cherries

Market Matters- This Chocolate-Cherry Brownie Is No Girl Scout

22 May 2011
cherries

Today I found sweet red cherries at the Hollywood Farmers Market. I brought them right home. I had every intention of giving them a good start in life. You know, serve them simply with sweet cream and a smile! Maybe even bake them up in a pie, so wholesome and delicious!

But something went wrong, and I swear it's not my fault. Cherries can be so deceptive. So downright fallacious.

They may present a cute, shiny face to the world. Flushed red– all pert and pretty. I don't know, maybe they are just naive. But the damage is done.  The minute I left them alone in the kitchen these cherries began to cozy right up to deep dark chocolate. Well one thing led to another and before I knew it their co-mingling produced a plate of Bittersweet Chocolate-Cherry Brownies. And these brownies are very bad boys.

If I were your mother I'd tell you stay away from them because they are such a bad influence. I might try and distract you by introducing you to all the good girl granola on the block. I'd even invite broccoli, spinach and kale for a sleepover. Just hoping you kids would settle in together and play nice.

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Bittersweet Chocolate-Cherry Brownies

Bittersweet Chocolate-Cherry Brownies
By jgreghenry Published May 22, 2011
Prep time: 60
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, more for pan and parchment paper
  • 6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 2 large eggs
  • 0.25 t salt
  • 0.5 c dark brown sugar, packed
  • 0.5 c granuated sugar
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 0.5 c all-purpose flour
  • 0.25 c unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 c fresh cherries, pitted and quartered

Directions

Butter a 8x8-inch baking pan and line with buttered parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, or on low power in a microwave, melt 1 stick butter and chocolate together. Cool slightly. In a large bowl, whisk eggs until frothy. Whisk in salt, both sugars and vanilla. Add the chocolate mixture to the bowl, stir to combine. Sift in the flour and cocoa, fold together until barely combined. Fold in the cherries. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until shiny and beginning to crack on top. Cool in pan on rack.

Notes:

makes 16 two-inch brownies For best flavor, bake 1 day before serving, let cool and store, tightly wrapped.

Fresh Cherry Soup with Cool Mint (Soupe de Cerises à la Menthe)

cherry soup
By jgreghenry Published September 16, 2009
Prep time: 45
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 0.5 c powdered sugar
  • 2 lb cherries, un-pitted and left whole
  • 8 four-inch sprigs of peppermint stems and leaves, tied in a bundle extra mint leaves as garnish (optional)
  • 1 bottle fruity red wine with a nice tannic quality (like a cotes-du-rhone)
  • 1 t cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water, or more as needed
  • 3 dr almond extract

Directions

In a large saucepan, bring the wine to gentle simmer over medium heat Add the sugar, stirring to dissolve and then simmer until reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Add the cornstarch slurry then whisk the mixture constantly for about 1 minute. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the cherries. Right before the mixture boils remove it from the heat. Check for consistency. It should just coat the back of a metal spoon and have a velvety texture. You may adjust using water or a bit more cornstarch slurry. Err on the side of thinner rather than thicker, it will thicken a bit more as it cools. When you are happy with the texture add the bundle of peppermint and the almond extract cover the pan. Set it aside to infuse for about 30 minutes. Remove the mint bundle and discard it. The soup should be close room temperature now. Slightly warm is fine, but you do not want it to be hot. Ladle the soup and some of the cherries into shallow white porcelain bowls. I don't why, but this makes it taste better! Garnish the soup with more mint if desired. NOTES: Don't bother to pit the cherries. I think the pit improves the flavor and texture of the poached fruit. It also elevates the slight flavor of almond. But more importantly it adds to the sensuous quality of the experience. It forces you to eat slowly. Savoring each cherry one at a time. Gently rolling it around your mouth removing it's tender flesh, then spitting the pit back onto your spoon, setting it aside. I also strongly recommend you use peppermint for this recipe. The more herbal taste of spearmint lacks the cooling sensation that makes this soup even more orally sensuous. This soup does not hold well and should be eaten within 2 hours of making it.

Notes:

serves 6 Source: Inspired by Joel Robuchon

At Home Cherry Garcia Ice Cream

homemade cherry garcia ice cream
By jgreghenry Published September 1, 2009
Prep time: 90
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 0.75 c sugar
  • 1 pn salt
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 1 c heavy cream
  • 2 c cherries, pitted and halved
  • 1 c cherry or plain brandy
  • 1 c chopped semi-sweet chocolate
  • 2 c half and half
  • 1 c milk

Directions

Combine the half and half milk, 1/4-cup sugar, salt, and vanilla bean in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved; remove from heat. In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining sugar and yolks; set aside. Remove vanilla bean from milk mixture, and discard. Bring the milk mixture just to a simmer. Using a measuring cup or a ladle, slowly pour about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg-yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Keep adding milk mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time until it has all been added. Pour mixture back into saucepan, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 5 to 8 minutes. Pour through a fine sieve into a medium bowl. Stir in heavy cream; let cool completely. Cover and transfer to refrigerator until chilled at least 1 hour and up to overnight. Place cherries in a small pan. Add the brandy and set over medium heat. Gently poach the cherries 4-6 minutes until barely softened; set aside. Pour custard into an ice-cream maker and process according to manufacturers' instructions. During the last minute or two of processing, add the drained cherries along with chocolate. Continue processing until set, but not hard. Transfer the soft ice cream to a plastic container; freeze at least 3 hours and up to overnight.

Notes:

serves 8

At Home Cherry Garcia Ice Cream- An Impossible Taste Test

07 Jul 2009

cherry garciaSippitySup is not really a premiere dessert destination.

Though I love to make great desserts for dinner parties. Also, whenever we have a birthday within our little group of friends I typically make the cake.

But truth be told I do not really have much of a sweet tooth.

So, since SippitySup is about the foods I love, the feeling I have attached to those foods, the joy I get from passing on what I love about food and what I know about it, SippitySup seems to have a dearth of desserts.

I never really planned this to be a dessert desert, but it seems to have turned out that way.

But back in the day when I had a fully functioning mouth (by that I mean one that is not wired shut) I used to really enjoy Cherry Garcia Cherry Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream from Ben & Jerry. It is one of the few processed foods (especially sweets) I would even consider purchasing.

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