Brussels & Broccoli Agrodolce with Cranberries & Chilies

This is a simple and elegant vegetable side dish that I served as part of our Thanksgiving feast this year. It was easy to prepare while the turkey was resting after being removed from the oven. The dried cranberries and fresh chilies added contrasting color and flavor. Nice.

This recipe was adapted from Food and Wine, contributed by Ann Taylor Pittman. I substituted Shishito chilies for Fresno. I also modified the method. I wish that I had doubled the recipe! Next time. 🙂

Yield: Serves 6 as a side dish

• 1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts (about 3 cups), halved lengthwise 
• 6 cups fresh broccoli florets (about 14 ounces) 
• 5 T avocado oil or canola oil, divided 
• 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt, divided 
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced shallot 
• 4 Shishito chiles or 1 medium-size fresh red Fresno chile (about 1/2 ounce), thinly sliced 
• 1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed 
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar 
• 4 T (1/4 cup) honey 
• 1 dried bay leaf 
• 1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1. Place a rimmed sheet pan in the oven. Preheat oven to 425 on convection or to 450°F. Leave baking sheet in oven as it preheats. (I set my oven to convection roast.) 
2. Place Brussels sprouts and broccoli in a large bowl; drizzle with 4 tablespoons of oil, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Toss well to coat.
3. Carefully remove hot baking sheet from oven.
4. Add Brussels sprout mixture to baking sheet; spread in an even layer.
5. Roast in preheated oven until vegetables are tender and browned and broccoli tops are frizzled and almost burned, 15 to 18 minutes. 
6. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a small saucepan over medium. Add shallot, Fresno chile, and coriander; cook, stirring occasionally, until shallot starts to soften, about 3 minutes.
7. Stir in vinegar, honey, bay leaf, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over medium.
8. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly syrupy, 6 to 8 minutes.
9. Stir in cranberries; cook, stirring occasionally, until cranberries have plumped slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Discard bay leaf. 
10. Place roasted vegetables in a large bowl; add cranberry mixture, and toss to coat. Serve warm or at room temperature.  

Pear & Cranberry Pie

Hello, and Happy belated New Year! I hope that someone out there has not felt the need to modify their diet as I have quite a few recipes to share from festivities at end of 2016. 🙂 My kids have winter birthdays so we are still celebrating in my house!

This delicious pie was from our Thanksgiving feast. The recipe was adapted from Food and Wine, contributed by Justin Chapple. It was originally a slab pie but I modified the recipe to bake it in a “new” estate sale pie plate that had to be used. It was absolutely wonderful with vanilla ice cream.

Yield: one 10-inch double-crusted pie

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• coarse salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
• 1/2 cup ice water
• 5 firm Bartlett or Anjou pears peeled, cored and cut into 3/4-inch wedges
• 1 1/2 cups frozen cranberries
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
• vanilla ice cream, for serving

1. Day ahead: Freeze cleaned, fresh cranberries in a single layer on a plastic wrap-lined baking sheet.
2. Make the Crust Dough: In a food processor, combine 2 1/2 cups of the flour with 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and pulse to mix.
3. Add the butter and pulse in 1-second bursts until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
4. Drizzle the ice water over the mixture and pulse in 1-second bursts until the dough just comes together.
5. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather any crumbs and pat into 2 rounds. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, about 45 minutes. (This can also be done a day in advance.)
6. Preheat the oven to 425°, preferably on convection.
7. On a floured work surface or between sheets of plastic wrap, roll out 1 piece of the dough to a 13-inch round. Remove one side of plastic wrap and line the bottom of a 10-inch pie dish with the crust.
8. Roll the second piece of dough into a 12-inch round; keep between sheets of plastic wrap. Place second crust on a cookie sheet.
9. Refrigerate both crusts for 15 to 45 minutes.
10. In a large bowl, toss the pears with the cranberries, ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of flour. Spread the fruit evenly in the dough-lined pie dish.
11. Cut the chilled, 12-inch round pie crust dough into strips to weave into a lattice. Form a lattice over the pie filling.
12. Fold under the edge and crimp decoratively all around to seal.
13. Freeze for 15 to 30 minutes.
14. Brush the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
15. Cover the edge of the pie with a crust shield. Bake the pie for 15 minutes at 425 degrees and then lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue to bake about 45 to 60 minutes, or until filling is bubbling, crust is golden, and the pears are tender; rotate halfway through baking. Let cool.
16. Serve with vanilla ice cream, as desired.

Note: The pie can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.

One Year Ago:

• Pear & Almond Cream Tart

Two Years Ago:

• Luscious Apple Pie

Three Years Ago:

• Brown-Butter & Vanilla Bean Apple Pie

Four Years Ago:

• Apple-Pear Pie with Walnut Crust