Cranberry White Chocolate Tarts

It was a weekday and I awoke just like every other morning, groggy and wiping the sleep from my eyes. I followed my typical routine—getting dressed and eating breakfast—before walking out the door. But my morning's familiarity ended here. The first snow had fallen to the ground while I slept and, for once, the snowflakes gathered, leaving the homes and streets white and sparkling.

Yawning, I drove away, making the first tracks in the pristine snow.

Working a baker's hours means I get to greet the morning long before it first hits light. As I walked the rest of the way to work under the falling snow, my feet left the first imprints on the day. The world was silent, still in bed, with the covers pulled up to its chin and dreams still filling its head. It felt surreal, surrounded by all this beauty, with no one to share in it but me.

I opened the shop and assembled the ingredients for the morning's pastries, the drifting snowflakes just visible through the storefront window. The music from the radio and the hum of the refrigerator harmonized, while the rotating blades of the stand mixer clashed, creating a familiar dissonance that has started to define my mornings. Once I get the first pastries in the oven, the smell of baking scones begins to fill the air. The scent slips out under the door and slowly drifts down the city streets.

The first customers of the day often tell me that the scents from the bakery lure them in, making the cold streets just a little bit warmer as they begin their day.

Though I dread waking so early in the morning (and oh do I dread it), once I find myself in the comfort and warmth of the bakery the world seems to make just a little more sense. My hair may be disheveled and my apron covered with flour, with dried dough hidden on my forearms and cemented to my fingernails, but this is the reason it's worth it to wake up so early in the morning. This feeling.

And though I can't explain it, it just feels right.

These Cranberry White Chocolate Tarts are fresh and colorful, with no shortage of flavor. Almond shortbread tart crusts are filled with a thin layer of white chocolate and topped with another layer of cranberries, combining three flavors I've grown to love together over the last month. I topped the tart with the simple homemade cranberry sauce I shared with you recently and it was a perfect match. If you are looking for last minute dessert ideas for the upcoming holidays, this is an easy and delicious choice. These are even perfect to make after the holiday, if you find yourself with some leftover cranberry sauce.

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Cranberry Sauce

I often find that cranberry sauce is a necessary, but neglected part of the holiday season. Rarely have I found a Thanksgiving table without some kind of cranberry sauce or spread, but often there are only a few spoonfuls missing (and the bowl is never licked clean). While I can understand this phenomenon of the forgotten cranberry (after all, there is turkey, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, breads, and desserts to distract), I'm afraid this doesn't excuse the crime. I am just as guilty as I may have ignored the poor cranberry sauce in favor of my grandmother's famous stuffing on plenty of occasions.

I feel troubled for the cranberry sauce. The vegetable tray already knows there will be plenty of leftovers to go around (in a battle of sweet potato casserole versus a celery stalk, there is a clear winner), but the cranberry sauce still holds hope within it's small berries. It has big dreams of finding a home arranged across a slice of turkey breast and those hopes so often fall flat.

Homemade cranberry sauce differs greatly from canned cranberry sauce. For one, homemade cranberry sauce doesn't make that awful slurping sound as it falls out of the can (once heard, it can never be unheard. Beware). Secondly, it doesn't hold its shape. When the ribbing from the can is evident in the final product, I'm not sure this is something you'll want to serve to your guests. Now I know not all store-bought sauces feature the rim-lined, gelatin appearance, but I will still argue that they won't be as delicious as a simple homemade spread.

And certainly never as delicious as this particular one.

If you are hosting a holiday this year, but scoff at my claims that homemade cranberry sauce is really worth the time and effort, let me make my case.

Cranberry sauce is surprisingly easy to make, requiring a handful of ingredients and roughly 10 minutes time (with only a few moments you actually need to pay attention). Subtle changes and adaptations will customize the sauce to precisely fit your tastes, neither too sweet or too tart. And, the kicker—you can make this cranberry sauce today and it will keep fresh until the special day.

Today.

Now you don't have any excuses.

What are your feelings on cranberry sauce? Do you also feel it is a necessary, but overlooked component of holiday meals?

This Cranberry Sauce is fresh, light, and perfectly suited to your holiday meal. Instead of cooking my cranberries down in water (which so many recipes call for), I cooked them in orange juice, which adds fantastic orange tones to the final product. I also spiced the sauce faintly with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice which brings the sauce a well rounded, full-bodied flavor without tasting like a dessert. This recipe is adaptable, so feel free to adjust the amount of sugar for a sweeter or tarter cranberry sauce to suit your taste buds (you can start with less sugar and add more upon taste testing). If you have any leftovers, they are perfect as a dressing for leftover turkey sandwiches or a topping for your next bowl of ice cream.

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Cranberry Orange Brioche Rolls

As the late, great Douglas Adams once said, "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."

These past couple weeks have been all about meeting deadlines for me. In the next few days, all of my little side projects and work deadlines converge. I've done little else but stress over deadlines in the last week, frantically working as fast as my hands and mind will allow. After working for what feels like non-stop for far too long, I feel like there is little left of me to go around.

Yet, as I'm sure many of you know, the show must go on.

My brain currently feels a bit like jello, wobbly and unsure of its balance. I've fallen asleep in front of the computer twice, albeit briefly. And I think if I have to edit one more photograph, I might just lose my mind.

When I'm under a lot of stress, I tend to stress eat (I know, it's bad and I shouldn't, but I can't seem to help myself). It's not that I'm even eating junk food. All my food groups are present and in balance. I just sit in front of the table eating much more than I should because every minute I'm there is one minute I don't have to spend working, never mind the fact that the work will have to get done whether I eat more or not.

Logic doesn't always make sense to a stress addled brain.

Nevertheless, this weekend I took some time out of my schedule to make these rolls. Bread, whether you realize it or not, is one of the perfect foods to make when you are home, but busy working on projects or chores. It requires a few minutes of attention every couple hours (a welcome distraction when you need a bit of a break) and, at the end of the day, there is something piping hot coming out of the oven to feed your tired soul.

I know I said that chocolate makes the world go 'round but, after warming up a leftover bun for my dinner, I think these rolls might too, in a more subtle way.

These Cranberry Orange Brioche Rolls are delicate, rich, buttery rolls with plenty of flavor. Sweetened with honey, the rolls are contrasted with tart cranberries and a hint of orange zest. These rolls would make an elegant holiday breakfast to serve overnight guests, or perfect to keep as a secret all to yourself. Serve warm with a small pat of butter, if desired, but they are just as delicious plain. Dried cranberries may also be substituted for the fresh cranberries if your tastes would prefer.

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