Pink Goo

Hey y’all.  When I first saw this recipe, I ran to my aunt and said, “I can make that.”  So I made it for Thanksgiving.

Cranberry Bars

Modified from Vegetarian Times' recipe

Filling:

1 pound fresh cranberries, rinsed

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup maple syrup

12.3 ounces silken tofu (firm or soft is fine)

zest of one lemon

juice of one lemon

3 tablespoons cornstarch

Crust:

3/4 cup brown rice flour

1/3 cup Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose GF Baking Flour

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons margarine

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

dash cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease an 8-inch square pan, line it with parchment, and then grease the parchment.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry crust ingredients.  Melt the margarine.  Mix the margarine and dry ingredients.  Press into the pan and bake for 25 minutes.

In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, water, and maple syrup.  Bring this mixture just barely to a boil then simmer at medium heat for close to fifteen minutes or until the berries have burst.

While that’s simmering, in a blender, whiz together the tofu, lemon zest, lemon juice, and cornstarch (no lumps!).

Once the cranberries have exploded (just kidding, it’s not that violent), set them aside to cool for a few minutes.

Add the cranberries to the blender. 

Is it just me, or is there something just off about this combination?

If the cranberries are still steaming hot stuff, do not attach the sample cup in the middle of the blender lid.  Instead, hold a towel over the hole as you blend the mixture to allow steam to escape (but it keeps the liquid in so that you don’t wind up with pink goo on your ceiling).  

Lily Pulitzer Pink.

Once that’s blended, pour it into the pre-baked crust.  Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Bake for 23-25 minutes or until the tofu is set in the centre.  Cool in the partially-open oven for about thirty minutes then cool completely in the pan (I left it out overnight since I was baking at 21:00).  Chill for most of a day before serving.

That's Chocolate Pecan Brownie Pie in the background; I made that for T-gives, too.