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Cherry Oh Baby

liuzhou

By liuzhou
in Cooking

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liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
Posted (edited)

In the last hour, I have been given a 1.5 kg box of "Californian" cherries. A Christmas gift from a client. Expensive here in China.

 

cherries.jpg

 

Now, I can eat some straight from the box, but it being only me it might be a bit too much to get through so much.

So, any suggestions how to use them? Apart from sweet recipes.

I'm already thinking of matching a cherry sauce with some duck I intend to cook tomorrow. Anything else? Or indeed suggestions for the cherry sauce,
 

Edited by liuzhou (log)
  • Like 2

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted (edited)
11 hours ago, FrogPrincesse said:

California cherries in December?! That sounds a bit... puzzling. :)

 

 

 

10 hours ago, heidih said:

My thought as well......

 

Your suspicions are well founded. This morning I went shopping and happened to notice that the store also carried the same "Product of California" cherries. One box, however, carried a label which is not on the box I have.

 

california1.jpg

 

Closer inspection reveals that the specific part of California concerned is Mostazal, Cachapoal, in Chile!

 

california2.jpg

 

But they are packaged by Santa, so still an appropriate Christmas gift. 9_9

 

Edited by liuzhou (log)
  • Like 8
  • Haha 1

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, Lisa Shock said:

Save the pits and use them for sauces and infusions. HERE are some ideas.

Very interesting.  I have never thought of using the pits (except citrus when making jams).

  • Like 2

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

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liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Tonight, I simmered some cherries in Chinese red vinegar until they collapsed and served them with roast duck. Sort of sweet and sour. It worked.

  • Like 4

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

BonVivant

BonVivant

Posted
Posted (edited)

For next time, maybe.

 

Sour goes well with fatty meats. I made this a couple of weeks back (loosely based on this recipe). The cherry (or other berries) sauce was very nice.

wsfROsj.jpg

 

Had this the other day at a duck restaurant here in Budapest.

7nrGpDF.jpg

 

The sauce. I like mine more.

U2k1ZLz.jpg

Edited by BonVivant (log)
  • Like 3

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scubadoo97

scubadoo97

Posted
Posted (edited)
11 hours ago, Lisa Shock said:

Save the pits and use them for sauces and infusions. HERE are some ideas.

Gee thanks, I can already see my wife rolling her eyes when I start saving pits.   :))

 

 

Edited by scubadoo97 (log)
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TdeV

TdeV

Posted
Posted

This discussion reminds me that I have a jar of sour cherries in the pantry. And I have a just-thawed duck in the fridge. Yum, yum!

  • Like 1
MRE

MRE

Posted
Posted (edited)

Cherries also go well with roast pork. I always have a bag of dried tart Montmorency cherries on hand. I cook them up with my morning oatmeal when I'm out of fresh fruit. I've never been a big fan of our California bing cherries for cooking. I love to eat them fresh, and preferably right off of the tree. Our local school district has several trees on every campus. Birds seem to get most of them though before the fruit has a chance to ripen. When the brief cherry season arrives in late spring you can probably get a box that size for around $10-$12 at a farmer's market. Trees will start blooming sometime in February.

Edited by MRE (log)

I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.

- W. C. Fields

  • 1 year later...
blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted

I went cherry picking earlier this week and decided to share my bounty in this thread as it seems to be the most recent of the various eG cherry threads and I like the title 🙃. Oh Baby!

I picked about 5 lbs of Brooks cherries, which are a little lighter in color and a bit less firm when fully ripe than Bings and were the only trees with ripe fruit this week. I gave some away and played around with the rest. 

IMG_8073.thumb.jpg.14c3e56d44490adca1f5d9ee3685b979.jpg

Clockwise from left front:  
  • In the pie plate, roasted cherries with red wine and black pepper - very nice warmed and served over vanilla ice cream
  • Cherry ‘Shine (a Moonshine version of brandied cherries) from Kevin West's Saving the Season has to sit for a few weeks before I can taste it. He says to serve it in tiny cordial glasses on nights when you want to sit by the fire and read thick  books.
  • Cherry Chutney - This has a lot of crystalized ginger in it that comes close to overwhelming the cherries. I also added a couple of de Arbol chiles for a little heat.  It's still delicious and I enjoyed it on toasted ciabatta with homemade ricotta and am looking forward to using it on a grilled cheese sandwich with some stinky, runny cheese.
  • and Cherry Mustard - the fresh cherry flavor really comes through nicely here. Very good with some salami and cheese. Oddly, the recipe says it's good for 3 days in the fridge.  Seems awfully conservative, but we'll see. 

Given that 3-day timeline, I figured I should try the Cherry Mustard served as in the linked recipe with pork chops.  Very good.  I garnished with a few of the roasted cherries. 

IMG_8081.thumb.jpg.6effcc29b206eebc3186f3b05af4d47d.jpg 

I think this would also be excellent with duck, chicken or salmon. 

  • Like 8
Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

I went cherry picking earlier this week and decided to share my bounty in this thread as it seems to be the most recent of the various eG cherry threads and I like the title 🙃. Oh Baby!

