8 c. (2 lbs.) fresh tart cherries, unpitted
2 c. sugar or 1 lb. sugar cubes
4 c. vodka or brandy or bourbon
1 1/2 tsp whole allspice (optional)
1 1/2 tsp whole cloves (optional
2″ stick cinnamon (optional)

Wash and stem cherries. Alternate layers of cherries, sugar and spices, if desired in a sterilized 2-quart jar. Cover with liquor. Store covered in cool dark place. Shake or stir once a day the first week, then once a week for two months. Strain the liqueur, setting cherries aside. Let liqueur stand for 2 hours, pour clear liqueur into sterilized glass containers, being careful not to disturb sediment. Make second batch.

Traditionally, the first batch of Cherry Bounce is served during the Christmas season; the second is served at Easter.

You can make the second batch by adding more sugar and bourbon to the cherries, but traditionally sauterne is used rather than bourbon. Cover the cherries with 4/5 quart of sauterne. Follow the same stirring and storing procedure as in the first batch.

8 oz. Vernor’s ginger ale
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
1 tsp. tart cherry juice concentrate

Blend well and serve in a tall glass with a straw.

This recipe makes six personal size cherry pies. (5 inch pie tins)

Filling
5 C of fresh frozen unsweetened cherries or three 15 oz cans of tart. I use cherries fresh frozen from King Orchards brand or their canned tart cherries.
1 Tbls of organic tapioca starch or corn starch
3 C of superfine sugar.
1 Tbls lemon juice
1 tsp almond extract

Bottom Crust
1 C of crushed gram cracker crumbs plus some for dusting pans. I prefer Nabisco.
4 Tbls unsalted butter

Upper crust
1 box of prepared crust from either Pillsbury of store brand such as Stop & Shop.
1/8 C of extra virgin light olive oil
1/8 C of superfine sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375. Thaw the cherries and drain them well. Reserve the cherry juice for shakes or mixing with seltzer. Mix the cherries with 2 cups of the sugar, let sit and drain again. Mix in the tapioca or corn starch, almond extract and lemon juice and the balance of sugar to taste. Let them sit for 15 minutes while you prepare your crust and gram cracker crust bottom.

Take your small tin pans and spray them with butter flavored Pam or grease them with butter. Then dust the sides and bottom of the tins with gram cracker crumbs.

Melt the butter and mix it with 1 cup gram cracker crumbs. Take the dusted pans and place the gram cracker mixture on the bottom about 1/8 thick. Press the gram cracker mixture with a spoon until compacted. Place in freezer for 15 minutes to chill before filling.

Roll out you prepared pie crust and use one of the tins as a template cutting out a circle. You should be able to cut out three upper crusts per roll. Take your cherry mixture and scoop it out with a slotted spoon to leave any excess liquid behind and fill the tin piled a little high but not too high. Place the crust over the tin. Use fork tines to press down the edges of the upper crust against the tins. Carefully cut an x-shaped slit in the upper crust using a sharp knife.
Mix the olive oil with super fine sugar so you have a thick mixture. Brush the tops of the pies with the mixture using a pastry brush..

Bake the pies on a cookie sheet or directly on the rack for 35-40 minutes. The crusts should look golden brown not soggy.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c dried tart cherries
3/4 c toasted almonds
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 c brown sugar
1/3 c honey
1/3 c granulated sugar
1 1/2 c oats
1 c wheat flour
3/4 c all purpose flour
1/4 c flax seed
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 c dark chocolate chips
1c yogurt butter

Directions:
Cream butter and sugars in a small mixing bowl. Drizzle in honey and vanilla, mix well, add eggs. Set aside.

Sift flours, powder and soda in another medium size bowl. Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Stir in oats, flax seed, chocolate, almonds and cherries.

Spray muffin pan wells with non stick spray. Place one heaping tablespoon of batter into each well.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield 2 dz.

