Cranberry Fig Quinoa Tart Food

QUINOA, FRESH FIG AND HONEY-BALSAMIC PARFAIT

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add quinoa. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until liquid is absorbed, 12-15 minutes. Remove from heat; fluff with a fork., Meanwhile, place vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 1-2 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half., In a small bowl, mix cooked quinoa, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Layer half of quinoa mixture, half of honey, balsamic vinegar, half of figs and half of yogurt into 4 parfait glasses. Top with remaining quinoa mixture, honey, yogurt and figs.

SUNNY'S CRANBERRY, APPLE AND FIG STREUSEL TART

Steps:

• Par-bake the crust: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Use both pie crusts to cover the bottom and sides of a 13-by-9-inch casserole dish. Patchwork works, just cover the holes. Dock by pricking holes in the crust with a fork all over the bottom. Bake until lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
• For the fruit filling: In a large bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, almond extract, pumpkin pie spice, lemon zest and lemon juice. Divide the mixture among the smaller bowls: 3/4 cup in the first, 1/2 cup in the second and 1/4 cup in the third. (Think of the 3 bears: poppa, momma and baby bear bowls.)
• Put the cranberries in the poppa bear bowl; in the momma bear bowl, add the apples; and in the baby bear bowl, add the figs. (Do you need a translation? Add cranberries to the bowl with the most flour mixture, apples to the bowl with 1/2 cup of the flour mixture, and the figs to the bowl with the least amount of the flour mixture.) Stir each bowl independently, unless you¿re an octopus.
• For the streusel topping: In a food processor add the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and a pinch of salt. Blend until crumbly, taste and add more salt if needed. Pour into a small bowl with the almonds and stir.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pour the fruit filling into the prepared crust, dividing it into thirds with the apples in the middle and the figs and cranberries on either side. Top evenly with the streusel mixture. Cover the pie edges with aluminum foil so they don¿t overcook. Bake until the top is golden brown and the fruit is beginning to bubble around the edges, 40 to 50 minutes. Serve warm with the bourbon whipped cream.
• Whisk the cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Add the bourbon and sugar and continue whisking until the cream holds slightly stiff peaks when the whisk is removed from the bowl. Refrigerate and serve cold.

LEMON CRANBERRY QUINOA SALAD

Steps:

• For dressing, in a small bowl, whisk the first 5 ingredients until blended., In a small saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Add quinoa. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 12-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; fluff with a fork. Transfer to a large bowl., Add jicama, cucumber, cranberries, parsley and green onion to quinoa. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold. Gently stir in avocado before serving.