Tree nuts, while high in calories, pack a powerful punch in terms of health benefits. They are high in protein and fiber, as well as vitamins and minerals and various antioxidants like carotenoids and phytosterols. This month we will explore current research into the health benefits offered by various tree nuts while tasting some delicious recipes along the way.
Walnuts are a nutritional powerhouse packed with healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which may help combat heart disease, enhance brain health and help prevent cancer.
Ring in the new year with this Cranberry Fruit Nut Bread. The recipe was sent to CCSA as part of a series of emails from our resident chef, Dr. Linda Doody. She began sharing her extensive collection of favorite recipes with friends, family, and the CCSA team as a means of maintaining connections during the COVID-19 pandemic and it has since become a company tradition.
“No yoga exercise, no meditation in a chapel filled with music will rid you of your blues better than the humble task of making your own bread.”
– M.F.K. Fisher, The Art of Eating
Cranberry Fruit Nut Bread
The Time-Life American Regional Cookbook, The Editors of Time-Life Books (1978)
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened and cut into ½-inch bits
- 2 cups (½ pound) fresh, firm, unblemished cranberries
- 1 medium-sized tart cooking apple, peeled, cored, and cut into small chunks
- ½ cup walnuts
- 1 cup sugar
- 1½ teaspoons double-acting baking powder (double-acting baking powder is the same as “regular” baking powder. It is called double acting because it contains 2 types of acids that create gas bubbles at different times. The first rise happens when sodium bicarbonate in the baking powder comes into contact with wet ingredients in the recipe; the second rise occurs when sodium aluminum sulfate in the baking powder is subjected to heat)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 Tbsp finely grated fresh orange peel
- ½ cup strained fresh orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. With a pastry brush, spread 1 teaspoon butter evenly over the bottom and sides of a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon flour into the pan, tipping it to coat the bottom and sides evenly. Invert the pan and rap it sharply on the counter to remove any excess flour.
- Wash the cranberries under cold running water and pat them dry with paper towels. Put the cranberries, apple, and walnuts through the coarsest blade of a food grinder into a glass or ceramic bowl. (Note: they can also be finely chopped in a food processor.)
- Combine the 2 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and sift into a deep bowl. Add the 6 Tbsp of butter bits and, with your fingertips, rub the fat and dry ingredients together
- until they look like flakes of coarse meal. Stir in the egg, orange peel, and orange juice, then add the fruit-nut mixture and continue to stir until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- Spoon the batter into the buttered pan, spreading it and smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake in the middle of the oven for 1½ hours, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn the loaf out onto a cake rack to cool. Serve the bread while it is still warm or when it has cooled completely.