# Spain's Cherry Blossom & Cherry Season



## Margi Cintrano (Mar 28, 2012)

Ciao, Buenas Tardes, Guten Tag, Bom Día, Good Afternoon, 

The aromas of fresh Valle de Jerte ( heir tei ), Extremadura, Spanish Black Cherries are absolutely delightful ... What savoury dishes do you create with cherries, red or black ? Which sweet tooth pleasures do you create ? 

Drop a quick post on cherries, Members --- Look forward to hearing from you all once again.

Sweet tooth pleasures: Home made traditional Cherry pie, Cherry vanilla icecream, Cherries to dip into Chocolate Fondata or Fondue, and Cherry Strudel ... 

Savoury:  Depitted and blended into a Cherry Gazpacho or Cherry Salmorejo and Roast Ducklings with fresh Black Cherries and a Kirsch Sauce ... 

Ciao. Margi.


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## Cerise (Mar 28, 2012)

During the Summer, I like cherry chicken salad, mixed with celery, onion, mayonnaise & chopped walnuts or slivered almonds, over mixed greens.

Jacques Pepin's Cherry Clafouti(s)

Duck with cherry sauce - at my fave French restaurant.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 28, 2012)

In May we will be headed to Flathead Lake and the "pick-your-own" cherry orchards.  I hope they have a good season this year.  They were late last year and a very small crop. 

Mostly, we just eat them until we are very uncomfortable...and we never learn, we eat them as long as we can get them in the store.


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## CharlieD (Mar 28, 2012)

Here you cannot get tart cherries, by "here" I mean Minnesota. A neighbor has a tree though, and once in a while if they have had enough of it, they let me pick some. If that happens I like to make cherry preserve/jelly. From then it is used for pies and cakes. But also I use the leaves, they are essential for pickling.


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## Cerise (Mar 28, 2012)

Note to self - buy a cherry pitter.


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## Margi Cintrano (Mar 28, 2012)

Cerise: thanks for your lovely ideas ... I shall follow up. 

Charlie: Cherry Preserves sound wonderful ... How many cherries does one jar take more or less in Kilos ? ( Thanks. ) 

Thanks to everyone who has posted some wonderful suggestions ... Need to review tomorrow ...

Grazie.
Margi.


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## CharlieD (Mar 28, 2012)

i cook about 1:1, cherries and sugar, so in the end it is about half cooked down, so from 1 kilo of cherries plus 1 kilo of sugar I get about a kilo of preserve, a bit less because of pits.


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## Margi Cintrano (Mar 29, 2012)

Grazie y Muchas Gracías,

Charlie, thanks alot for the kilo preserve ratio ... Does not sound too hard to prepare --- have a new book on home made preserves and marmalades ... I think I shall give it a try ... when we return from Puglia, Italia.

We are leaving tomorrow and my younger daughter is joining us with the Base Ball Team, the twins boys are 5 and baby Anthony Luca is 4 months ... so to the condo in Gargano Peninsula, Puglia ... 

Miss the sea terribly ... Madrid is extremely dry ... though at moment it is lovely here --- however, what is coming is not, summer here is the Sahara, and very very inhospitable ... 

Thanks and have a lovely holiday too ...
Margi.


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## CharlieD (Mar 29, 2012)

Ah, I love Italia, my time by the sea was the best vacation ever. As far as preserve goes if you want details let me know.


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## Margi Cintrano (Mar 31, 2012)

@ Charlie, 

Where in Italia have you travelled ? Which city enchanted you most ? 

We are on the Adriatic, 55km from Corfu via Ferry and the airport is Bari. We are on the Gargano Peninsula ... We love the sea ... It energizes us ... 

Madrid is terribly dry and polluted. 

Have nice wkend.


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## Margi Cintrano (Mar 31, 2012)

Cerise, 

Here it is ... 

Cherry Gazpacho: ( I serve in a huge Martini glass ) 

150 grams of cherries
150 grams of blanched almonds
4 tblps E.V. olive oil or 50 ml.
1 pinch of salt
3 slices of baguette 
2 cloves minced garlic
4 tablesp. milk
1 peeled, cored and diced acidic apple 

Put the ingredients ( except olive oil and vinegar ) in a food processor and blend until gazpacho is thick and creamy

pour in the oil and vinegar separately and very slowly and pulse machine on a slow blend 

serve with extra cherries on top for decoration and a spoon of Mascarpone or whipped cream 

You can add a pinch or 2 of sugar if you care  to ... and it shall be more sweet.  

Enjoy.
Margi.


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## taxlady (Mar 31, 2012)

That cherry gazpacho sounds intriguing. What happens if I leave out the bread? (I'm on a low carbohydrate diet.)


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## Margi Cintrano (Mar 31, 2012)

@ Charlie,

I have a book from the Spanish Government Valle de Jerte, Cáceres, EXtremadura on Cherries as this is the main Designation in the country. You are correct, 1 kilo cherries to 1 kilo sugar.... However, if you find the time, please do provide the jarring details and the cooking details --- thanks alot.
Happy Holidays too. 
Margi.


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## Margi Cintrano (Mar 31, 2012)

The bread is used as a thickener ... so add more olive oil E.V. and more cherries if necessary ... or more almonds ... try it and see without bread ... then u can adjust to ur palate and dietary needs.