Nutrition Info:
Nutrition Facts per cookie: 220 calories, 8 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 34 g carbohydrate, 20 mg cholesterol, 4 g protein, 3 g fiber, 150 mg sodium; Daily Values: 6% vitamin A, 0% vitamin C, 4% calcium, 6% iron

courtesy of Cherry Marketing Institute

Cherry Chili

Lean ground turkey simmered with fire-roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic, Bell pepper, cilantro, chili powder, cumin, mustard powder and chopped dried cherries

Ingredients:
4 ounces dried tart cherries, chopped (3/4 cup)
2 cups fat free low sodium chicken broth, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon fresh chopped garlic
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 roasted red Bell pepper, cut into 1/4″ cubes
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cups chopped fire-roasted* tomatoes
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (or 1 16-ounce can, rinsed and drained)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions:
Heat one cup of the broth. Place cherries in small mixing bowl. Add hot broth and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and saute for about five minutes or until onion is soft. Add garlic and cook one minute longer. Do not brown garlic. Add turkey and cook until it is no longer pink.

Add roasted Bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, coriander, mustard and oregano. Cook mixture over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally for about two minutes. Add tomatoes and remaining cup of broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes.

Stir in beans, cherries and cilantro. Continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes or until mixture is just heated through. Season with additional salt if desired.

*Used canned fire-roasted tomatoes for optimal flavor; may use regular canned chopped tomatoes

Yield: about 2 quarts or 8 servings

Nutrition Info:
Calories 223, Total Fat g 6, Sat Fat g 2, Chol mg 41, Sodium mg 448, Total Carb g 28, Fiber g 5, Sugars g 14, Protein g 17

Momma’s Cheesecake Recipe

5 eggs – separated

1 cup Sugar

1 lb. Cream Cheese

1 cup Sour Cream

2 Tablespoons Flour

1 tsp. Vanilla

Heat oven to 275 degrees. Butter a 9″ Spring Form pan and coat with 1/2 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs (3 Full size Crackers) 1 Tablespoon of Sugar and 1/4 tsp of Cinnamon and 1/4 tsp Nutmeg.

Beat egg yolks until thick and Lemon Colored. Gradually beat in Sugar. Break up Cream Cheese and add to Egg Yolk mixture, beating until smooth. Add Sour Cream, Flour and Vanilla until smooth.

Beat Egg Whites in a glass or metal bowl – until stiff but not dry. Gently fold into cheese mixture. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 70 minutes. Turn off oven and leave for one hour (Without Opening Oven Door!! BIG SECRET!!) Top with your favorite topping when cool!

There is the recipe BUT, I use this recipe for ALL fruit filled Cheesecake also! So today I am going to just roll in a cup of Montmorency Tart Cherries that I have let thaw and drain. Then I am going to make a cherry filling to spread on the top and put a touch of whip cream for decoration only. I am using the Balaton Cherry for this mission because it keeps its shape better. It will have nice and round cherries like ‘Right off the Tree” look in my cheesecake. I can hardly wait to taste it.

With this recipe, if you are folding in fruit, make sure it is as drained as you can get it or you will get some wet spots around your fruit that you added. I just watched Julie and Julia a couple days ago so the excitement it climbing!

p.s. I wonder if a person could cut little hearts in the center of the pastries for Valentine’s Day treats.

CHERRY PIE COOKIES

Ingredients:
Cherry filling (see recipe below)  – 1 1/4 cups
Prepared pie pastry
1 Large egg
1 Tbl. Water
Coarse white sugar

Directions:

Prepare cherry filling according to recipe below.

Roll pie pastry on lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Using floured cutter, cut into 4-inch diameter rounds. Re-work scraps of pastry once.

Combine egg and water; mix well. Place 1 ounce (1 tablespoon) cherry filling in center of one round. Brush edges with egg wash. top with another round. Seal edges with a fork. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining rounds.

Brush top of cookies with egg mixture. Cut slit in top to allow steam to escape during baking. Sprinkle lightly with sugar.

Bake in preheated 400 F degree conventional oven 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden. Remove from baking sheet and let cool completely on wire racks.

