot cup of Irish breakfast tea.

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Pomegranate Cranberry Bellinis

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What would brunch be without a fancy cocktail or ten? I had it in my head to make a pomegranate bellini so I found a recipe to build on, and when I was finished making it… it didn’t look super appetizing. Don’t get me wrong, it was a beautiful shade of berry red and it smelled incredible but it was thick and looked almost like you should eat it with a spoon or over ice cream (and you should). But then I tasted it. And I didn’t want to change a darn thing.

So on the morning of brunch I bought cranberry juice and orange juice to mix with champagne in case everyone was scared of the fruit puree. And you know what? Nobody touched that juice.

On the menu:
Pomegranate Cranberry Bellinis
Makes roughly 24 cocktails

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup cranberry juice
Zest of 1 orange (about 1 Tbsp)
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

Add all ingredients to a large pot that has a fitted lid and bring to a simmer. Cook for around 10 minutes, or until the sugar dissolves. Cover pan with the fitted lid and cook for 10 minutes. Once the cranberries burst, remove lid and simmer for another 10 – 15 minutes. Use an immersion blender (or pour into a standing blender) to blend the liquid for 1 minute. Pour through a strainer to remove seeds and excess pulp.

Let puree chill in the refrigerator for at least a few hours so that the puree is cold by the time you’re ready to make your cocktails.

To serve: pour 2 Tbsp of puree into a champagne glass and top with champagne or prosecco. And then drink. your. face off.

Note: Don’t worry if your puree is too thick to pass through a fine mesh strainer. It’ll mix with champagne just fine. And if it doesn’t, you drink the champagne on the top of the glass, and THEN you pour the rest over ice cream and eat it with a spoon. Bon appetit.

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