We’re making a wreath you can eat in the DelmarvaLife kitchen today with Chef Deborah Walker using cranberries, mandarin oranges, dried figs, and pomegranate juice.
Cranberry Pomegranate Wreath
Ingredients
2 (8-ounce)bags fresh cranberries
2 ½ cups cold water
1 ½ cups sugar
1 cup pecans, halved
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup yellow bell pepper, seeded, and chopped
½ sweet onion, chopped
2/3 cup mandarin oranges, drained
1/3 cup currants
1/3 cup dried figs, stems removed and thinly sliced
4 cups pomegranate juice
2 pinches each cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves
couple pinches of kosher salt
14 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
unflavored cooking spray
fresh holly and winter greens as a garnish
powdered sugar as a garnish
edible gold dust as a garnish
1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine washed
cranberries, 2 cups water, ½ cup sugar, and cook covered just until
cranberries are done. You do not want them to pop. Constantly stir to keep
heat evenly distributed. Remove from stove and set aside.
2. In a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, cook pecans in 2
tablespoons butter until they have developed a nice crunch. Remove pecans
from pan and set aside on paper towels.
3. Using the same pan, sauté bell pepper, onion, currants, and figs for 3
minutes. Set aside.
4. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1 cup sugar, 3 cups pomegranate
juice, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a saucepan over
medium heat; simmer, and stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and
let steep for 20 minutes.
5. Place remaining 1 cup pomegranate juice, ½ cup cold water in a bowl and
sprinkle gelatin on top. Set aside without stirring until gelatin softens, about
5 minutes.
6. Combine all the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Then strain the entire
mixture. Divide the pomegranate liquid portion into 2 even batches and the
fruit/vegetable/nut mixture into 2 even batches.
7. Spray bundt pan generously with cooking spray. Pour one batch of
pomegranate liquid mixture into the pan and carefully arrange one batch of
fruit/vegetable/nut mixture in the liquid. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until it
starts to set. Pour second batch of liquid pomegranate mixture on top of the
chilled mixture and again carefully arrange the second fruit/ vegetable/ nut
mixture on top. Refrigerate the completed cranberry pomegranate wreath
overnight.
8. Run a plastic knife around the edges of the bundt pan and invert the
wreath onto a gold service plate. If necessary, set the pan in warm water to
soften the gelatin.
9. Presentation follows: place the cranberry wreath on a gold service plate.
Decorate wreath wit fresh holly and winter greens. A dusting of powdered
sugar and edible gold dust is the piece de resistance to a stunning dish.
