Monthly Archives: December 2023

Product Feature: Cranberry Apricot Nut Loaf

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This is one of our most flavorful breads, shining especially bright during the gray days of winter. Its mild sour flavor results from our natural starter and a long, slow rise. The locally grown and milled coarse whole-wheat flour from Fairhaven Mills contributes to its hearty texture and natural sweetness. Turkish apricots, cranberries, walnuts, and pecans add flavor and crunch. You’d be hard pressed to identify the faint hint of anise and cloves — that je ne sais quoi that sets it apart — if they weren’t listed among the ingredients. The net effect is a bread with surprising balance and delicious taste.
The festive flavors make this loaf a natural for the holidays. Serve warm slices at your holiday brunch with creamy cheeses like Brie or ricotta, maybe a drizzle of honey. Or keep it simple: toasted and buttered is one of our favorite ways to enjoy it. But perhaps its highest and best use during the holidays is for the Prized Leftover Ham or Turkey Sandwich.

Prize Leftover Ham or Turkey Sandwich

Serves 4


¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup leftover cranberry sauce
½ cup leftover gravy
2 cups mixed white and dark turkey meat, leftover
2 cups leftover stuffing
8 slices Macrina Cranberry Apricot Nut Loaf, cut on the bias
2 Tbsp butter

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and cranberry sauce. Set aside.
Pour the gravy into a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Once the gravy is warm, add the turkey meat and cook until just warmed through, about 4 minutes.

While the turkey is warming, heat the stuffing. You can do this in a microwave until it reaches about 165°F, or in another skillet if you prefer.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Butter one side of each slice of the Cranberry Apricot Nut Loaf. Place the bread slices buttered side down in the skillet and toast until just crisped, about 2 minutes each.

Assemble the sandwiches: Spread the mayo-cranberry mixture evenly over the non-buttered sides of all 8 bread slices. On four of the slices, layer the warmed turkey and top each with a quarter of the warm stuffing. Place the remaining bread slices, mayo-cranberry side down, on top of the stuffing to close the sandwiches. Cut the sandwiches in half and serve immediately.

12 Days of Christmas Treats

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Holiday gatherings and great food go together, but let’s face it, the festivities also bring a dash of stress. Our fresh, handmade baked goods, sweet and savory, help you pull together great meals with confidence. Macrina has been a secret ingredient in transforming many families’ holiday gatherings into tasty, joyous occasions for over two decades. Knowing your guests will love the food goes a long way to letting you settle into the convivial glow of family, friends, and festive cheer.

1. Cranberry Apricot Nut Loaf

One of our favorite breads for toast, this loaf is perfect for a holiday brunch. Made with locally grown and milled coarse whole-wheat flour from Fairhaven Mills, the hearty texture gets flavor and crunch from Turkish apricots, cranberries, walnuts and pecans. Mildly sour, the savory sweet bread has a hint of anise and cloves. It’s great toasted with butter, or on a festive platter spread with creamy cheeses such as Brie or ricotta.

2. Salmon Spread

Made in-house with premium smoked salmon, lemony cream cheese, briny capers, and fresh herbs, our Salmon Spread makes entertaining PNW-style easy. It’s versatile enough to use spread on toasted baguette slices on a holiday platter, as a brunch addition with our MadRy bagels, a key ingredient in a sandwich, or tossed with fresh pasta as a creamy and flavorful sauce.

3. Cookie Box

We’ve been making holiday cookie boxes since 1994. The cookies are an assortment of Leslie’s family favorites, make great gifts, and are perfect for cookie exchanges with family, neighbors and friends — or you may just want the cookies all for yourself! This year’s lineup includes our Crisp Gingerbread, Chocolate Crinkle, Mexican Wedding Balls, Cranberry Orange Biscotti, Pecan Rosemary Shortbread, and Rugelach.

4. Eggnog Cheesecake

The creamy filling is rich with eggnog, flavored with a touch of brandy, and finished with white chocolate ganache over a ginger molasses cookie crust. Beautifully garnished with seasonal fruit.

5. Mini Chocolate Peppermint Mousse Cake

These single-serving size layer cakes make an excellent dessert centerpiece. Arrange them artistically on a platter with holly leaves or pass them around at a holiday party. Bittersweet chocolate pot de crème is topped with a white chocolate peppermint mousse and covered in chocolate ganache.

6. Black Forest Cake

Our version of this classic German cake is both visually striking and delicious, featuring layers of fudgy chocolate cake soaked in cherry syrup and cherry brandy, layered with sweetened whipped cream, cherries, and ganache.

7. Gingerbread Spice Cup

Single-serving size cakes that will sweeten any holiday gathering. These light, ginger-spiced molasses cakes are baked in an individual paper tulip cup, topped with cream cheese frosting, and a candied ginger garnish.

8. Chocolate Pecan Babka

We make our Chocolate Pecan Babka just a few times a year. The loaf is rich like brioche bread, with an added swirl of chocolate glaze and roasted pecans. It’s delicious simply toasted with butter, but for a special brunch, use it as a base for French toast and serve it with your favorite breakfast sausage, raspberries and sweetened whipped cream!

9. Panettone

Our holidays wouldn’t be complete without this traditional Milanese Christmas bread. The festive toque-shaped yeast bread is lightly sweet, enriched with eggs and butter, and studded with raisins and candied orange and lemon peel. Grab a bottle of prosecco and some mascarpone and invite some friends over for a very Italian holiday celebration.

10. Winter Pear Crown

This savory crown makes a beautiful table centerpiece, or slice into wedges and top with Cambozola for a showy appetizer. Before hand-forming the bread into a crown, we dice the plumpest, Washington state Bartlett pears available and gently mix them into the dough with just enough black pepper to casually announce itself.

11. Gingerbread Decorating Kit

This fun activity is for kids (and kids at heart) of any age. It includes gingerbread figures, red and white sprinkles, three piping bags, and instructions for easy frosting. Use a few drops of food coloring to create colorful frosting options. If sprinkles aren’t enough for you, level up by cutting sartorial accessories like belts, bow ties, gloves and scarfs from candies like licorice and jellybeans. Unleash your creativity!

12. Italian Cream Cake

One of Leslie’s all-time favorites, this luscious, light yellow layer cake has raspberry jam and mascarpone that soak into the cake layers giving it a pudding-like texture. Kumquats add a burst of tangy citrus flavor.