Cherries are one of our most favourite superfoods! There are so many fun and creative ways to incorporate them into healthy recipes and feast on these deep red beauties.
1. Cherry Frangipane Tart
By Chef Iso
Makes 1 8″ Tart
Ingredients
SABLÉ BRETON CRUST
- 250 grams flour (8.8 ounces, 1 3/4 cup)
- 140 grams butter (4.9 ounces, 1 1/4 stick)
- 100 grams sugar (3.5 ounces, 1/2 cup)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
ALMOND FRANGIPANE
- 40 grams almond flour (1/4 cup)
- 50 grams sugar (1/4 cup)
- 40 grams butter (2 tablespoons)
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
NEUTRAL NAPPAGE (OPTIONAL GLAZE)
- 225 grams water (7.9 ounces, 1 cup)
- 113 grams sugar (4.0 ounces, 1/2 cup)
- 13 grams pectin (0.5 ounces)
- 20 grams lemon juice (0.7 ounces)
ASSEMBLY
- 1 pound of sweet cherries (0.45 kg)
- handful of chopped pistachios
Directions
Prepare the Sablé Breton crust
- Cream the butter and sugar together until the butter is whipped and the sugar is fully incorporated.
- Beat in the egg, then the flour and salt until the dough comes together
- Knead the dough until it comes together before rolling it out.
- Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment and silicone mats to 1/4-inch
- The silicone mats are optional, but will help make the dough more even and prevent it from cracking.
- Use the tart ring to cut out the tart base, roll out the excess and cut strips to make the sides
- Bake the tart at 375°F (190°C) until the edges are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
- When the tart cools, use a microplane to shave off the top and even out the tart
Prepare the Frangipane
- While the tart crust is baking, you can prepare the frangipane filling.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until the butter is whipped and the sugar is fully incorporated
- Vigorously beat in the egg until there are no more lumps. Beat in the almond flour, flour, and vanilla until everything comes together.
- When the tart shell is cool, fill it with the frangipane and a few chopped cherries
- Bake the tart with the frangipane at 350°F (180°C) for 18 minutes until the frangipane is set but still jiggles in the middle.
Prepare the cherries
- Slice the cherries across their longer side
- Also slice the round side off so they lie flat on the tart.
- Dip a whole cherry in the nappage glaze and roll around in the chopped pistachios until it is coated.
Assemble the tart
- Arrange the cherries on top of the tart in concentric rings and dab the glaze on top
- Finish with the pistachio cherry on top.
2. Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake
By Carolyn Ketchum
Makes 12 Servings
Ingredients
Crust
- 2/3 cup almond flour
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 3 tbsp Swerve Sweetener
- 2 tbsp butter
Cheesecake
- 12 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup confectioner’s Swerve Sweetener
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp whipping cream
- 3/4 tsp cherry extract
- 1 tiny drop red gel food coloring (optional)
Chocolate Ganache
- 2 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1 oz good quality unsweetened chocolate
- 2 tbsp confectioner’s Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
For the Crust
- Preheat oven to 325F and line a standard muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners (parchment paper liners are ideal).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, cocoa powder and Swerve. Add melted butter and mix until it resembles crumbs.
- Divide crust mixture evenly into bottoms of cupcake liners and press down firmly with fingers.
- Bake 8 minutes. Remove and let cool.
For the Cheesecake
- Reduce oven temperature to 275F.
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioner’s Swerve until smooth. Beat in egg, whipping cream, cherry extract and food coloring, if using. Beat until smooth.
- Divide mixture evenly over cooled crusts and bake 25 minutes or until just firm to the touch. Remove and let cool.
For the Chocolate Ganache
- In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter and unsweetened chocolate until smooth. Stir in confectioner’s Swerve and vanilla extract. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes, until thickened but still pourable.
- Drizzle over cooled cheesecakes.
3. Cherry Limeade
By Be Mixed
Makes 1 Serving
Ingredients
- 4 oz. Be Mixed Margarita
- 6 Cherries, muddled
- 1/2 Lime, juiced
- Club Soda
- Ice
- 1.5 oz. Vodka (optional)
Directions
- Muddle cherries and juice limes.
- Combine all ingredients in a glass filled with ice.
- Top with club soda.
