Orchard Talk

Andy Ross of the Wooster Square Cherry Blossom Festival shares his personal size cherry pie recipe featuring King Orchards IQF Montmorency tart cherries.

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.

Tags: cherry pie, iqf tart cherries, Our Websites, Recipes

A super mix of nutrients, perfect for a simple grab-and-go snack, lunchbox treats or breakfast on the go.

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

Tags: cookie recipes, dried cherries, Recipes

Ingredients

Nutritional Information

One serving contains the following:
Calories (kcal) 284.77
% Calorie from Fat 62.5
Fat (g) 19.78
Saturated Fat (g) 2.01
Cholesterol (mg) 0
Carbohydrates (g) 24.75
Dietary Fiber (g) 6.09
Total Sugars (g) 14.37
Net Carbs (g) 18.66
Protein (g) 4.51

Tags: dried cherries, gala apples, Recipes

Here is a great recipe a customer e-mailed me, thanks Colleen!

Awesome Butternut Casserole (sweet potato)

2 ½ cup cooked mashed squash or sweet potato 3 eggs, beaten
6 Tbl. Butter 1 5oz. Evaporated milk
1 teas vanilla ½ cup brown sugar
1 teas cinnamon
Mix together everything, it will be thin. Put into 3 qt. baking dish.
Bake uncovered at 350°, for 45 minutes.
Topping:
1 cup crushed cornflakes ½ cup chopped nuts
½ cup brown sugar 2 Tbl. Melted butter
Combine all ingredients and sprinkle over top return to oven for
10 -15 minutes.

My goal is a squash recipe a week. Betsy

Tags: Recipes, squash

Winning Recipe 2009 Michigan Apples Pie Contest: Caramel Apple Pie

Tags: caramel apple pie, michigan apples, pie recipes, Recipes

Ingredients

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

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 stick margarine
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cup mashed bananas
1 cup drained, pitted & cut up sour cherries
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda

Cream sugar & margarine. Add eggs, cherries & bananas. Mix dry ingredients together and add to first mixture. Bake in two 9″ x 4″ greased bread pans at 350° for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

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

Asparagus is in and great! Try these recipes

Sweet & Sour Asparagus

1/2 C. sugar
1/4 C. wine vinegar
3 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp salt
1 15oz can asparagus spears drained OR 1 lb fresh asparagus spears cooked until tender

Combine first 6 ingredients with 1/4 C. water in saucepan. Bring to boil-stir until sugar dissolves. Pour over asparagus: cool covered in refrigerator 6 to 24 hours. Garnish with hard boiled eggs.

Asparagus and Mushroom Quiche

1 Box Pillsbury pie crust
About 12 spears of asparagus; boil to cook until soft

1 large vidalia onion and a good hand full of any kind of mushroom
Saute onions and mushrooms in butter until soft
Add 2 packet splenda for sweetness

Spray bottom of pie pan with PAM. Line with pie crust. Add a layer of asparagus. Add mushroom and onions. Add a layer of white American cheese. I also added colby jack in small pieces. Add about 10 eggs (beaten). Add salt to taste and add to pie. Bake for about 1 hour- check often.
ENJOY! Betsy

Tags: asparagus, 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