Enjoy ... it is nice ... served very chilled.

Margi. Have lovely wkend.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Mar 31, 2012)

CharlieD said:


> Here you cannot get tart cherries, by "here" I mean Minnesota. A neighbor has a tree though, and once in a while if they have had enough of it, they let me pick some. If that happens I like to make cherry preserve/jelly. From then it is used for pies and cakes. But also I use the leaves, they are essential for pickling.



Michigan is the Cherry capitol of the United States.  I have a freind  that has a Rainier Cherry Tree that produces far more cherries than he  can use.  He allows me and my wife to pick a batch during the season.   They make the best cherry pies and preserves ever.  Cherry stands pop up  all over the place, especially in the lower peninsula with deep, dark  red tart cherries, ans sweet cherries.  

When I make a cherry pie, I start with three cups all-purpose flour, an 1  1/2 tsp. salt.  I start cutting in lard until the dough looks like  pea-gravel.  I then add 1/4 cup sugar, and 2 tbs. cinnamon.  I cut that  in, and then add just enough ice water to make the pebbles start  sticking together.  I divide the dough in half and roll out the first  half.  I then place that into the deep-dish pie pan, brush with  egg-wash, and blind bake for 15 minutes at 350' F.  I then make the  filling from pitted cherries, sugar, and cornstarch.  Add just a little  cinnamon to taste.  Let cool, then pour that into the pie crust.

While the filling is cooling, roll out the top crust and cut into 1/2  inch strips, the length of the crust.  Use these stripes to make a  lattice crust on top.  Brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with coarse  sugar.

Bake until the crust is golden brown, let cool and serve with good vanilla ice cream.

The first time I made the crust with sugar and cinnamon worked into the  crust, a person told me I was crazy, and that I was ruining the crust.   After the pie was baked, and given as a prized at a church function, and  the reports came back on its quality, that same person had to admit  that I probably knew what I was doing.


We also like to make home-made cherry ice cream, and sherry-chocolate cake.  

If you macerate the cherries in sugar, and then strain, you get a wonderful cherry juice that can be used to make cherry punch, cherry flavored frostings, sweet & sour sauce, and cherry panacotta.  

Cherry tarts are great, as are cherry covered pancakes.  It's all good.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## Aunt Bea (Mar 31, 2012)

Try preserving some in alcohol!

Use perfect firm fresh sweet cherries, leave the stem on and place in a canning jar with a tight fitting lid.  Top with a mixture of three parts alcohol to 1 part sugar.  Put in a cool dark place and give the jar a shake every now and then.  By Christmas they will be very nice to eat and to drink the cherry cordial.  You can vary the alcohol vodka, cognac, rum are all good and all different.


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## Margi Cintrano (Apr 1, 2012)

Princess Fiona,

Good morning. Wish I could go and pick my own cherries or fruit ! 

Have to look into this ! 

Have nice Sunday and thanx for ur feedback.
Margi.


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## Margi Cintrano (Apr 1, 2012)

@ Aunt Bea,

Cherry licor ... nice idea.

Thanks for posting it.

Have a lovely Sunday.
Margi.


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## Margi Cintrano (Apr 1, 2012)

@ Chief Longwind,

Firstly, good morning and thank you for posting the Cherry Pie recipe ... 

I am going to take a look during the week at your Word Press Blog too. I also, have one on some of my many epicurean escapes through the Mediterranean, recipes and a Spanish Chef interview or two : 

www.gourmettravelling.wordpress.com 

Thanks for posting the pie, as it looks wonderful ... a la mode with home made cherry vanilla icecream on top ! 

Have nice wkend,
Margi. Cintrano.


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## taxlady (Apr 1, 2012)

Aunt Bea said:


> Try preserving some in alcohol!
> 
> Use perfect firm fresh sweet cherries, leave the stem on and place in a canning jar with a tight fitting lid.  Top with a mixture of three parts alcohol to 1 part sugar.  Put in a cool dark place and give the jar a shake every now and then.  By Christmas they will be very nice to eat and to drink the cherry cordial.  You can vary the alcohol vodka, cognac, rum are all good and all different.



Oh my! That sounds really good. Now I can hardly wait for cherries to appear in the stores.


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## Margi Cintrano (Apr 1, 2012)

@ Aunt Bea,

cool idea certainly shall do ... 

Happy Holidays. 
Grazie,
Margi.


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## justplainbill (Apr 1, 2012)

Kirschtorte mit sahne.
A dark rich chocolate layer cake moistened with kirschwasser; with whipped cream and sour cherries between the layers.  We normally use Hainich cherries.


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## Margi Cintrano (Apr 2, 2012)

@ Bill,

Thanks so much for the lovely Kirsch dessert recipe ... I shall try this out.

I use Alsace D.O. kirsch in my Swiss French Alpine Gruyère Fondue ... 

Happy Holidays. 
Margi.


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## Addie (Apr 2, 2012)

Cerise said:


> Note to self - buy a cherry pitter.


 
Son #2 loves cherries. Many moons ago I bought a pitter for the olives. Little did I know that I would use it more for the cherries than the olives. It was not expensive, and well worth whatever it may cost.


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