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Brandied Cherries

amccomb

By amccomb
in Pastry & Baking

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amccomb

amccomb

Posted
Posted

I bought some brandied cherries while in Rome, and received two jars from Zingerman's as well, so now I have brandied cherries coming out my ears.

I'm trying to come up with several desserts using a variety of textures and flavors that can make good use of the brandied cherries.

Any ideas?

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ludja

ludja

Posted
Posted (edited)

garnish for Manhattans... oops, this is the pastry and bakng forum..

They would be great pressed (and baked) in the middle of soft amaretti cookes.

Somehow I also think of a Napolean type of concoction--phyllo dough layers, pastry cream and cherries

Edited by ludja (log)

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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andiesenji

andiesenji

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Why not just make some really rich French vanilla ice cream and mix them into it just prior to serving?

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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andiesenji

andiesenji

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There are so many things you can do with them. Consider them as you would any sweet or bing or Queen Anne or Ranier cherry.

This recipe works with brandied cherries.

and this one

You can also simply warm them and wrap them in crepes with creme fraiche or sweetened sour cream. (If you have never tried sweetened sour cream with fruit, take a little in a cup and mix sugar (I use Splenda) into it. It has a complex flavor that is much better on sweet fruits than whipped cream.)

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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ludja

ludja

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Posted
...

You can also simply warm them and wrap them in crepes with creme fraiche or sweetened sour cream.  (If you have never tried sweetened sour cream with fruit, take a little in a cup and mix sugar (I use Splenda) into it.  It has a complex flavor that is much better on sweet fruits than whipped cream.)

The crepes and creme fraiche idea sounds so good... :smile:

It reminds me of another favorite dessert I make..

warm sweet cream biscuits filled with creme fraiche and warm fruit compote

(the usual fruits I use are a mix of berries and stone fruit in a grand marnier sugar syrup--but I think the warmed cherries would be a great alternative).

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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Wendy DeBord

Wendy DeBord

Posted
Posted

I use them in several mini pastry applications. I use them in Payards almond paste petite fours in place of the pineapple he reccomends. I top any flavor mousse with them, in a tart or chocolate cup. I love it with frangipane. I combine brandied cherries, pie cherries and dried cherries and use that in my danish, cherry pies and turnovers.

I also use them in my blackforest cakes.

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andiesenji

andiesenji

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Another vote for blackforest cake - one of my favorites and it so hard to find a good version in US bakeries.

They also make a nice addition baked into financiers.

The link I posted upthread is for a "Black Forest Sundae" made with crushed chocolate wafers.

Great flavor and no baking (unless you make the chocolate wafers yourself).

I often used cherries cooked like preserves, as filling between layers in dark chocolate cakes, usually cutting the regular layers in half so I have 4 layers with the preserves between. Wonderful flavor combination.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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amccomb

amccomb

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So, the italian brandied cherries and the brandied cherries from Zingerman's were very different. The Zingerman's were more like cherry pie filling - very sweet and gelled. The cherries I got at a monastery in Italy were very potent, not gelled, and not as sweet. I MUCH prefer the italian cherries.

I made clafoutis with the italian cherries, which turned out really, really nice - custardy on the bottom, soft cake on the top, and a crisp, chewy golden crust on top. Yum.

I simmered the rest of the italian cherries and much of the brandy with a few sprigs of rosemary (I love cherries and rosemary together), added some dried cherries and some of the "pie filling" Zingerman cherries and used those as a filling for turnovers, which also turned out really well. I made a glaze using powdered sugar and more of the brandy that I drizzled over the top.

I was too lazy to make black forest cake, so I made brownies (from Alice Medrich's Bittersweet) and stirred another jar of cherries into the batter. I iced some with a cream cheese icing flavored with the last of the brandy, and the others with a ganache with a little amaretto and topped with sliced almonds. Those also turned out well.

I have half of a jar left, and I plan to use them to make Manhattans.

Now the problem is, I want more of the Italian cherries! I did a web search and didn't turn up a darn thing. I could have sworn that Zingerman's had two kinds of brandied cherries, and the others looked more like the Italian ones I have (in an urn shaped jar), but nothing turned up on their site. Where can I get my hands on some more without flying back to Italy?

I did find the brandy the cherries were made with (Morlacco), but there is none locally available. If I can get my hands on sour cherries (which are hard to find here) and some of the brandy, I may try to make my own. Any suggestions on how to do this?

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TurtleMeng

TurtleMeng

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Another vote for blackforest cake - one of my favorites and it so hard to find a good version in US bakeries.

They also make a nice addition baked into financiers.

Hi Neil

Are you able to share your black forest recipe or is there a link somewhere?

I made one according to the Cake Bible but the supposedly "moist" genoise was quite dense, with the chocolate cooked in water added, I did not like it.

"Mom, why can't you cook like the iron chef?"
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nightscotsman

nightscotsman

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Another vote for blackforest cake - one of my favorites and it so hard to find a good version in US bakeries.

They also make a nice addition baked into financiers.

Hi Neil

Are you able to share your black forest recipe or is there a link somewhere?

I made one according to the Cake Bible but the supposedly "moist" genoise was quite dense, with the chocolate cooked in water added, I did not like it.

We made one in school that I really liked, but I also liked the one from Herme's chocolate dessert book, though I would decrease the gelatine and add a bit of sugar to the kirsch-flavored cream component. I also perfer to double the amount of alcohol, but I really like the kirsch flavor stronger than the average person.

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