Knitting Inspiration, Nantucket Cranberry Pie and Wild Rice Soup

I've been taking a Fair Isle Two-Way Color knitting class. It has opened a whole new world of opportunities for me.




At the races this past weekend I found myself taking special notice of the intersting hat that people were sporting. A few of them let me snap some photos.




I've also been making a few recipes for friends who are having surgical procedures on Wednesday.

Nantucket Cranberry Pie (inspired by the recipe found on The Pioneer Woman)
2 TBL Butter
12 oz. (about 21/2 cups) Fresh Cranberries
1 cup Pecans (or Walnuts)Chopped
2/3 cups Sugar
1 cup Flour (Whole Wheat Flour works nicely)
2/3 cup Sugar
1 stick Butter, melted
2 whole Eggs, Lightly Beaten
1 teaspoon Pure Almond Extract
1 Tablespoon Sugar For Sprinkling

Preparation Instructions

*Adapted from a recipe by Laurie Colwin*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Generously butter a cake pan or pie pan. Add cranberries to the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle on chopped pecans, then sprinkle on 2/3 cup sugar. Mix this around to combine nicely.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, 1 cup sugar, melted butter, eggs, almond extract, and salt. Stir gently to combine. It will be very thick.

Place the batter over the top of the cranberry mixture. Spread gently if necessary.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Five minutes before removing from oven, sprinkle surface with 1 tablespoon sugar for a little extra crunch.

-----------------

Wild Rice Soup (Vegetarian)
Inspired by the recipe by GirlFriday blog, by Alexis McKinnis

2-3 cups Wild Rice, cooked in broth
2 Tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 bunch celery, cleaned and diced
1 garlic clove, minced
4 TBL Flour
6 cups Broth (vegetable or chicken)
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2-3 TBL Basil
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
3 bay leaves (optional)
1-2 cups Milk or Cream
salt to taste

Saute onion and celery in butter or olive oil over medium-high heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour and stir it around until it is absorbed.

Add wild rice, broth, thyme, sage, marjoram and bay leaves (if using). Bring soup to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in cream. Salt, ladle, serve.

* You could make this a gluten-free recipe easily by omitting the flour. The soup would be less thick, but still every bit as tasty.
-------------------