Cherry Almond Cobbler

Because I don't do pie dough

A while back I scored on a bag of frozen sour cherry's something like 4 freaking pound bag for barely $10.  Can't buy fresh for that.  Can't buy fresh with the same convenience as they were already pitted!  Today it was our first really cool rainy day for the fall season.  In fact its raining right now...and cold stormy days bring out the baker in me.

This is really a simple recipe.  Frozen cherries and almond slices as the two simply play together quite well. I remember hearing, reading, picking up by osmosis that they are in the same plant family and thus have similar flavonoids that really enhance each other.  Almond makes cherry more cherry believe it or not.

For the prep of the streusel toppings you really need to use a food processor with a dough blade.  Its much faster to give it a couple of quick pulse whizzes than to cut it in by hand with a pastry cutter.

Cherry Almond Cobbler
6 c frozen pitted sour cherries
1 c sugar
3 T corn starch
pinch salt
1/4 t almond extract
1/2 t vanilla
topping
3/4 c flour
3/4 c quick cooking oats
2/3 c brown sugar
1 stick butter - chilled
1/4 t salt

Preheat oven to 350F  Grease 9X13 baking pan

Pour frozen cherries into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with the almond extract and vanilla. Let thaw 10-15 minutes.  Mix together salt, corn starch and sugar.  Sprinkle mixture over cherries and toss lightly to combine.

For topping combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and salt in food processor and pulse to combine a couple of times.  Cut butter into tablespoons and place evenly over flour mixture.  Pulse 7-10 times until it resembles wet crumbly sand.  (If not using food processor whisk together dry ingredients.  With pastry cutter cut in butter until it resembles wet crumbly sand.)

Pour cherries into prepared pan.  Spoon streusel evenly over the cherries.  Bake 45-50 minutes until topping is golden brown.

Cherry Cream Cheese Pie

 I could have sworn I posted this before, but I can't find it anywhere.  Pardon the duplicate if there is one out there that I missed.

This came about because my wife loves Cherry Pie and I love Cheese Danish.  I created this recipe in my head and did it years ago when we were in the apartment in Valley Village that had an oven barely big enough to fit a pie plate in.  It worked and has been on the list of fun brunch food for us for years.

It is stupid easy to make as I use bought puff pastry sheets instead of taking the day or so to make it from scratch.  (Did that once for bragging rights, but seriously the store bought stuff is pretty marvy).  The sheets are smaller than a pie plate so you do need to roll it out a bit and then use the roller to pull the corners out a bit more.

 The corners won't meet in the middle, but that's OK.  If you stretched the dough to meet there you'd have it too thin and it would burn before the cream cheese filling had set.

 Pick a good Cherry Pie filling.  I've gone through several brands before I found one that I liked.  I really like the Cherry Pie Filling from Fresh & Easy stores based here in suburban L.A.  They have stores in So Cal, AZ and NV...use the handy store locater HERE to find the one nearest you.  Of course you can always use your favorite brand and make the filling from scratch if you so desire.  Just trying to make it a bit easier for you to duplicate what I did.  I like this brand as its not too sweet and the cherry's also have a bit of a sour bite to them.

Lastly leave the cream cheese out over night so it is amply soft for mixing.  Not having it at room temp makes it nearly impossible to beat in the egg and have a light fluffy mixture.


Cherry Cream Cheese Pie

• 1 sheet puff pastry - thawed
• 1 8 oz pkg cream cheese - room temp
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1/4 t almond extract
• 1 egg
• 1 can Cherry Pie filling

Preheat oven to 400F

Flour your pastry board well.  Lay down the sheet of puff pastry and gently roll until it will fit into your pie plate.  Give the corners an extra roll or two until they are an additional inch or so further out from the pastry.
Place in pie plate.

Mix cream cheese, sugar, almond extract and egg.  Beat until fluffy.  Pour into prepared puff pastry.

Carefully spoon pie filling over cream cheese mixture.  Pull corners of pastry up and over towards the center of the pie, they won't meet. See picture of the detail.   Bake 40-45 minutes until golden brown. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.  Can serve at room temperature as well.

Cherry Preserves

Its that time of year. Fresh fruit galore is in season and I have once again bought more than we can eat...but who can resist all of the goodies rolling in? I bought cherries the other day and haven't touched them as there were other things too good to pass up for snacking. Fortunately they didn't "go bad" so I decided to turn them into preserves this morning.

