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If sweet potatoes are the vegetable ambassador of Thanksgiving, then cranberries make the ideal “pick” for fruit. They add plenty of festive color and flavor to every feast and take dishes up a notch in decadence. While they are an awesome addition to salads, stuffing, and of course, as a special side sauce, cranberries can also take basic recipes to a tantalizing new level of taste. One enticing example is this Cranberry Pecan White Chocolate Quick Bread from Kathleen A. Janke, owner/innkeeper at www.GracehillBandB.com in Townsend, TN. This B&B, adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is the highest home in the county with a breathtaking 360-view matched only by its exceptional cuisine and luxurious onsite amenities. (Side note: This recipe won 2nd place at the county fair two years. This year it won the blue ribbon!)
- 1 C. sugar
- 2 tbsp. soft butter
- 1 egg
- ¾ C. orange juice (I like it with lots of pulp!)
- 2 C. flour sifted
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- Zest of two oranges
- 2/3 C. white chocolate pieces
- ¾ C. chopped pecans
- 9 oz fresh cranberries
- Cream butter and sugar.
- Add egg and beat until fluffy, then add orange juice and beat.
- Add baking powder, soda, salt, and mix briefly, then add your flour and beat until combined.
- Mix in orange zest by hand along with the white chocolate pieces and pecans.
- Lastly, add the cranberries.
- Grease and flour two 3 ½” X 7 ½” bread pans.
- Cut and put wax paper on bottom.
- After placing the batter into the bread pan, sprinkle about a teaspoon of sugar on top of the batter to crisp the top while baking.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 85 minutes if the fresh cranberries are frozen (see chef notes below for additional options).
- Test with toothpick.
- Let cool for 20 minutes before flipping out of the pan and peeling off the wax paper.
- The bread cuts better if it has cooled down completely, and it also freezes beautifully.
- You can use 6 oz of dried cranberries in place of the 9 oz of fresh cranberries in a pinch. Let them soak in boiling water for at least 15 minutes, then drain and blot. Fresh cranberries can be hard to get anytime other than Christmas. I buy a lot of bags when they go on sale after the holidays and freeze them. The bread is superior when you use fresh instead of dried. The cranberries are the last thing I add to the batter because they are frozen right from the freezer. It will make your batter very stiff. If you use dried cranberries, check for doneness with a toothpick after 65 minutes. If fresh, it will need at least 70 minutes maybe longer. If using fresh cranberries that are frozen, you will need 85 minutes. Craisins are a lot sweeter than fresh cranberries, so you might need to cut back on the amount of chocolate.
