Actually, there's no cherry pie here. I've just got Warrant in my head these days because I've been watching
Heavy: The Story of Metal
on VH1. (In which, notably, the guy from Warrant says he wishes he'd never written that song. I'm with ya 100 percent, bro.)
Anyway, strawberries are on sale in the market at this time of year and I see cherries weighing down the tree in my neighbor's front yard. So get out there this weekend, hit the Farmer's Market, the grocery store and/or your neighbor's front
yard and get cooking with these luscious red fruits of summer. Sure, they're great eaten right out of the basket, but if they're cheap (or free) you'll have plenty to use up. So here are three easy, sweet and savory ideas for you to try out.
Goat's Milk Panna Cotta with Strawberries and Mint
Unflavored gelatin is what holds this unbaked dessert together. Look for the boxes of Knox gelatin near the Jell-O in the grocery store. Although you can find canned goat milk in
many grocery stores, fresh is much, much better. Look for it and goat yogurt at your favorite natural foods store. (New Mexico's own South Mountain Dairy has started selling their milk and yogurt at La Montañita Co-ops in Albuquerque, but they aren't producing enough to stock the Santa Fe store just yet. Soon, hopefully!)
Serves 6
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
2 cups cream, half and half, milk or goat milk
1 cup goat's milk yogurt
1/3 cup sugar or honey
10 leaves mint, roughly chopped, plus 6 sprigs for garnish
Zest of 1 lemon
1 pint strawberries, sliced
1/3 cup orange juice
1) In a small saucepan, combine the gelatin and water, stirring to dissolve slightly. Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat and stir until the gelatin dissolves completely.
2) In a large saucepan, combine the cream, yogurt, sugar, 10 mint leaves and zest. Bring the mixture just to a boil, then remove the pan from heat and stir in the gelatin, stirring vigorously to release flavorful oils from the lemon and mint.
3) Pour the heated mixture through a sieve (to filter out the mint and lemon zest) into 6 (¾ cup) ramekins.
4) Chill the ramekins, loosely covered with plastic, for 2 hours or overnight.
5) An hour before serving, toss the strawberries with the orange juice. If necessary, add sugar to taste.
6) Serve the chilled panna cotta garnished with sliced strawberries and mint leaves.
Sweet Cherry Clafouti
It's a shame that this simple French dessert isn't more well known in the US The recipe is extremely flexible-you can substitute apricots, figs or Italian plums-and the result is deceptively
elegant. The thin batter turns into a silky smooth thick crepe-like thing that you will absolutely love. Use a 10-inch pie plate or quiche dish if you have one; otherwise, a square brownie pan will work fine. Feel free to substitute some leftover goat's milk or yogurt for some or all of the milk in this recipe.
Serves 6 to 8
½ tablespoon butter
½ cup sugar
3 eggs
½ cup flour
½ teaspoon almond extract
1½ cups milk
1 pound sweet cherries, pitted
Whipped cream
Preheat the oven to 350°.
1) Coat the baking dish with the butter and set aside.
2) In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs. Sprinkle in the flour and stir. Add the almond extract, then the milk in a stream, whisking until smooth.
3) Pour the batter into the pan and sprinkle the cherries over it. Bake for 1 hour, until the batter puffs up high and turns golden. It will fall as it cools. Serve warm with a dollop of whipped cream.
Herbed Sour Cherry Salsa
Sure it's good with chips, but try this not-sweet salsa over grilled fish tacos.
Makes about 2 cups
½ pound sour cherries, pitted and halved
1 small red onion, diced
1 or 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped cilantro, mint or basil
Lime juice, to taste
Salt, to taste
1) In a bowl, combine the cherries, onion, jalapeños and herbs. Add lime juice and salt to taste. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to let the flavors fully develop.
Tell me where to eat! I need your input. Send all of your tips, gripes and raves to
.
