The sweetest taste of the summer season is fleeting
When it comes to cherries I have a favorite way to eat them
– straight out of the bowl. Around here, when Bings come into
season, they don’t need any extras added to them. The sweet fruit
tastes great all on its own.
The sweetest taste of the summer season is fleeting
When it comes to cherries I have a favorite way to eat them – straight out of the bowl. Around here, when Bings come into season, they don’t need any extras added to them. The sweet fruit tastes great all on its own.
Cherries have always been my favorite fruit probably because I grew up around here and have been eating locally-grown Bings, royal Anns and Rainiers since I was a tot. Every year as a kid, I’d wait with anticipation as the fruit stands lining Monterey Highway would open up for a few weeks. Back then I didn’t understand why my favorite fruit only seemed to be available for a couple weeks each summer – but now that I understand all the variables that go into getting a good crop, which can be influenced by weather all through its cycle – I appreciate the cherries I’ve found at the local farmers markets and stands even more.
This season with the last of the San Benito cherries hitting the market, I thought I’d try a few recipes I found at the California Cherry Advisory Board. The Advisory Board’s Web site offers a dozen recipes and touts the health benefits of the fruit. For anyone who has grown up eating locally-grown cherries, they probably don’t need to do much persuading.
One thing that has always kept me from cooking with fresh cherries is the pit. It always seemed like such a hassle to pull the pit out of every single cherry – and a messy prospect, too. I did a search online and discovered there are plenty of cherry pitter tools available. The one I got, complete with a juice shield, worked so-so. It got the pits out easily, but there were still some splatters of the staining red liquid around. I would suggest wearing an apron or an old T-shirt for the task. The pitter can also be used on olives, but I’ll save that experiment for another day.
Though it is a bit of a chore to get the pits out of a few cups of cherries and slice them, these homemade desserts certainly made it worthwhile. In addition to the cupcake recipe – which comes out more like a muffin and can stand on its own – is a frosting recipe for those who want a sweet topping for the cake.
For more recipes or nutritional information, visit www.calcherry.com.
Bing Cherry Chocolate Cupcakes
recipes courtesy of the California Cherry Advisory Board
8 oz. butter at room temperature
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa
1 c. milk
1 1/3 c. pitted cherries, halved
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cream together the butter and sugar using a wooden spoon or an electric mixer 4 to 5 minutes, until fluffy and light. Slowly beat in the eggs.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa. Add this to the egg mixture along with the milk and mix just long enough to blend the ingredients, no more than 20 seconds. Fold in the halved cherries, no more than another 10 seconds.
Let rest 10 minutes, then fill greased muffin cups to the brim with the batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and let cool 10 minutes before un-molding.
Makes one dozen muffin-sized cupcakes.
Bing Cherry Thumbprint Cookies
Cherry Jam:
1 lb. fresh Bing cherries, washed and pitted (about 2 cups)
1/8 c. water
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 c. sugar
Combine Bing cherries and water in a small pot and simmer over low heat until fruit is tender, about 10 minutes. Add lemon juice, zest, and sugar and stir gently until sugar dissolves.
Bring to a boil and boil rapidly for 10 minutes, stirring on occasion, until thick and syrupy. Pour into a shallow bowl and cool, or alternately refrigerate until jam is set. This can be made a day ahead.
Cookie Dough:
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
2 c. flour
Preheat oven to 350°. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla or almond extract. Add flour and mix until just combined. Form dough into 1-inch balls and arrange on an ungreased cookie sheet. Using your thumb, make an impression in the center of each ball. Fill each cookie with cherry jam making sure each has a cherry in the center. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the dough is set and lightly browned on bottom. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.
Makes two to three dozen.
Cherry-vanilla buttercream frosting
Recipe adapted from ‘Ultimate Recipe Showdown’
2 ¼ c. confectioner’s sugar
¾ c. unsalted butter, softened
½ tbsp. vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp. whipping cream
½ c. cherry preserves or jam
In an electric mixer, mix together sugar and butter on medium low speed until well blended. Add the vanilla and whipping cream and beat on medium speed for two minutes until mixture becomes light and fluffy. Beat in the cherry preserves until well incorporated.
