For My Neighbors: Cherry Recipes

Obviously the title needs a little explanation. Up and down my block, the cherry trees my neighbors have planted are sagging under the weight of cherries that the birds haven’t absconded with yet. Naturally, there are going to be many, many of my friends and neighbors wondering what to do with all of those cherries. For my readers who will have to wait for the cherry festival to partake in these ruby-red pearls of summer, these recipes will work just as well.

So for my many neighbors and friends who waited so patiently over the last few years for your trees to bear fruit, and for whom the bounty of Prunus avium is finally upon you, I offer you this collection of cool and interesting things to do with them.

Cleaning the Cherries

Okay so you sent your kids out to collect the cherries. Now what?

  1. Clean out your sink as if you’re making it kosher for Passover.
  2. Dump the cherries into the sink. Fill the sink with cold water.
  3. Work on cleaning, stemming, pitting and sorting the cherries directly from the sink.

 

Posted in:
  • Prep Time : 15 min
  • Cook Time : 25 min
  • Ready Time : 40 min

Servings

3-4 servings

Ingredients

  • 500 grams cherries stemmed and pitted
  • 200 mililiters soy milk
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 300 mililiters moscato wine

Directions

  1. Add cherries, soy milk, salt and cornstarch to a sauce pot. Cook over medium heat for five to ten minutes until thickened slightly.
  2. Puree mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth.
  3. Add moscato wine and mix until incorporated.
  4. Chill completely in refrigerator. Serve chilled.
Garnish with a dollop of Lemon Curd and fresh pitted cherries.
This is a classic French dessert. You aren't even supposed to pit the cherries, that's how lazy easy this recipe is.

Posted in:
  • Prep Time : 15 min
  • Cook Time : 35 min
  • Ready Time : 50 min

Servings

8-10 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 whole vanilla bean split and scraped
  • 120 mililiters non-dairy whipped cream
  • 120 mililiters soy milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 100 grams sugar
  • 350 grams cherries pitted and stemmed

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
  2. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the tip of your knife.
  3. In a sauce pan, heat non-dairy cream, soy milk, eggs, yolks, sugar, and vanilla seeds. Stir vigirously until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat.
  4. Arrange the cherries in a deep ceramic baking dish or aluminum pan lined with baking paper.
  5. Ladle the custard over and around the cherries.
  6. Bake for eight to ten minutes at 200°C (400°F).
  7. Reduce heat to 160°C (325°F) and bake for an additional 25 minutes, until custard is completely set. Serve warm.
No more wishing for canned cherry pie filling. This recipe will put those shortcut-abusers to shame.

Posted in:
  • Ready Time : 0 min

Servings

Ingredients

  • 1 kilogram cherries stemmed and pitted
  • 300 grams sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 300 mililiters water
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice fresh
  • 3 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions

  1. Place the cherries, water, salt and sugar into a pot. Heat on medium until simmering.
  2. Cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes.
  3. Dissolve cornstarch in lemon juice. Raise temperature to high. Add slurry in a thin stream to the pot, stirring until mixture thickens. Remove from heat.
Cool and use as a cherry pie filling or cheesecake topping.
One of the easiest recipes for making your own liqueur.

Posted in:
  • Ready Time : 0 min

Servings

Ingredients

  • 500 grams cherries stemmed and pitted
  • 750 mililiters vodka
  • 350 grams sugar

Directions

  1. Gently break the cherries with your fingers and remove the pits.
  2. Place the cherries and the vodka in a very clean jar.
  3. Shake once a day for four weeks.
  4. Add sugar
  5. Shake once a day for four weeks.
  6. Taste and adjust for sweetness. If you add additional sugar, allow the liqueur to mature one week per 100 grams of sugar added.
  7. Strain the liqueur through a fine mesh cloth.
The liqueur will continue to mellow for eight months. It will last for years. The cherries can be reserved indefinitely in the freezer; they won't freeze. You aren't going to get a Maraschino sweetness from this liqueur, but you can make it more to your liking than commercial brands. If you like it a little more bitter, leave the pits in.

 

 

Comments

comments

7 thoughts on “For My Neighbors: Cherry Recipes”

    1. Good question. While we all might have Shavuot on the brain right now, something like clafoutis can be made for a 'normal' Shabbat.

      If you want it unctuous like it has cream in it, throw in another egg yolk.

  1. Marc – Kol HaKavod for your wonderful work! I just want to make a suggestion that I've been using successfully – try using coconut milk for the parve milks in the recipes. Like the soy milk in this one. The coconut milk is parve. It has no obectionable flavor unlike soy milk AND it is more natural than Rich's creamer. I have even made a sub for sour cream by souring the coconut milk with flavorless white vinegar. One must look carefully at the nutritional label though – canned Chaoko "Nozel Cocos" or "Mei Cocos" has 15% fat while others have about 5%. Most are not sweetened. If the label shows about 5% fat, then ust use it like milk. If the label shows a % around 15%, then dilute it with water 1 cup to 1 cup coconut liquid up to 2 cups water to 1 cup coconut liquid. It is even possible to use coconut liquid to make subs for dulce de leche and for sour crean.

    1. Coconut milk contains coconut oil, which is very high in saturated fats, and should be used sparingly. The differences in fat content you’re seeing might be coconut milk vs. coconut cream.

      There are all sorts of milks on the market such as almond and rice. The soy milk here has a sweet vanilla flavor to it that goes nicely with the cherries.

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