Cherry Filling
(with canned tart cherries)
Yield: 2-1/4 quarts   (This recipe yields a lot of cherry filling!)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 quarts   Water-pack canned tart cherries (4 pounds 5 ounces drained weight) – 6 15oz cans
1 1/2 cups   Granulated sugar
1/2 cup   Cornstarch
3/4 cup Reserved Juice or water
1 Tbl. Almond Extract

Directions:
Drain Cherries, reserving juice. Combine sugar and cornstarch in 6-quart saucepan; mix well. Stir in reserved cherry juice or water.

Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Boil 1 minute, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thickened and clear. Remove from heat. Stir in drained cherries and almond extract.

Refrigerate cherry mixture 1 to 2 hours. Cover. Mixture will keep refrigerated up to 3 days. Do not heat before using.

Use this filling to prepare Cherry Pie Cookies or other bakery recipes.

Here is one of Ellie’s heart-healthy and tasty cherry recipes, courtesy of the Cherry Marketing Institute.  Enjoy!

Cherry Pecan Energy Bars

Ingredients:
1 cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour or regular whole wheat flour
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
¼ cup canola oil
1 large egg, beaten to mix
1 large egg white
3/4 cup chopped dried cherries
½ cup finely chopped pecans
Cooking spray
¼ cup “fruit only” apricot preserves

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, wheat germ, cinnamon and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the honey, applesauce, oil, egg and egg white until well combined. Stir in the oatmeal mixture until well combined. Add the dried cherries and pecans.

Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out
clean, 30-35 minutes. Put the preserves in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. As soon as the bars come out of the oven, brush with the preserves. Cool completely and cut into 12 bars, about 4 x 1 ½ inches each. Makes 12 servings

Nutrition Info:
230 calories, 10 g total fat, 1 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat, 34 g carbohydrate, 20 mg cholesterol, 4 g protein, 3 g fiber, 60 mg sodium

“Ellie Krieger is a registered dietitian specializing in nutrition and health communications, and author of The Foods You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life. She also is the host of the Food Network’s “Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger” and is a regular contributor to nutrition columns in major women’s and parenting magazines. Krieger says the homegrown advantage, coupled with powerful health benefits, make cherries “America’s Super Fruit.”

“Cherries offer some of the most important attributes people are seeking in their foods today. While exotic berries may be ‘trendy,’ as a chef and dietitian I choose cherries, an all-American favorite, because they deliver a powerful combination of good nutrition, local sourcing and environmental sustainability.”

I watched “Julie & Julia” on DVD instead. Oh, the irony!

Neither a baker nor a real writer am I, but I do have one thing in common with both Julie Powell and Julia Child: a great husband.  I left him the can of cherries, a folded up recipe and a camera, and here is what he did.

Dave made the cherry sauce. He said he only used 1/2 cup of sugar, and that he would use even a little less next time, just so he could get the extra “pop” from the tart cherries. The other thing he considered was maybe adding a touch of cherry juice concentrate to the mixture to further enhance both the cherry flavor and the color.

Dave brought the cherry filling to a boil.

Dave then mixed up the ingredients for the dumpling part. We’re out of nutmeg at home, so he used cinnamon instead. Butter. Sugar. Cinnamon. No problem there.

Dave dropped the dumpling mix by spoonfuls over the cherry mixture, then did as instructed.  He covered the pot and let it cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes without looking. He said that was the hardest part, not lifting the lid.

Dave texted me at 12:48pm. “Omg c u in a minute.” A few moments later, he brought us a pot of “warm cherry goodness,” just as the recipe stated.  We all agreed it was delicious, and that it couldn’t hurt to add an extra can of cherries if like us, you’d like a little more cherry filling. The dumplings totally hold their own and then some, so this is really just a matter of preference.

Dave posed with then-half-eaten-soon-to-be-completely-eaten pot of cherry dumplings.  This 28 days of cherries thing is turning out to be great fun!

Here is the complete recipe, as published by Kim in Pueblo, CO.