Thank gawd I paid attention to my Mom and grandmothers making preserves over the years. I tend to go with the high sugar and no pectin way whenever I can. Not that pectin is bad for you, its just that its just not a pantry item I stock and don't feel like running out to the store for just that one item...so its pectic free for me when I impulsively decide to make some preserves. Yes, you do cook a bit longer to get a gel but its still just as flavorful with the right consistency in the end.

Of course it means I got to use a new toy today. I picked up, on sale no less, a cherry pitter at Sur La Table the other day and this was the perfect excuse to break it out. Love cooking with cherries, just hated the old knife pitting method. This little "gun" makes it so easy just load, squeeze the trigger and out comes the pit! Worth the few bucks it cost.

Cherry Preserves

• 2 lbs pitted fresh cherries
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 c water
• juice of 1 lemon

In large, heavy (Thick bottom and side) pot add sugar and water. Bring to boil and stir until sugar has dissolved. Add cherries. With potato masher carefully mash down the fruit to release juice and break up fruit. Be careful not to over mash the fruit as you still want big chunks. Bring back to boil then reduce heat to low boil. Simmer at low boil 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in lemon juice. Put into hot sterile canning jar(s). Makes about 2 cups preserves.

What a low boil looks like...more than a simmer but not much.

Clafoutis

For starters a little pronunciation.  KLAW - foo - tee.  Clafoutis is a classic French dessert.  It is a very simple unleavened batter poured over the sauteed fruit and baked until fluffy.  Very light and extremely tasty.

Over Christmas we had a raging debate over dinner.  Mike B insisted that you are either a "London" person or a "Paris" person, you cannot like both cities.  I took the complete opposite.  I think you can love both cities and for different reasons.  The table soon divided into the two camps.  The debate was unresolved.  My mind wasn't changed, neither was his.  Good debate.

Not to slam the Brits as I can say I never had a bad meal while in London.  Paris is an eaters delight.  From Bistros to the funky immigrant restaurants the food is pretty amazing no matter where you go.  Their chocolate and hot chocolate is absolutely the best Think warm cream with chocolate melted in. Heavenly rich and sinful.  My first real clafoutis was there over such a hot chocolate in a little sidewalk cafe near our hotel and La Tour Eiffel.  

My recipe is culled from one we used for a neighborhood Iron Chef themed on Provence.  I dug it up for one of the gang who didn't know what to make.  It was a hit.  For mine I decided to up the ante and make it a clafoutis with attitude.  I learned long ago if you want something to be cherry-er you add almond extract.  The two share similar flavinoids and it just boosts the cherry to a more intense flavor.  The other bit I added was the cherry brandy...makes the caramel very cherry with just a nice hint of brandy.  

Note to self.  Next time I make it just get frozen dark sweet cherrys and skip the whole pitting of the fresh.  Its a lot of work and your fruit get's butchered.  Doesn't affect taste but presentation its not so nice to see hacked up fruit.  The recipe:

Clafoutis 

Batter:

• 1/2 cup (70 grams) all purpose flour
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 2 tablespoons (30 grams) granulated white sugar
  
• 3/4 cup (180 ml) milk
  
• 1/4 t almond extract
  
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  

Plus:

1 pound fresh sweet cherries, pitted

1 tablespoon (13 grams) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons (30 grams) granulated white sugar

1 T Cherry Brandy

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven.  

Wash the cherries, remove the stems and pits. 

For the Clafoutis Batter:  In mix bowl place all the batter ingredients.  Beat for about 45 - 60 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Once the batter is completely smooth, let it rest while you prepare the fruit. 

In a large 9- or 10- inch heavy (nonstick if you have one) ovenproof skillet melt the butter over medium heat making sure the melted butter coats the bottom and sides of the pan.  When the butter is bubbling, add the pitted cherries, and cook until the cherries have softened a bit and are coated with butter (2 - 3 minutes).  Then sprinkle the cherries with the sugar and cook until the sugar has dissolved and turns into a syrup (1 - 2 minutes). Remove pan from flame and stir in cherry brandy.

Pour the batter over the cherries and bake for about 20 minutes or until the clafoutis is puffed, set, and golden brown around the edges.   Do not open the oven door until the end of the baking time or it may collapse.  Serve immediately with a dusting of confectioners sugar or whipped cream.

The resting is important as it allows the glutens to relax and lets the batter puff while baking.