 

If I ever find myself in a confessional again I shall be ‘fessing up to envy but will feel justified in laying most of the blame on you. 😘

 

To take an ingredient and treat it in so many different ways is something that I love to do when the opportunity arises.

 

But to get very specific on the cherries which are one of my favourite fruits to eat raw,  I grabbed an already bagged portion on a rushed trip through the supermarket and when I got home found most only fit for the compost heap. 

 

 Your preparations look delicious  but I am especially intrigued by the roasted cherries with wine and pepper.  I am a huge fan of strawberries roasted with balsamic so I’m sure I would love these cherries.   Thanks for sharing.

  • Like 3

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

kayb

kayb

Posted
Posted (edited)

I'd love a recipe for the cherry mustard. I would suspect one could can it!

 

 

Edited by kayb (log)

Don't ask. Eat it.

www.kayatthekeyboard.wordpress.com

  • 2 years later...
blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted

Cherry season is starting up again.  The pick-your-own places aren't open yet but farmers are bringing them to the farmers markets.   I ate most of the first batch out of hand and in a salad.  

Got more yesterday and tried a recipe for Burrata with Brown Butter, Lemon and Cherries from Melissa Clark's Dinner in French (recipe available online here)

IMG_3922.thumb.jpeg.a115be0522ca969e888721365045c9e1.jpeg

Served with crostini:

IMG_3918.thumb.jpeg.5600b95910516a9f96b59011b9ce1e60.jpeg

 

Creamy burrata, rich, lemon zest-infused brown butter, fresh mint and sweet/tart cherries make a perfect bite!  Adding a little balsamic vinegar to the cherries is a good trick. It would make ho-hum cherries great and took these over the top.

This could be an appetizer or served as a cheese/fruit course with dessert wine or port. 

 

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heidih

heidih

Posted
Posted

@blue_dolphin Wow - such an appealing combination. Your cherries look plump and firm - my favorite. Not ready to brave farmers market - soon I hope.

  • Like 1
jmacnaughtan

jmacnaughtan

Posted
Posted

I'm intrigued by the savoury recipes on this thread - it's a direction I've never really gone in.

 

I have however given up trying to make a cherry dessert that is more appealing or satisfying than just eating them straight out of the bag.

 

And yes, I have tried clafoutis many times. Just not my thing.

  • Like 2
Margaret Pilgrim

Margaret Pilgrim

Posted
Posted

Every year I make half pints of Bing cherry compote to serve with cheese.    Ether water bath or freeze.    Just pit and cook up with sugar, stopping short of jam so that the cherries remain whole and toothsome.

 

This season, like next week, I will try BD's fresh cheer/balsamic treatment.    Am worrying the choice of cheese, vacillating among the recommended burrata, home made ricotta or some other soft fresh cheese.    Wondering how easily burrata would serve as a cheese plate.

  • Like 2

eGullet member #80.

blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

Every year I make half pints of Bing cherry compote to serve with cheese.    Ether water bath or freeze.    Just pit and cook up with sugar, stopping short of jam so that the cherries remain whole and toothsome.

 

This season, like next week, I will try BD's fresh cheer/balsamic treatment.    Am worrying the choice of cheese, vacillating among the recommended burrata, home made ricotta or some other soft fresh cheese.    Wondering how easily burrata would serve as a cheese plate.

 

I love the texture of burrata but I'm sure the ricotta would be good, too.  I've done this: Sweet-Sour Macerated Cherries With Marcona Almonds, Mint, and Ricotta Recipe and enjoyed it. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted

Went cherry picking yesterday at Villa del Sol Cherry Farms out near Lancaster, CA.  I tried not to go overboard.  Came home with ~ 3 lbs.  Quite a few were consumed last night and this morning.  

Here's what's left:

IMG_4000.thumb.jpeg.cfff8a5d4294102c4b5e10b4bc439009.jpeg

 

My friends decided we should take the scenic route on the way back and stop in Ojai for lunch.  For those unfamiliar with the area, Ojai is NOT on the way between Thousand Oaks and Lancaster.  But it is a very scenic drive and Ojai is always charming.  

5B676BC9-93DB-4C01-995C-990EAC11461E.thumb.jpeg.c8a556ebdbccc0f1cfbe96c7633cb9bc.jpeg

 

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heidih

heidih

Posted
Posted
11 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

Went cherry picking yesterday at Villa del Sol Cherry Farms out near Lancaster, CA.  I tried not to go overboard.  Came home with ~ 3 lbs.  Quite a few were consumed last night and this morning.  

Here's what's left:

IMG_4000.thumb.jpeg.cfff8a5d4294102c4b5e10b4bc439009.jpeg

 

My friends decided we should take the scenic route on the way back and stop in Ojai for lunch.  For those unfamiliar with the area, Ojai is NOT on the way between Thousand Oaks and Lancaster.  But it is a very scenic drive and Ojai is always charming.  

5B676BC9-93DB-4C01-995C-990EAC11461E.thumb.jpeg.c8a556ebdbccc0f1cfbe96c7633cb9bc.jpeg

 

Lucky you! I have not been since Cherry Valley had cherry trees.

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