FOOD:I DON'T THINK too hard about what variety of cherries I should be buying, as it's usually only the dark, sweet juicy ones that hit our stores in mid-summer. Occasionally you see the speckled yellowish ones, but I tend to focus my sights on the lusciously sinister and seductive-looking cherries, that look like something Snow White would pig out on. What happens next for me is a cherry binge, but thankfully the stones in cherries keep my pace of consumption within speed limits. However, because of my Imelda Marcos approach to cherry purchasing, I'm usually forced to cook with them before they rot. Hence two cherry recipes today!
Cherries are a bit temperamental to grow, bruise easily and rot quickly. Italians started the trend of brining cherries and soaking them in maraschino liqueur in the 1800s. Rich Americans, who used to visit Europe, soon developed a taste for these exotic decorations that were eventually imported into the US, which then started to adorn cocktail glasses in swanky bars and clubs in New York. US cherry growers soon copped on to this trend but eventually the maraschino cherries started to be made with red dyes and became the centre of controversy about a decade ago. This red dye was shown to cause cancer in rats, but was later approved by the FDA. According to some doctors, you’d have to eat about 2,000 jars of maraschino cherries for the risks to have any impact.
Regardless, I remember hearing about the controversy and quickly losing my childhood obsession with them. A Shirley Temple drink made with ginger ale, a splash of Grenadine and served with a maraschino cherry was one of my favourite things in the world, from the age of six to nine. But fresh cherries are a different ballgame and we should all remember how good they are for us as we shovel them into our gobs.
They contain lots of antioxidants and vitamin C and if you can find “tart” cherries which are more red (or more redder as Dubya might say) and less sweet, the health benefits really seem to hit a home run. The evidence seems to be mounting that cherries also help reduce inflammation, which is great for people with arthritis or muscular pains, as well as being one of the foods that helps fight certain cancers, heart disease and diabetes. Cherries also contain lots of melatonin, which is good for everything from sleeping to jet lag and memory loss. So the bottom line is this: when you see them in stores, buy them, wash them well and happily gorge on them. When you think they’re on the verge of turning on you, then try one or both of these cherry recipes.
Cherry orange pie
Serves about eight, perfect with some vanilla ice cream. Serve warm from the oven. It goes a bit soggy the next day, so make and eat on the same day. I used an oval gratin dish that was 37cm by 23cm at its longest points.
1kg cherries
1 tbsp cornflour
3 tbsp caster sugar
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1 tsp thyme leaves (optional)
100g butter, soft
125g caster sugar
100g ground almonds
2 eggs
Pre-heat oven to 180 C. Stone the cherries easily by opening them gently with your fingers and leaving them in a bowl. Your 1kg of cherries will yield approximately 900g of stoned cherries. Mix the cherries with the cornflour, 1 tbsp caster sugar, the orange juice and zest and thyme leaves. Mix well and then grease your gratin dish with an extra knob of butter and throw in the cherries. Beat the butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and almonds. Spread on top of the cherries, leaving a gap around the edges. Sprinkle with last two tablespoons of sugar. Bake for about 40 minutes until the top is golden brown. Allow to cool for 30 minutes and serve with ice cream.
Cherry cinnamon cake
Use a spring-form cake tin, approx 25cm.
500g cherries
140g self-raising flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon
50g caster sugar
1 egg
100ml milk
85g melted butter
Topping
25g cream flour
50g light muscavado sugar
½ tsp cinnamon 25 g butter, diced
Pre-heat oven to 180 C. Butter and line the base of your cake tin. Stone the cherries which should leave you with 450g. In a bowl, mix the flour with the cinnamon and sugar. Make a well in the centre and mix in the egg, milk and melted butter. I do this with a whisk for a minute and once it is a thick smooth batter, pour it into the prepared tin. Top with the cherries and lightly press down. In another clean bowl, mix the flour with the sugar and cinnamon. Add in the diced butter and using your fingertips lightly mix the butter and dry ingredients together so that they form a crumb. Top the cake with the crumb mixture and bake for 35-40 minutes. Tastes great the next day.
dkemp@irishtimes.com
See also www.itsa.ie
Cherry pie cooked and styled by Domini Kemp.
