You will need (for the cranberry sauce):
200g cranberries
80g sugar
50ml water and 50ml clementine juice, mixed together
Splash Cointreau
Put all the ingredients into a pan and cook for five minutes until the cranberries start to burst. If it looks a like there’s a little too much moisture (I find cranberries to vary a lot in their water content) then cook for a few minutes more to evaporate some of the water. Put the cranberry sauce into a bowl and leave to cool. I’m not sure it gets much simpler and this sets to a lovely dolloping consistency.
This would of course be delicious with turkey, gammon or pigs in blankets but I find there is always occasion for little nibbles at this time of year and my recipe below is a little idea to do something special with the cranberry sauce to make it the star rather than the accompaniment. They turn out to be slightly too big to be just one mouthful, but I like that about them. If you served them at a party there would always be someone who would try and fit it in as one and end up not too dissimilar to Rudolph.
You will need (to make 16 festive puffs):
Readymade and rolled puff pastry, half a sheet
Milk for brushing
200g mascarpone
25g caster sugar
Zest of one clementine
Cranberry sauce (as above)
Start by rolling out the pastry into a square. Cut it in half and then half again so you have four equal rectangles. Then cut these into four squares per rectangle so you end up with 16 equal squares. Preheat the oven to 180C and grease a tray. Mark around the edge of each square with a sharp knife about a centimetre from the edge so that it is marked but not cut through. Brush the tops with milk and then cook in the oven for 15-18 minutes until well risen. Remove from the oven and then take out the middle (where you marked around). Return the hollowed out squares to the oven for a few more minutes until dry in the middle. Leave to cool.
I have to admit that I ate all 16 of the little middles while waiting for the cranberry sauce to set. I mean, it’s almost Christmas and therefore forgivable so you could grate a little cheese over and put them back into the oven to make some little cheese puffs. You can always work the pastry off with some enthusiastic stirring.
Beat together the mascarpone, sugar and clementine zest and then fill the pastry cases. Top each puff with a little cranberry sauce.
Sometimes the cranberry can get stuck on the side of the dinner plate and a little forgotten about so I this is something a bit different. I was so happy with how they turned out I will be making the sauce again just to make more puffs; forget the turkey. The pastry was, of course, wonderfully light and fluffy and the cool cheese was magnificent with the bright, acidic cranberries. There was just enough Cointreau to warm the throat but it wasn’t overpowering. I think these would be great for a party but if you’re not having one, do as I did, and eat them all yourself.
Caroline, I imagine that a party at yours would be a culinary occasion to remember!
A favourite combination of mine in a sandwich is Turkey breat, Brie Cheese and Cranberry sauce.
Yum…this sauce sounds so tasty and I bet it’s delicious in little puff pastry bites!:-)
I like mini bites at Christmas and these delightful bites look very delicious.
It looks great! A perfect Christmas bite and it is always better with home made cranberry jam!
I have mt cranberries in the freezer waiting to be made into a sauce and this sounds like the recipe I should be making. Love the flavours and think it is versatile as well as being very tasty!
Delicious combination and an enchantingly pretty picture too!
I don’t jump on the cranberry sauce with Christmas dinner ban wagon. Mainly because I don’t eat meat and this makes it kind of irrelevant…. These sweets on the other hand! Yum 🙂
Lovely and cute bites.. And definitely addictive !
Live the way you describe these, not to mention how adorable they are!
Oh yum! These not only look good but sound delicious too! 🙂
I love these, they are so cute!! Chrismas is coming, cranberries are going to be eaten a lot in my household =D
Loving this festive treat 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Two great Christmassy flavours together on one festive pastry. Delicious and light!
I love the sound of all those flavours together, plus that bit of booze 😉 also very cool that you’ve not paired it with the usual xmas turkey or ham but with puffs instead! seems like a wonderfully versatile sauce to make this season (:
These look deeeelicious!
The cranberry filling looks so delicious on those mini puffs. I would love to have some.
These look so delicious and festive! I’ve bookmarked this for when I make party treats!
Wow, real cranberry sauce and with the cointreau it must be amazing! A 🙂
hi carol, a little bit of booze there sure adds to the festive touch! how wonderful they are looking!
Simply gorgeous and such a stand out.
You were tagged in my 11
https://medejos.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/zaidziame-11-playing-11.html
Caroline, I just discovered your blog from Cass at Food Is My Friend. I am glad that I stopped by. I love your recipes, and articles. I look forward to reading more from you!
A fantastic sauce! So good served on the puffs!
I do not use cranberries because I’m not familiar with this ingredient. But I like the idea of combining it with creamy mascarpone…yummy.
i LOVE that vibrant color! it’s high time the cranberry had its time in the spotlight. 🙂
Oh look at that gorgeous deep pink… I am totally in love with the recipe and your pictures. Awesome!