Cherry Clafouti

I found this recipe in my Grandmothers cook book, it took me a while to translate the hand writing and place the ingredients i could not make out. It is a really simple desert to make and oh so good.

Cherry Clafouti

Ingredients

3 to 4 cups of pitted cherries
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
5 large eggs
1/3 cup raw sugar, plus a table spoon
6 table spoons unbleached flour
2 table spoons cherry brandy
1 table spoon butter
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/3 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Place eggs in a bowl then under the stand mixer along with the 1/3 cup of the raw sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low add add the flour, cream, vanilla, lemon zest, brandy and salt. Once combined, remove from mixer and set aside.

Butter a 10 inch pie pan and then sprinkle the pan with the table spoon of raw sugar. Place the cherries evenly in pan. Pour in batter and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and the custard is set. Remove and serve warm with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Enjoy Cooking

Fruity Nut Cookies

I entered a baking contest with this recipe, i would of won but i was told: " you would of won but there were too many ingredients and steps to your recipe. Our consumer wants simple and quick". Well then that should of been in the guidelines for the contest. I have not made these cookies in about 8 years, i think i will make them this year.

Fruity Nut Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup of rough chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup of minced dried apricots
1 cup of minced dried cherries
1 cup of rough chopped almonds
1 cup of unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup of minced dried currants
1/2 cup of rough chopped pecans
1/2 cup of hazelnuts - you need a 1/2 cup of finely ground hazelnuts
1 stick plus 2 table spoons of unsalted butter at room temp
3/4 cup of firmly packed brown sugar, dark
1 large egg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In large bowl mix together the dried fruit, the rough chopped nuts and 1/4 cup of the flour and toss to coat. In another large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients including the ground hazelnuts.

In the stand mixer cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Next add the egg, once combined lower the speed on the mixer and slowly add the flour mixture. Once combined you will need to hand stir in the fruit and nuts.

Using spoons, drop well rounded spoon fulls of dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Place the spoon fulls 2 to 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Transfer parchment and cookies to cooling rack.

Enjoy Cooking

Cherry Upside down cake

Here is another recipe from Thursday night - I did a variation on the cake from my cardamon cupcakes i have posted earlier.

Cherry upside down cake

Ingredients

12 table spoons of unsalted butter plus 4 table spoons for the top
1 cup of raw sugar plus 1/2 a cup for the top
2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of ground allspice
1 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup half and half
2 cups dried cherries

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease up an angel food cake pan. Then mix together the 1/2 cup of raw sugar, cinnamon and allspice and sprinkle it on the bottom of the pan. Next cut up the 4 table spoons of butter into small cubes and place them in the pan. Now add the cherries and set aside.
In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, cardamon and basil.
In another large bowl cream together the 12 table spoons of butter and the cup of raw sugar. Once light and fluffy add the eggs and vanilla to mixture. Now alternating with the flour and the half and half: 3 to 2 - 3 parts flour to 2 parts half and half, once all combined and smooth, pour into pan. Its a thick batter so you really need to spoon it into the pan. Smooth out the top and bake for about 45 to 55 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean. I have had to bake it for as long as an hour, i would just check on the cake after 45 minutes.
Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, remove the outter pan then invert over a dish and remove the center cone. Note: you may need to use a knife to loosen the sugar glaze from the pan prior to inverting.

Here are a few variations on this;
1. you also can add pecans to the top, reduce the cherries by a cup and replace with the pecans.
2. Skip the step of adding the sugar, butter and cherries to the pan. Bake the cake and then make the topping for the cake and pour it over the top. You will need to add 1/4 of water and 1/4 light corn syrup to the mix, heat slowly over medium heat, once to a nice texture pour over cake.

Enjoy Cooking

Sour Cherry Brownies

OK - I keep getting requests for more cookies or baked goods. I was holding out the following for the cook book - but this is a great brown recipe - at least i think so

Sour Cherry Brownies

ingredients

3 3.5 oz bars of Greens & Blacks 85% cocoa bars
1 stick of unsalted butter at room temp
1 1/4 cups of raw sugar
3 large eggs - whisked together
3/4 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup of dried sour cherries - they are in Costco right now
1 cup of chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a double boiler over medium heat, the water should be simmering not boiling, place butter and chocolate bars, stir until almost melted. Remove from heat and and whisk in sugar and salt until smooth. Next slowly pour in eggs to mixture whisking as you go. Follow next with the flour, once combined fold in the walnuts and cherries.
In about an 8 inch square pan line it with foil; it is much easier to get the brownies out when they are done and they do not stick to the pan. Spray foil with Pam. Next pour in batter and smooth out evenly in the pan. Bake for about 45 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out almost clean, there should be a few bits stuck to it. Transfer to a rack to cool. Then lift the foil out of the pan and cut. The brownies should keep for about two days, but then if there are any left after 12 hours there is something wrong in your house.

Enjoy Cooking

Cherries Garcia Chocolate Cookies

I am sure i will need to change the name if I ever use this recipe in a cook book, but these cookies do taste like the Cherry Garcia Chocolate ice cream.

I came up with this recipe about 3 years ago on my quest to make a great chocolate sugar cookie.

These cookies are best warm from the oven with a cold glass of milk.

Cherries Garcia Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups of Green & Black Cocoa Powder
4 3.5 oz bars of Green & Blacks 85% Dark Chocolate Bars
1 3/4 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temp
1 1/4 cups raw sugar
3/4 cups of organic dark brown sugar
2 cups of dried cherries
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Place chocolate bars and 1/8 cup of raw sugar in food processor and pulse to chop into a small bits.
In a bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.
In a large stand mixer cream together the butter and the remaining sugars until fluffy. Next cream in the eggs and vanilla. Turning the mixer to low, slowly add in the flour mixture, once all combined turn off mixer: you do not want to over mix the dough, it will get tough. Remove bowl from mixer and with a spoon folded in the chopped chocolate and then the cherries.
Roll into a ball, wrap in plastic and chill overnight.

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
Using your hands roll into about 1 1/2 inch ball, place on a parchment lined cookie sheet, flatten slightly to prevent rolling. Place balls about 4 inches apart. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or so: until they puff up and crack. Remove from oven and with the same quick motion as before with the other cookies, remove the parchment and the cookies onto a cooling rack. You will get very good at this in time. The reason is that the cookies keep cooking on the hot cookie sheet.

Note: the baking time depends on your oven, you want the cookies moist but not mush, but then again you do not want them dry either. I have baked these cookies for as little as 9 minutes or as long as 14 minutes, it all depends, but 10 to 11 minutes should be fine.
Also keep the dough chilled until ready to bake: roll enough cookies at a time then bake. You do not want them to sit at room temp for any great lengths of time.

Enjoy Cooking