4. Black Cherry and Cinnamon Sorbet
By Food52
Makes 1 Serving
Ingredients
- 2 lbs organic, ripe cherries, rinsed and pitted
- 1 c honey
- 3/4 c water
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Directions
- Chop one cup of cherries and place in a small pan with the cinnamon stick and about 1/4 c honey. Heat for about two minutes, or until the honey is dissolved and the cherries begin to cook slightly, creating a syrup.
- Take them off the heat and set aside to cool. Blend the rest of the cherries in a food processor or with an immersion blender.
- Place the blended cherries, the water and the rest of the honey in a saucepan and, stirring often, let the mixture come to the boil. Add the cinnamon stick and allow the mixture to boil for two minutes.
- Take off the heat, remove the cinnamon stick and let cool, stir through the stewed cherries then chill mixture completely in refrigerator.
- If you have an ice cream maker, you can place the cherry mixture into the ice cream maker until done. Without an ice cream maker, simply place the mixture into a container with a lid in the freezer.
5. Protein Cherry Rhubarb Rolls
By Szabina Szentei, in-house chef at Nutristrength
Makes 7 Servings
Ingredients
- 100g almond flour
- 10g Nutristrength Whey Protein Unflavoured
- 10g Nutristrength Whey Protein Classic Vanilla
- 25g coconut flour
- 1 whole egg
- 3 egg whites
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 20g psyllium husk flour (ground husk)
- 100 ml hot water
- 50 ml warm almond or coconut milk, unsweetened
- 35g natural sweetener erythritol (or coconut sugar, stevia)
- Pinch of salt
Filling ingredients:
- Homemade cherry rhubarb jam*
- 200g fresh, chopped rhubarb
- 60g cherries
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 tsp coconut sugar, or other natural sweetener
- 1 tsp konjac flour or 2 tsp tapioca agar agar flakes (vegan gelatine) for thickening
- *Place rhubarbs, cherries in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the coconut sugar and thickener until they are dissolved. Remove the jam from heat. Allow the jam to cool down.
Icing Ingredients:
- 10g Nutristrength Whey Protein Isolate Ecuadorian Banana
- 15g coconut yoghurt
- 50g Sukrin Icing (all natural sweetener)
- 50ml water
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Mix together the almond, coconut flour, husk, sweetener, salt, baking soda, cream of tartar and protein powder. Mix until combined. Add eggs, hot water, warm milk and using your hands bring the mixture together into a ball.
- Lay out a sheet of baking paper. Put the dough to the paper and flatten with your fingers. Set another baking paper on top. Roll the dough out, rectangular shape. (About ½ inch thick)
- Prepare the filling, spread the cherry rhubarb jam over the dough.
- Roll up the dough and cut into 7apieces.
- Place the rolls in a greased baking pan, sides touching. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 160°C and bake for about 30 minutes more, or until the rolls are well-coloured. Leave the rolls to cool.
- For the icing mix everything together and stir well until smooth and silky. Spread the icing mixture over the rolls.
- Serve warm or room temperature!
6. Cherry Nut-Crumble Cake
By Jorj Morgan
Makes 9 Servings
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 cup fresh cherries, pitted with stems removed
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 medium orange, about 2 teaspoons
- Chop the cherries on a board with a sharp knife and place them into a bowl. Stir in the sugar and orange zest.
Streusel
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- ¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts, about 3 ounces
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- Place the flour, walnuts and brown sugar into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse briefly to combine. Pour in the melted butter and pulse 2 or 3 more times.
Batter
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups butter, room temperature, 3 sticks
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Coat a 9-inch square cake pan with vegetable oil spray.
- Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Use an electric mixer to combine the butter and sugar until fluffy. Stir in the eggs. Spread half of the batter into the pan.
- Drain excess juice from the cherries and spoon over the top of the batter.
- Dollop the remaining batter over the top and spread with a spatula to somewhat cover the cherries. This doesn’t have to be perfect! Run a knife through the batter to swirl everything together. Sprinkle the streusel on top. Bake until the coffee cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes.
7. Black Forest Bombe
By Chef Angela Tong, CUT Beverly Hills
Makes 1 Serving
Malted Dark Chocolate Mousse
- 50 g Water
- 63 g Sugar
- 50 g Malted Milk Powder
- 75 g Yolks
- 250 g 61% Guittard Lever de Soleil
- 600 g Cream, Soft Peaks
- Melt chocolate together in a bowl.
