Ina First Fridays: Cranberry and Apple Cake

Our Ina First Friday group is coming to an end. Never fear, we'll all still be making Ina dishes, but we agree it's time to move on to new things. You can always go to our Ina Pinterest board and find recipes. As we make Ina recipes in the future, my hope is everyone will pin them there. I'm going to. It's been a fun experience, making new blog friends and seeing everyone's take on Ina Garten recipes. Ina is the greatest!

Ina labels this cake easy. Something we all like to read this time of year. The recipe was inspired by a cranberry pie from Sarah Chase's book Cold Weather Cooking. (I love Sarah's cookbooks and am going to look up her pie recipe ASAP!) The cake didn't take any time at all to prepare and I think everyone in the family will enjoy it. Ina used a 10" pie plate and I used a lovely Emile Henry ceramic pie dish my DIL gave me....somewhat smaller, but deeper. When I looked the recipe up online, every photo looked different. It all depended on size of your pie pan. My cake was a tad moist at the bottom, no doubt the result of using frozen cranberries. Use fresh if available. I was using up frozen cranberries from last year. Still, it was light and delicious. 

Easy Cranberry and Apple Cake
2010, Barefoot Contessa, How Easy Is That?

Ingredients:

12 ounces fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over for stems

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced

1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 tablespoon grated orange zest (2 oranges)

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 1/8 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup sour cream

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the cranberries, apple, brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. With the mixer on medium, add 1 cup of the granulated sugar, the butter, vanilla, and sour cream and beat just until combined. On low speed, slowly add the flour and salt.

Pour the fruit mixture evenly into a 10-inch glass pie plate. Pour the batter over the fruit, covering it completely. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle it over the batter. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean and the fruit is bubbling around the edges. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

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Ina Fridays participants:

•  Alyce @ More Time at the Table
•   Anna @ Cheese with Noodles
•  Ansh @ Spice Roots
•   Barbara @ Moveable Feasts  
•   Bhavna @ Just a Girl From AAmchi Mumbai..
•   Chaya @  Bizzy Bakes
•   Linda,  @ Tumbleweed Contessa
•   Mary @ The Egg Farm
•   Minnie @ The Lady 8 Home
•   Mireya @ My Healthy Eating Habits
•   Patti @ Comfy Cuisine
•   Peggy@ Pantry Revisited
•   Rocky Mountain Woman @ Rocky Mountain Woman
•   Veronica@ My Catholic Kitchen
• Linda @ There and Back Again
• Roz @ La Bella Vita Cucina

Sweet Potato and Corn Fritters

Vegetable fritters are a favorite of  mine. Obviously, as I've already posted four (and maybe five by the time I post this): Faith's is my favorite (because I make it all the time) and then Ottolenghi's leek fritters, plus Donna Hay's (the closest to this recipe) ...and lastly, the one I've had an amazing number of hits on: Peter's Tomato Fritters.
What I like about Alicia's recipe is you can use up some things in your veggie bin. Well, that's the fun with most fritters, using up your veggie bits and pieces. 
I served these fritters with some sour cream but Alicia served them with a garlicky blue cheese dip of some sort. You can make them in round balls too. Anything goes.

Alicia Foodycat's Sweet Potato and Corn Fritters
From Alicia at Foodycat

Ingredients:
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and coarsely grated
4 cobs of corn, kernels sliced off
1 onion, finely sliced
2 leeks, finely sliced
1 green pepper, chopped
small bunch of coriander, chopped
3 large eggs
2 cups self-raising flour, approx
salt, pepper and smoked paprika

Method:
Mix all the veg in a large bowl with the eggs and season with salt, pepper and a little smoked paprika, then add flour until it forms a pretty thick batter. (I didn't use nearly as much as the ingredient list indicates. Eye it as you're adding.
Heat 2" of oil in a deep saucepan, then press handfuls of the batter into balls and carefully drop into the oil. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side, in batches, draining well on kitchen paper.

Chicken Thighs in Apricot Port Mustard Glaze with Winter Squash Polenta

Yet another of Elle's wonderful recipes. It's a lovely way to remember her talent in the kitchen and if you haven't ever visited her blog, you should.
The flavors in the glaze are delicious; I'll be making this again. I used bone in thighs, just cooked them a bit longer.

Chicken Thighs in Apricot Port Mustard Glaze with Winter Squash Polenta
Adapted From  Elle's New England Kitchen

Serves 4.
Ingredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup ruby port wine
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Method:
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs and sear on both sides for about 6–7 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the skillet, add to a plate, and set aside. Add the remaining oil to the pan and add the garlic. Sauté the garlic on medium heat for 1 minute. Mix together the preserves, port, and mustard and add to the garlic. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Add back the chicken, nestle the chicken in the sauce, and cook on low heat for 1–2 minutes.

Winter Squash Polenta
Ingredients:
4 cups water
1 cup coarse polenta
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup thawed frozen winter squash puree ( I had some fresh acorn squash and used that)
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Garnish: ¼ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Method:
In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the polenta, salt and pepper and whisk on medium-low heat until the polenta is thickened and comes away from the sides of the pan, about 15 minutes. Add in the winter squash and maple syrup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with the Parmesan cheese.