Fresh Cherries

With cherry season just getting started, here are some recipes
to use when the bins start to overflow.

–Brandied Cherries.
Put clean, dry, firm cherries into a
sterilized jar.
Add a little sugar, and cover with brandy.
Close
the jar and store in a cool, dark place.
Turn the jar every day
until sugar dissolves.

–Cherry Cobbler.
Preheat an oven to 400 degrees.
Make a
favorite cobbler crust.
Pit and stem about 4 cups of cherries.
Put
in a bowl, and toss with 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
and 1/2 cup sugar.
Put the cherries in a baking dish, top with the
crust and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the crust is lightly
golden and the juice is bubbling around the edges.
Let stand 10
minutes before serving.

–Cherry Sauce.
Pit and stem about 2 cups of cherries.
Put them
in a saucepan with 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water.
Bring to a boil
over medium heat and cook, uncovered, about 15 minutes or until the
juice has thickened.
If desired, strain.
Serve the cherries warm or
cold over ice cream or cake.

–Chocolate Cherry Cake.
Make a favorite two-layer chocolate
cake and chocolate frosting.
Spread one layer with frosting; then
spread with very sweet chopped cherries.
Add the second layer and
frost.
Top with a cluster of whole cherries with stems
attached.

–Pain Perdu With Poached Cherries.
Pit about 20 cherries.
Put
them in a saucepan, and add about 3/4 cup water and 1/4 cup sugar.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Reduce to a simmer, and
poach for 10 to 15 minutes or until a syrup forms and the cherries
are soft but still hold their shape.

Dip thick slices of country-style bread in beaten eggs.
Melt a
nugget of butter in a skillet.
Saute the dipped bread until golden.
Serve with the cherries and their juice.

Georgeanne Brennan, a food and garden writer who lives in Yolo
County, is the author of “Aperitif” and “The Food and Flavors of
Haute Provence.” She can be reached by e-mail at
food@sfgate.com.

Converted by MC_Buster.

4 oz Dried Prunes; Pitted

4 oz Raisins

8 oz Dried Apple Slices

8 oz Dried Pear Quarters

1 c Honey; Clover Or Wild

1 Cinnamon Stick

6 Whole Cloves

2 qt Apple Cider

Juice And Peel Of 1 Lemon Combine the fruit in a large pot and
fill with enough cider to cover it by a third more.
(The fruit will
absorb a lot of liquid.) Add the cloves and lemon peel.
Simmer
until the larger pieces are cooked but not falling apart.
Pour off
the liquid into a pan and cook until reduced by 1/3rd.
Add the
honey, cinnamon, lemon juice, and fruit.
Reheat, stirring.
Taste,
and add more lemon juice if needed.
It should not be cloying sweet,
the taste of the fruit should dominate.
Serve warm in crystal or
clear glass bowls.
Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

4 oz Dried Prunes — Pitted

4 oz Raisins

8 oz Dried Apple Slices

8 oz Dried Pear Quarters

1 c Honey — Clover Or Wild

1 Cinnamon Stick

6 Whole Cloves

2 qt Apple Cider

Juice And Peel Of 1 Lemon

Combine the fruit in a large pot and fill with enough cider to
cover it by a third more.
(The fruit will absorb a lot of liquid.)
Add the cloves and lemon peel.
Simmer until the larger pieces are
cooked but not falling apart.
Pour off the liquid into a pan and
cook until reduced by 1/3rd.
Add the honey, cinnamon, lemon juice,
and fruit.
Reheat, stirring.
Taste, and add more lemon juice if
needed.
It should not be cloying sweet, the taste of the fruit
should dominate.
Serve warm in crystal or clear glass bowls.
Keeps
in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

1 md Pineapple, fresh

1/4 c Agar-agar flakes

1 1/2 c — water;

2 ts Vanilla extract

1/2 c Pineapple juice

3 tb Honey

—–PER SERVING—–
74 x *cals

3/8 x *gm protein

1/8 x *gm fat

17 x *gm carbo

1 x *mg sodium

1 x *gm fiber

Peel and core pineapple, then slice into 8 rings.
Place one ring
in each of 8 shallow dessert dishes.
IN a saucepan, combine
remaining ingredients; bring to a boil.
Simmer 5 minutes, stirring,
until agar has completely dissolved.
Divide sauce among dessert
dishes.
Chill until sauce if firm, about 12 minutes.
Serves 8.
Source: Vegetarian Times August 1993 Low-Fat Kitchen

2/3 c Sugar

1 t Dry mustard

1 t Paprikw

1/4 t Salt

1 t Celery seed

1/3 c Honey

5 T Vinegar

1 T Lemon juice

1 c Salad oil

Combine all ingredients in a blender, adding oil last and
pouring in slowly while other ingredients are blending.
Blend until
smooth.
Serve over cottage cheese and fruit.
From The Taste of
Vermont, Vermont Agricultural Enterprises, Inc.

2 c Watermelon, pureed

1/2 c Powdered sugar

2 T Gelatin

1/4 c ;Water, cold

1/2 c ;Water, boiling

1 T Lemon juice

2 Egg white; stiffly

-beaten 1 c Whipping cream; whipped

1 Graham Cracker Crust

-(see recipe) Whipped cream to garnish
—————————-GRAHAM CRACKER
CRUST—————————-
24 Graham Cracker Squares

1/4 lb Butter or margarine

1/4 c Sugar

1/4 ts Cinnamon

Thoroughly mix crust ingredients and pack into a ten inch pie
pan.
Hint: try to get the crust thickness very even and not too
thick.
Puree watermelon to measure 2 cups.
Add powdered sugar.
Set
aside.
Soften unflavored gelatin in cold water.
Add boiling water;
stir to dissolve.
Add lemon juice and pureed watermelon.
Refrigerate until mixture begins to thicken.
Fold in egg whites and
whipped topping.
Pour into pie shell and refrigerate until firm.
Garnish with whipped topping.
Makes one 10-inch or two 8 inch
pies.