Orchard Talk

Ingredients:
2 to 3 strips of bacon, finely diced
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup (about 1/3 pound) chopped butternut squash
2/3 cup dried tart cherries
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary or sage leaves, chopped
3 tablespoons almonds or pecans, toasted and finely ground
3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
3 tablespoons or more chicken or vegetable broth, if necessary
Salt and pepper to taste (used 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper)

Directions:
Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove to a large mixing bowl. Add butter, onion and squash to bacon drippings. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until squash is semi-soft. Add cherries and rosemary; continue cooking until squash is soft.

Add squash mixture to bacon. Stir in nuts and bread crumbs. Mix thoroughly. Add broth, one tablespoon at a time, if dressing is dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serving suggestion: Use to stuff pork chops or pork tenderloin. This is also a good stuffing for chicken breasts or Cornish hens.

Makes 1 1/2 cups or 6 (1/4 cup) servings.

Nutrition Info:
Nutrition Facts per 1/4-cup serving: 189 cal., 11 g total fat (5 g sat. fat), 20 g carbo., 20 mg chol., 3 g pro., 2 g fiber, 244 mg sodium. Daily RDA values: 100% vit. A, 15% vit. C, 4% calcium, 6% iron.

Tags: butternut squash, cherry recipes, dried cherries, michigan cherries, Our Websites, tart cherries

Ingredients

Tags: cherry bars, cherry recipes, dried cherries, healthy cherry recipes, Recipes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 pound raw unsalted peanuts
• 1 tablespoon mild chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground white pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp cayenne
• 8 ounces King Orchards dried tart cherries

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the peanuts and stir to coat with the melted butter.
2. Mix together the chili powder, cumin, pepper, salt, oregano and cayenne in a small bowl; reserve.
3. Place the peanuts on a large sheet pan and lightly toast in a preheated 300°F oven for about 10 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Transfer the peanuts to a large bowl and coat with the dry ingredients. Mix in the cherries until uniformly blended.

Storage: Store the nut mixture in an airtight container.

Adapted The Culinary Institute of America, Hors d’oeuvre at Home (John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2007)

1 tablespoon dried tart cherries

1 small onion

1 clove garlic

3 tablespoons fruit-flavored vinegar

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 tablespoon honey

1/3 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Chop cherries, onion and garlic in food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Add fruit-flavored vinegar, orange juice and honey; puree. With food processor on, slowly add olive oil; mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tags: Cherries, cherry recipes, dried cherries, michigan, michigan cherries, tart cherries, tart cherry recipes

1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar, divided
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cans (16 ounces each) tart cherries
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
4 to 5 drops red food coloring, optional
Favorite pastry for two-crust pie

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Filling: In a 3-quart saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Drain the liquid from the canned cherries into the saucepan; set cherries aside. Stir the cherry liquid into the sugar mixture until no lumps remain. Heat the mixture to boiling over medium heat, stirring frequently; continue cooking 1 minute or until mixture is thickened and slightly translucent. Remove from the heat, stir in the reserved tart cherries, dried cherries, almond extract and, if desired, food coloring.

Roll out bottom pastry between 2 sheets of lightly floured waxed paper. Place the pastry in the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan, letting the excess extend over the edge. Spoon in the cherry filling. Roll out top pastry and place over filling. Flute or crimp edges. Cut several slits in top crust to vent pie. Or, you can make a lattice top crust, whichever suits your family. Sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar onto the pastry strips. Place pie on the top rack in oven and place a baking sheet or piece of foil on lower rack to catch any drips.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and the filling bubbles. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack 15 to 20 minutes before cutting.
Makes 10 servings. From the Cherry Marketing Institute.

Tags: Cherries, cherry recipes, michigan, michigan cherries, michigan tart cherries, Recipes, tart cherry recipes, traverse city

2 cups old-fashioned oats
4 cups milk
1/4 tsp almond flavoring
1/2 cup King Orchards dried tart cherries
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 large apple, unpeeled, grated or chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat 3 quart casserole or baking pan with cooking spray.
In mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Fold into baking dish. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Serve hot.

Tags: cherry recipes, dried cherries, recipe

Ingredients:
1 c. apple juice
1/2 c. fresh apple chunks
1/2 c. Michigan Montmorency Dried Tart Cherries
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
2 tbsp. croutons
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. dry white wine
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
6 pork loin chops, cut 1-inch thick
2 tbsp. cooking oil

In saucepan combine apple juice and apples; simmer, covered, for 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Add Michigan Dried Cherries and let stand 5 minutes; drain, reserving liquid.Combine cooked fruit mixture, walnuts and croutons. Stir together sugar, wine, lemon juice and ginger. Add to crouton mixture, tossing lightly to moisten. Cut pockets in fat side of chops, cutting lengthwise to bone.

Spoon about 1/3 cup of the stuffing mixture into each pocket. If necessary, use wooden picks to hold pockets closed. In large skillet brown chops in hot oil. Place chops in a 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Sprinkle chops with a little salt and pepper. Add 1/4 cup reserved apple liquid to pan, adding water if necessary.

Bake chops, covered, in 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Serves 6.

Tags: cherry recipes, dried cherries

Ingredients:
For couscous:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup minced yellow onion
1 1/2 cups fat free low sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
5 ounces whole-wheat couscous (about 1 cup)
For dressing;
1 tablespoon cherry juice concentrate
1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons canola oil

For salad:
1/2 cup chopped dried tart cherries
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped pistachios
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:
Prepare couscous:
In a quart saucepan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion and sauté for about 3 minutes or until softened. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add couscous, stir, cover and remove from heat. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl to cool.

Prepare dressing:
In a small bowl, whisk together cherry juice concentrate, lemon juice and mustard. Whisk in oil until emulsified. Set aside.

Assemble:
Add dressing and remaining ingredients to the couscous and mix well. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Info:
Calories 142, Total Fat g 6, Sat Fat g 0, Chol mg 0, Sodium mg 180, Total Carb g 21, Fiber g 3, Sugars g 7, Protein g 3

Tags: cherry juice, cherry recipes, dried cherries

2 boneless pork loin chops, about 1-inch thick

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste (used ¼ teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

½ cup chopped onion

1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

1/3 to 1/2 cup dried tart cherries

2 tablespoons orange marmalade

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Dried red pepper flakes, to taste (used 1/8 teaspoon pepper)

Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet on high heat. Add pork chops; brown well, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to plate. Add onions to skillet; cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, dried cherries, orange marmalade, vinegar and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil; boil rapidly on medium heat until broth is reduced by half. Reduce heat. Add pork chops to pan to heat through, 5 to 6 minutes. (Cook pork chops longer on lower heat, if pork chops are very thick or if they have a bone in them.) Internal temperature of the pork should be about 160 degrees. Add chicken broth or water, if needed. Serve pork chops with cherry sauce spooned over them.

Tags: Cherries, cherry recipes, dried cherries, michigan cherries, PORK RECIPES, tart cherry recipes

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

½ cup dried tart cherries

3 green onions, sliced

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup plain yogurt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Lettuce leaves

Chopped fresh parsley

2 to 4 croissants

Combine chicken, cherries and onions in a large bowl; mix well. In another bowl, combine mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice and pepper; pour over chicken mixture. Mix gently. Refrigerate, covered, 1 to 2 hours. Spoon chicken salad on sliced croissants; top with lettuce.

Tags: Cherries, dried cherries, michigan, michigan cherries, michigan tart cherries, Recipes, tart cherries, tart cherry juice, traverse city