- In a small sauce pan, whisk together the water, sugar, and malted milk powder.
- Bring to a boil while whisking.
- Temper in the yolks. Return to the heat and cook to 175°F.
- Strain malted mixture into the chocolate. Stir altogether.
- Cool the chocolate ganache until 85°F.
- Whisk cream to soft peak stage.
- Temper whipped cream into chocolate ganache in 3 parts. Make sure the first sacrifice of cream is completely whisked into the ganache before adding more cream.
- Fold in the remaining 2/3 of the cream with a spatula, in two parts, until homogenous.
Cherry Filling
- 1000 g IQF Sour Cherries
- 300 g Sugar
- 12 g Apple Pectin
- 1 ea. Lemon, zested
- 10 g Kirsch
- Whisk together sugar and pectin.
- Add all ingredients into a pot and cook on low heat.
- Bring to a boil. Cool in a hotel pan.
- Scoop filling into molds.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
- 680 g 72% Guittard Coucher De Soleil
- 340 g 61% Guittard Lever de Soleil
- 1020 g Butter
- 720 g Egg Yolks
- 260 g Sugar
- 720 g Egg Whites
- 260 g Sugar
- In a large bowl, melt together the chocolates and the butter. Reserve warm.
- Whip together to yolks and the first sugar until triple in volume.
- Make a French meringue with the whites and the second sugar, soft peaks.
- Fold in the yolks into the warm chocolate mixture, then fold in the meringue.
- Have one flat half sheet tray and one flat full sheet tray sprayed, lined with parchment, and sprayed.
- Spread 1340 g on one ½ tray and 2680 g on a full tray.
- Bake at 300°F for 10 turn 5 minutes. The middle of the cake should bounce back and the edges of the cake should be JUST beginning to pull away from the pan.
Chocolate Glaze
- 480 g Heavy Cream
- 580 g Water, 1st
- 720 g Sugar
- 300 g Cocoa Powder
- 50 g Gelatin
- 250 g Water, 2nd
- Bloom gelatin in 2nd water.
- Combine cream, 1st water, and sugar in a pot. Bring to a boil.
- Add in cocoa powder and gelatin. Strain.
- Use glaze at 95-100°F
Cocoa Nib Crumble
- 225 g Butter, cold and cubed
- 150 g Demerara Sugar
- 250 g AP Flour
- 100 g Cocoa Powder
- 1 Pinch sea salt
- 75 g Cacao Nibs
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- Cube butter.
- Paddle together the demerara sugar, flour, cocoa powder, sea salt and cacao nibs.
- Add butter and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients and paddle until it resembles moist crumbs.
- Bake at 310°F, stirring every 5 minutes until done: approximately 10-15 minutes.
Cherry Compote
- 900 g Fresh Cherries, pitted and quartered
- 250 g Dried Sour Cherries
- 2 ea. Lemons, Zested and juiced
- 180 g Sugar
- Combine the fresh cherries, dried cherries, lemon zest, and juice.
- Cook on a simmer until the fresh cherries break down. Stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Add sugar and stirring occasionally, cook to 215°F.
Candied Pistachios
- 5 oz. Sugar
- 4 oz. Water
- 1 Tbsp Orange Blossom Honey
- 3# Pistachios
- 2 Tbsp Fleur de Sel
- Conbine the sugar, water, and honey. Bring to a boil. Cool.
- In a large bowl, combine the pistachios and syrup.
- Line sheet trays with parchment paper and spray with vegelene.
- Lay pistachios out in a thin layer.
- Bake at 225°F high fan for about an hour. Mix the pistachios every 15 minutes. Pistachios should look toasty, but still green.
Cherry Sorbet
- 1000g Water
- 400 g Sugar
- 200 g Glucose Powder
- 4 g Sorbet Stabilizer
- 50 g Glucose Syrup
- 1 ea. Orange, zested
- 2000 g Cherry Puree
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 Pinch of Salt
- Whisk together the sugar and sorbet stabilizer.
- Combine the water, sugar, stabilizer, glucose powder, glucose syrup, and orange zest in a pot.
