Pomegranate Cranberry Relish Crostini
This recipe and photos were provided by Ben and Miranda Gustafson of The Modern Farmette and were originally published at 365Barrington.com.
The season is bright and weʼre filled with cheer here in the Modern Farmette kitchen! Christmas day brunch is definitely one of the things we look forward to the most every year. Amidst the busyness, we love slowing down and enjoying a wonderful home-cooked breakfast made with fresh, healthy ingredients from Heinenʼs Grocery. Todayʼs brunch includes a selection of hand-picked recipes from our brunch menu weʼll be serving this Christmas. Enjoy and be sure to try all of these!
Pomegranate Cranberry Relish Crostini
Christmas means pomegranates! This fruit is definitely one of our latest obsessions. Not only is it beautiful, but itʼs also incredibly refreshing and SO versatile! No other fruit comes close to the unique flavor and texture of the pomegranate. This recipe combines the irresistible, sweet holiday flavor with a cream cheese base. Miranda bakes fresh baguettes for this and itʼs to die for.
(Yield: varies; approx. 14 servings)
Ingredients:
- 1 lb fresh cranberries, washed
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup roughly chopped, fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup pomegranate arils (reserve a few for garnish)
- Finely chopped fresh basil, for garnish
- Crostini
- 2 baguettes, sliced into ¼-½ inch slices
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 8oz cream cheese, softened
Method
- Brush bread with olive oil, season lightly with sea salt and pepper. Broil on high until golden brown, 6-10 minutes.
- Place cranberries and sugar in a food processor and pulse a few times. Add basil leaves and pulse a few more times until cranberries are coarsely chopped.
- Mix in pomegranate arils.
- Whisk the cream cheese until creamy. Spread approx. 1 tablespoon cream cheese onto each crostini.
- Top with relish and garnish with fresh basil.
Spinach and Heirloom Tomato Frittata
This frittata will FLOOR you (and your guests!) Whatʼs so incredible about this is how much flavor is packed into such an EASY, quick recipe. The key to this is the veggies; donʼt skimp on the quality of tomatoes — the more flavor & variety, the better! Donʼt forget the salt!
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 handfuls fresh spinach, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 8 large basil leaves
- 5 eggs
- 1 cup sliced tomatoes, various colors and types
- 2oz shredded asiago cheese
- 3oz ricotta
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 2-3 strips of fully cooked bacon, chopped
Method:
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Heat olive oil and garlic in a pan over medium heat. Add the spinach and cook until just wilted. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs. Add cooked spinach, asiago, and 5 of the basil leaves, chopped. Season with salt and pepper.
- In a cast-iron skillet or baking dish, pour the mixture in. Top with tomatoes, pressing down if needed. Add the remaining chopped basil leaves. Sprinkle with clumps of ricotta.
- Cook on the stove until the bottom is set, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and place in oven; bake 15-20 minutes, or until set.
Christmas Cinnamon Star Bread
It wouldnʼt be Christmas without something as unique, sweet, and festive as this delicious treat. We LOVE this one because itʼs so easy to make it look beautiful. Seriously – whenever we make this our guests are wowed and itʼs gone in minutes!
(Yield: 10-15 servings)
Ingredients:
- 2 ¼ tsp. (one packet) active yeast
- ¼ cup warm water
- ¾ cup warm whole milk
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3 ¼ – 3 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, we recommend King Arthur flour
- 6-9 tbsp. cinnamon-sugar
- ¼ -½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Method:
- In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and mix until foamy.
- In a large bowl, combine milk, egg, 1/4 cup melted butter (slightly cooled, you do not want it to be hot as it will cook the egg and break the milk), 1/4 cup granulated sugar and salt. Add 3 cups flour and yeast mixture, beat until smooth (medium speed if using a Kitchen Aid). Add remaining flour, ¼ cup at a time, until a soft dough is formed.
- Turn out on a lightly floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes (or use the dough hook attachment and knead for 3-4 minutes). Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Turn out on a lightly floured surface and divide into four portions (a kitchen scale works very well for this). Roll one portion into a 12-inch circle and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with butter, leaving ½-inch around the edge, sprinkle with 2-3 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar mixture. Repeat twice, layering dough and cinnamon sugar, ending with the final portion of dough
- Place a 2-inch round cutter in the middle of the dough (do not press down). Make 16 evenly spaced cuts from the round cutter to the edge of the dough. Remove the round cutter; take two pieces at a time, twist outward three times, and pinch together at the end.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature, until almost doubled, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes.
- Brush with melted butter, avoiding the cinnamon sugar. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!
Pomegranate Cranberry Relish Crostini
