Part of the Thanksgiving series featuring Flour & Co Bakers and their favorite recipes.
The holidays, and my team, were so special at Flour & Co. I just couldn’t go through Thanksgiving without a look back at our time together, as well as sharing some Flour & Co Bakers’ favorite holiday recipes with you, like this Cabernet Cranberry Sauce.
Meet Shelby! She joined our team prior to the opening of the bakery. Knowing that she lived across the bay, I was overjoyed when she accepted the offer to drive across the bridge every day to work with us. She was an integral part of making it happen that April 8, 2013 (opening day), and thereafter. Shelby is an excellent baker, multi-tasker, speed-doer, team player, and leader, doing it all with an infectious smile and laugh. Positive to the end, Shelby could make anything happen…and she did!
Q&A with Shelby:
What did Flour & Co mean to you? Flour & Co meant a lot to me. I had just moved to the Bay Area from Metro Detroit, MI, newly married and ready for the next phase of my life! I had previously worked at a Cupcake Shop and craved more out of my abilities and career. The dynamic menu (and small space) challenged me daily and provided exactly what I had been motivated to find at that point in my career. Not only did I love working there, I met some of the most wonderful people ever that I know I’ll be connected to always.
What did you love about working at Flour & Co during the holidays? Pie! We would have stacks and stacks of cooked pies in boxes. There would be pies in the front to-go refrigerator, pies in the case, pies in the back on speed racks and of course baking all of those pies. From prepping the butter for the pie dough, to cutting fruit for the fillings, to tenting the baking pies in the oven with foil, to finally packing the cooled pies into boxes. Thanksgiving is all about the PIE and I loved the whole preparation! Knowing they would be enjoyed at the Holiday table by so many different people and knowing I had a part in making that happen was a pretty awesome feeling.
What was the hardest part of working at Flour & Co during the holidays? Space! We had lots of kitchen help in a small amount of space. That means you need efficient workers to get the jobs done right and manage the space well so it doesn’t make it feel smaller than it was. But, we always made it work!
What was your favorite holiday dessert or baked good from Flour & Co? Hands down the Spiced Pumpkin Cake!! That answer qualifies for making and eating! Yummo.
Cabernet Cranberry Sauce
I found this recipe a few years back and have tweaked it to my liking. With canned sauce being my only experience growing up, I was never a fan. This recipe is super simple, 30 minutes start to finish, and delicious! Perfect as your Cranberry Sauce for the main meal or wonderful spooned over cheesecake for dessert (which people are still talking about). The Cabernet gives it depth and richness, cinnamon gives it spice and the combo of fresh cranberries and fresh, frozen fruit is fabulous. I hope you love it! ~Shelby
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
- Category: Sides & Condiments
Ingredients
- 8oz fresh cranberries
- 6oz fresh, frozen blueberries, unthawed
- 1 cup Cabernet wine (one you like to drink)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in large pot, with room for boiling and consequently rising.
- Bring to a rapid boil, allowing the cranberries to pop and mixture to rise.
- Turn down heat to medium low and let simmer for 20-30 minutes until mixture has thickened slightly. This will continue thickening as it cools.
- Once cooled, transfer to air tight containers for easy storage in the refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Recipe can be easily multiplied to make as much or little as you need.
Any red wine you like will work great in this recipe. Just make sure you use a bottle you like to drink.
Any type of fresh, frozen fruit works – feel free to swap out the blueberries for raspberries, strawberries or mixed berries. If you don’t want to use a fresh, frozen berry then double the amount of cranberries and you’re good to go!
For a less sweet sauce cut the granulated sugar amount down to ¾ cup. For an even more ramped up flavor swap out regular granulated sugar for vanilla sugar (or keep the regular granulated sugar and add a teaspoon of vanilla extract once the sauce is done cooking).
Happy sauce making and Happy Thanksgiving! Tag #flourandco and #buttercupbakingcompany to share your version of this Cabernet Cranberry Sauce.
