Bake with Michelle Darmody: Cherries
Bright red, translucent glacé cherries sat pert and proud on many half grapefruits in the ‘80s.
At the time these sugary processed cherries were the only ones readily available in most Irish shops. Black Forest gateau was served in fashionable bakeries and hotels. I still remember the decadence of the chocolate and whipped cream studded with dark sweet cherries. It seemed so sophisticated and tasted great.
Now frozen cherries or those preserved in various syrups and alcohol are available all year around. The shiny, juicy fresh ones are only really good for a short window in the warmer months and now is time to make the most of them. They are a delicious addition to desserts or as an accompaniment to certain savoury dishes. I love to serve a pile of glistening cherries at the centre of a cheeseboard.
Cherry pie is the epitome of American diners and can be very tasty when done well. To get a perfect lattice on the top you would have to invest in a rolling tool, while not expensive they may not be of use very often. An alternative is to cut strips and criss-cross them over and back on top of the pie. A lid can also be made with a full sheet of pastry rather than a lattice. If you are covering the pie completely slice a small cross in the centre, to let the warm air escape.
The cherry chocolate sundae
is an updated version of that Black Forest gateau I loved as a child. This one is made from a more modern selection of ingredients, and of course topped with those delicious fresh cherries.
There is sound advice that when we are eating fruit and vegetables we should eat the rainbow. Cherries provide a deep, rich and very tasty colour to that spectrum.
Cherry Pie
225g flour
1 pinch of salt
140g butter
50g caster sugar
1 egg
a sheet of puff pastry
Filling
600g of cherries, stoned and halved
1 tbs of cornflour, sieved
50g of golden caster sugar
the zest of 2 oranges
100g of cherry jam
Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees and grease and flour a 9in tart case.
Mix the flour and salt and then rub in the butter until it looks like rough breadcrumbs. Do not over mix.
Stir the sugar into the egg, mix it lightly and add to the flour mixture. Rest the pastry for at least an hour in the fridge or over night.
Roll the pastry into a circle larger than the tart case. Gently press the disc into the tin. Trim any excess from the edges. Cover the base with parchment and baking beans. Bake blind for ten minutes. Remove the parchment and baking beans and continue baking for another 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Reduce the oven to 170 degrees.
Mix the cherries, cornflour and sugar in a bowl. Add the zest and cherry jam and mix again.
For the puff pastry lattice you can get a rolling tool that slices through rolled pastry to make a lattice pattern. You roll the cutter along the pastry and then gently pull on either side to spread it out. If you do not have access to this, cut thin strips of pastry and criss-cross them over the top of the pie. Pinch the puff pastry in at the sides so it is attached to the base. Bake for 40 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling slightly. Cool in the tin.
Polenta Cherry Cake
250g of soft butter
the zest of 2 oranges and the juice of half an orange
210g of caster sugar
3 eggs, separated
150g of ground almonds
225g of polenta
150g of cherries, stoned and halved
Preheat oven to 160 degrees and line an 8in springform or loose-based round cake tin.
Beat the butter, zest and sugar, until light and fluffy.
Slowly add the egg yolks, beating well. Stir in the juice, ground almonds and polenta.
Whip the egg whites, until soft peaks form. Clean the bowl and whisk you will be using with vinegar. This will ensure there is no fat on the bowl or utensils which can hamper the egg becoming light and fluffy. Carefully fold the egg white into the polenta mixture. Stir in the cherries.
Scoop the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for about one hour or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for
10 minutes then place on a wire rack
to cool completely.
Cherry Chocolate Sundae
250g of dark chocolate chips
250g of soft butter
300g of caster sugar
1 tsp of ground cardamom
4 eggs
150g of plain flour
300g of mascarpone
20g of icing sugar
2 tsp of honey
1 tsp of vanilla essence
400g of fresh cherries, washed and half of them stoned and halved
4 scoops of vanilla ice-cream
Heat the oven to 180 degrees and line a 8in square tin.
To make the chocolate chunks melt the butter and chocolate together.
Beat the eggs, sugar and flour until well combined. Stir the two mixtures together until completely combined and pour into your lined tin.
Bake for 25 minutes and allow to cool completely in the tin. Break into chunks before serving. You will have more than you need for this dessert but they are great eaten on their own or served warm with vanilla ice cream.
Whisk the mascarpone, sugar, vanilla and honey together.
Place a layer of the chocolate chunks into a large glass bowl or into four smaller serving glasses. Layer this with mascarpone, some chopped cherries and more chocolate. Top it with some softened vanilla ice cream and whole cherries.
