Cherry Recipes

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.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Double Cherry Pie

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.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Cherry Banana Bread
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
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Tart Cherry Sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 cups pitted tart cherries
2 tbsp. margarine

Mix sugar and cornstarch. Stir in pitted cherries. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Remove from heat & add margarine. Stir well. Serve over ice cream, cake or cheese cake. Keep refrigerated

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Sour Cherry-Pecan Biscotti
This recipe makes 72 biscotti

Ingredients
2 cups King Orchards dried tart cherries
1/4 cup orange juice
hot water
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
3 large eggs
1 cup chopped pecans
powdered sugar, for rolling


Cooking Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Combine the cherries and orange juice in a small bowl and add just enough hot water to cover. Set aside for 15 minutes or more.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

4. Drain the cherries and discard the liquid. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs together. Add them to the flour mixture along with the drained cherries and pecans and stir until a stiff dough forms.

5. Scrape the dough onto a lightly sugared work surface and divide it into 4 pieces. Roll each piece with the palms of your hands into a log slightly shorter than the length of your cookie sheet.

6. Place two logs on each cookie sheet, several inches apart (the logs will double in width). Bake for 15 minutes, until the logs feel set or firm to the touch. Set the cookie sheets on racks and let cool. Reset the oven to 300°F.

7. When cool to the touch, place the logs on a cutting board. With a serrated knife, slice them into 1/2-inch diagonal slices.

8. Lay the biscotti out on the prepared cookie sheets in a single layer and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until they are dry and lightly toasted. Cool completely.

9. Store in an airtight tin or plastic container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Serving Size: 3 biscotti
Nutritional Information
Number of Servings: 72
Per Serving
Calories 139 Carbohydrate 24 g
Fat 3 g Fiber 1 g
Protein 2 g Saturated Fat 0 g
Sodium 65 mg
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Cherry Zucchini Bread

2 eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup lemon juice
2/3 cup shredded unpeeled zucchini
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup dried tart cherries
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons baking powder

Put eggs in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed 3 to 4 minutes, or until eggs are thick and lemon colored. Add sugar, oil, lemon juice and water; mix well.

Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, soda and salt. Add flour mixture to egg mixture; mix well. Stir in zucchini, cherries and lemon peel.

Grease and flour the bottom only of an 8-1/2 x 4-1/2-inch loaf pan. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in a preheated 350F.oven 55 to 65 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 1 loaf, about 16 slices

Source: Cherry Marketing Institute
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Cherry-Glazed Baked Chicken

1 can (16-ounce) pitted dark sweet cherries
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons hot mustard
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup dried tart cherries
6 (6 1/2 ounces each) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper to taste
6 rosemary sprigs for garnish

Heat oven to 350F. Line a 9" x 13" baking pan with foil and spray foil with non-stick spray; set aside.

To make the glaze: Drain the pitted dark sweet cherries; reserve 1/4 cup of cherry juice. In a blender, puree the drained cherries until smooth.

In a skillet, heat the olive oil and saute the onion and garlic until soft; add the cherry puree, reserved 1/4 cup cherry juice, honey, vinegar, mustard, ginger, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; stir until smooth. Add dried cherries; simmer 5 minutes.

Arrange chicken breasts in foil-lined baking pan; season with salt and pepper to taste. Brush chicken lightly with cherry glaze; reserve remaining glaze. Cover the pan with foil and bake chicken 20 minutes; brush with additional glaze and bake uncovered 10 to 15 minutes longer or until chicken is done.

To serve, pour 2 tablespoons warm reserved glaze over each chicken breast and garnish with a rosemary sprig. Serves 6.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

More Cherry Recipes