Bourbon-Soaked Cherries

Cherries? I love 'em, but cherry season is all too brief to suit my liking. In order to preserve the season for as long as possible, I have “preserved” some cherries using Tasting Table's fabulous recipe for Bourbon-Soaked Cherries. Oh, my.  Step aside Cherries Jubilee! These luscious, flavorful, boozy cherries turn a scoop of ice cream into an elegant dessert.  You will never again feel at a loss when unwanted surprise guests knock at your door.  

Serving cocktails?  Toss one into a fruity drink. Even a glass of sparkling water can benefit from one of these. Have some extra time?  Pat them dry and dip them into melted chocolate for an over-the-top sweet surprise. Once prepared and stored in the fridge, there is nothing additional that you need to do but soak up the compliments and enjoy!

Bourbon-Soaked Cherries

Recipe from the Tasting Table Test kitchen

1 cup bourbon

⅔ cup sugar

¼ cup fresh orange juice

1 1-inch strip orange peel

1½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ pound cherries, pitted

Combine the bourbon, sugar, orange juice and orange peel in a small saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.

Combine the bourbon mixture and the cherries in a 15-ounce sterilized container and seal. Allow the contents to cool to room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator. Chill for at least three days before using. The cherries will keep for up to 1 month.

This post is linked to:

Create It Thursday

Inspiration Gallery Thursday
Home and Garden Thursday

Full Plate Thursday

Home Sweet Home

Be Inspired Friday

Feathered Nest Friday

Show and Tell Friday 

Foodie Friday

Individual Bing Cherry-Lemon Cakes

 I am in love with Weck jars. A German production since1900, these easy-to-fill, rust free jars (the glass lids mean no caps and rings), have been delighting home canners for more than a century. But while they are great for canning, they are also the perfect size for small, layered salads, mini parfaits, puddings, custards, layered dips, and...for baking darling little cakes like these. One look at this recipe on the Williams-Sonoma website, and there was no doubt that these cakes were in my future. 

I knew that, lover of lemon that I am, I would double the amount of zest.  Being a cherry lover I also knew that my cakes would have a Bing Cherry sauce rather than blueberry. After all, it is Bing Cherry season, time to enjoy them to their fullest, and make as many different recipes as possible.  Plus, my version allows for a chocolate-covered cherry on top, making them irresistible!

Considering that I'd made the sauce a couple of days ahead (You can find the recipe here.), putting these together was a breeze. They bake up perfectly and, if you need to take these to a picnic or pot luck, all you have to do is snap on the glass jar lid, and you're good to go. I topped mine with tiny scoops of vanilla ice cream (I used a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to do this.) and a cherry.

Here is the original recipe from the kitchens of Williams-Sonoma.  Try their version, and then try mine with cherries. Let me know what you think.  Either way, I'm sure that you'll love them.

Individual Blueberry-Lemon Cakes

Ingredients:

2 cups blueberries

1/4 cup plus 6 Tbs. sugar

1/3 cup water

1 tsp. cornstarch

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg

1/4 cup buttermilk

5 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest

2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat a Breville Smart convection oven to 375°F convection. Grease the insides of six 5.4-oz. Weck mini mold jars. Line the oven’s baking tray with parchment paper.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries and the 1/4 cup sugar and cook, stirring until the sugar is mostly dissolved, 3 to 4 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch and stir into the saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and the 6 Tbs. sugar.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, butter, lemon zest and lemon juice. Add the flour mixture, whisking until the batter is just combined.

Spoon 1 Tbs. blueberry mixture into the bottom of each jar. Top each with 1/4 cup batter and then 1 Tbs. blueberry mixture. Place the jars on the prepared baking tray and transfer to the oven. Bake until the tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let the cakes cool completely in the jars before serving. Serves 6.

These are the jars that I used, click the image to go to the site:

This post is linked to:

Be Inspired Friday

Foodie Friday

Sugar and Spice

Sunday Sweeties

Fresh Bing Cherry Sauce

My mother used to make a delicious Bing cherry sauce that she served at Christmas brunch atop her incredible cheese blintzes. I don't know how she did it, and she wasn't talking. It's not that she had intended to keep the recipe a secret; it was more that there was no recipe. She often cooked like her mother, my grandmother, did. A little of this, a handful of that, a pinch of seasoning, all mixed together until it “looked right.” This was one of those recipes. But it's Bing cherry season and all of those fresh, delicious cherries were calling my name, so I decided to give it a try. You know what?  I did it. You know what else?  I think mine is just a little bit better. This sauce is going to be a component in tomorrow's dessert, but it is also excellent on top of ice cream, with a nice slice of ham, dolloped on top of a chicken cutlet, or drizzled over the aforementioned blintzes. Whatever you do, make this sauce!

Fresh Bing Cherry Sauce

3 heaping cups of Melissa’s fresh Bing cherries, pitted

1/3 cup granulated sugar (more to taste)

2-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon Meyer Lemon juice

Few gratings of fresh nutmeg

Place cherries and sugar in a medium size saucepan and cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. As the cherries release their juices, break them up a bit with the back of your spoon.  Meanwhile, combine cornstarch, water, and lemon juice in a small bowl; set aside. When mixture comes to a boil, add the cornstarch mixture all at once, stirring constantly. Bring mixture back to a low boil and simmer for one more minute. Remove from heat and grate a small amount of nutmeg right into the pan. Stir again to incorporate. Cool. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

This post is linked to:

Sugar and Spice

Sunday Sweeties

Seasonal Sundays