- Cook to 185°F. Strain mixture over the cherry puree.
- Add in vanilla extract and salt.
- Chill.
Whipped Crème Fraiche
- 16 oz. Whipped Cream
- 8 oz. Crème Fraiche
- 2 Tablespoon Sugar
OR
Caramel Mousse
- 8 g Gelatin
- 100 g Water, 1st
- 800 g Cream, 1st
- 435 g Cream, 2nd
- ½ ea. Vanilla Bean
- 250 g Sugar, 1st
- 165 g Glucose Syrup
- 165 g Yolks
- 30 g Sugar, 2nd
- 80 g Water, 2nd
- 42 g Milk Powder
- ¼ t. Salt
- Bloom gelatin in 1st water.
- Whip 1st cream to soft peak
- Heat second cream and vanilla bean together.
- Make a dry caramel with 1st sugar and glucose syrup.
- Deglaze caramel with hot cream. Add gelatin. Strain. Cool to 80°F.
- Over a water bath, cook yolks, 2nd sugar, 2nd water, milk powder, and salt to 175°F.
- Place yolk mixture in a kitchen aid and whisk until cool.
- Fold together the egg mixture into the whipped cream and then add the caramel.
8. Door County Cherry Chia Pudding
By Elizabeth Redman, Café Manager at The Howard
Makes 5 Servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups Almond or oat milk
- 8 oz. bag Frozen cherries, thawed
- 1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/8 cups Dates, chopped
- 1/2 cups Chia Seeds
- 1 cups Almonds (raw, unsalted preferred), slivered
- 1 cups Cherries dried
Directions
In a blender combine dates, thawed cherries, vanilla, salt, and 1 cup of almond milk, blend until smooth. Transfer mixture into a large bowl, add the remaining almond milk and stir until uniform. Stir in chia seeds until combined and let sit in fridge overnight. The next day, spoon chia pudding into stout parfait cup or glass mason jars, top with almonds and dried cherries and enjoy.
9. Free Cake with Antioxidant Compote
By Pastry Chef Jacqueline Mearman, Atlas Restaurant Group
Makes 8-10 Servings
Ingredients
Free Cake
- 3 cup brown rice flour
- 1⁄4 cup + 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cup coconut sugar
- 1⁄4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1⁄2 cup avocado, very ripe
- 2 c water
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1⁄2 Tablespoon vanilla
Antioxidant Compote
- 12 ounces frozen cherries
- 1 pint blackberries
- 1 pint blueberries
- 8 ounce pomegranate juice
- 2 ounce orange juice, fresh squeezed 1 each zest of orange
Coconut Whipped Cream
- 1 can Coconut Cream
Directions
- For the cake… combine all dry ingredients in a bowl large enough to accommodate the entire recipe. Use either a traditional blender or a stick blender to emulsify the liquid ingredients and avocado. This mixture will become creamy and thick. Pure liquid ingredients into dry and fold until combined. Portion into sprayed individual ramekins, large cupcake pans or my favorite, cast-iron Staubs. Bake at 325 degrees fahrenheit until cake springs back about 15-20 minutes.
- For the compote… combine all ingredients in a pot and cook until fresh berries break down and pomegranate and orange juice reduces to a glaze, about fifteen minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool and thicken.
- For whipped cream… Refrigerate can of coconut cream overnight. Remove solids from can into a mixer bowl. Discard of any liquid in bottom of can. Whip solids on high speed until thick and fluffy.
- To serve… Spoon compote over warm free cake. Dollop coconut whipped cream on top. Optionally, garnish with freeze-dried super fruits and shaved chocolate or carob. For my chocolate, I went the distance and finished with a rich, single-origin, fair-trade Felchlin 74% Elvesia dark chocolate. But hey, I’m a pastry chef.
10. Cherry Sauce
By The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley
Makes 1 Cup
Ingredients
- 8 oz. The Perfect Purée Cherry, thawed
- 1 tsp. The Perfect Purée Lemon Zest, thawed
- 5 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
- 1 oz. liqueur (such as Kirsch, Grand Marnier, Creme de Cassis, or Framboise), optional
Directions
- In a bowl stir together Cherry puree, sugar, lemon juice, and Lemon Zest until well blended.
- Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. Just before serving, stir in liqueur if desired.