A Little Boozy

Honestly...isn't it exactly this time of year where 'a little boozy' is acceptable?Necessary?  Encouraged, even?  'Tis the season for family gatherings filled with people you truly want to spend time with and maybe a few you don't.  Being 'a little boozy,' not all-out "I can't believe you said that to me in high school!" drunk will make the evenings fly by.  Work parties where 'a little boozy' will make your time there a little more bearable and less awkward.  Or maybe you'll find yourself at a holiday party with a friend where you don't really know that many people.  'A little boozy' might be enough for you to stand a couple of feet away from the wall instead of hugging it if your friend disappears on you.

While all these scenarios could use a tipple or two, I'm sorry to tell you 'a little boozy' refers to none of these things.  What it does refer to is cranberry sauce.  A grown-up cranberry sauce that looks nothing like that jellied mass that softly plops onto a plate as you push it out from one end of the can to the other.  While there is a nostalgic part of me that still appreciates that jiggling mass, I will wholeheartedly embrace a relish the colour of garnets, tart and tangy with an abundance of orange zest, and just the right amount of amaretto to add sweetness and lushness.

This is the kind of cranberry sauce that goes from a perfect accompaniment at Thanksgiving dinner, to slathered on a turkey sandwich the next day, to atop a cracker with a really good aged cheddar, to spooned over vanilla ice cream with candied walnuts.  Buy bags of cranberries now, freeze them, and make this all through the year.  

...and let me say...Happy Thanksgiving.  Boozy or not.

Boozy Cranberry Sauce
Makes about 2 cups

1 12-oz bag of fresh cranberries
2 Tbsp orange zest
1/3 cup orange juice, preferably fresh-squeezed
1/2 cup amaretto
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar

Combine all ingredients into a large saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a low boil, then lower heat and allow to simmer until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.  This will thicken further after you've taken it off the heat.  Allow to cool and refrigerate.  

Midnight Baking Session #852

There is something really appealing about objects miniaturized.  I loved all the furniture in my dollhouse when I was a little girl.  Every item was just like what we had in the house...just so much smaller.  Did you ever know someone who set up toy trains with the tracks running through a tiny little village?  All the little trees, the general store, the school house, the little people.  The cute factor is so big, it makes me grind my teeth, because it is all so cute and...All.  So.  Tiny.  WAIT!  Hold everything...you have to see a shop on Etsy that is beyond cool...everything oh so tiny and more than itty bitty!  See???  Try not to grind your teeth, I dare you!

Think of all the foods you can find in miniature.  Candy bars, you know, 'fun' size bars.  Hamburgers, shrink them down and call them sliders.  Reese's peanut butter cups in tiny, baby form.  Lasagna cupcakes and soup served in shot glasses.  And desserts...lots of desserts.  I think it makes them more palatable, and not just in taste.  Eat a mini fruit tart and have all the indulgence with a quarter of the guilt.

Back in May, I baked mini cupcakes for a baby shower.   A couple of weeks ago I made mini scones, and last night just shy of midnight, I found myself in the kitchen with an itch to bake.  Earlier that morning I made pear sauce from an Asian pear I had in the fruit bowl, and while I would have been just as happy eating it as is, I thought using it as part of something else would be even better.

If you still get your Sunday paper, chances are you also get the Parade magazine.  In the 7 October issue, they featured a basic muffin recipe that looked like a good place to start for what I wanted to make.  They also give  you a load of suggestions for add-ins.  Originally, I was going to make regular sized muffins until I remembered that I bought little condiment cups and had a mini muffin pan that had to be christened on a first use.  And so came the Asian pear almond mini muffins.  There is one problem with making baked goods in mini form though.  It's difficult to eat just one.

Asian Pear Almond Mini Muffins
Adapted from the Basic Breakfast Muffins recipe from Parade
(Makes 24-28 mini or 12 regular muffins)

2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla 
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup Asian pear sauce
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, oil, and vanilla.  In a larger bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.  Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing well to beat out any lumps.  Add the pear sauce and mix to combine.  Finally, add the almonds and mix to incorporate.  

Line a muffin tin with liners or grease the pan with butter.  Fill each spot about 2/3 full of batter.  If you're making mini muffins, bake for 15-16 minutes;  18-20 minutes for regular sized.  

Note:  To make the pear sauce, slice and cube a large Asian pear.  Add the pear, with 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup water to a saucepan.  Bring to a boil and with a potato masher, smash the fruit, and allow the sauce to thicken.  I added about 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg to it, cinnamon would also be good.  

Yes, the bottoms got a little too done.  That's what can happen with a new pan and a minute too long!