Cherry Blondies

The last thing I made with our freshly-picked cherries was this pan of cherry blondies. 

Ingredients (adapted from Chiles Peach Orchard):

• 1-1/3 c. flour
• 1-1/3 c. packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. coconut oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 c. pitted and halved fresh sweet cherries
• 1/2 c. chopped pecans (optional)

To make:

• Preheat oven to 325*
• Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, oil, eggs and vanilla; mix on low speed of electric mixer until blended
• Mix 1 minute on medium speed (batter will be thick)
• Spread half of batter in oiled and floured 8x8-inch baking pan.
• Toss cherries in small amount of flour and scatter cherries over batter
• Spread remaining batter over cherries
• Sprinkle pecans over top
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean
• Cool on rack and cut into 16 pieces

Taste-wise, they were pretty good, though they were a bit weird texture-wise because I'm just not used to fruit in blondies/brownies.  My only real issue was determining whether they were done.  I think the juiciness of the cherries kind of threw things off a bit.  I think they'd be even better with chocolate or white chocolate in addition to/instead of the pecans. 

Yummy (and Easy) Pizza Sauce

We interrupt the regularly scheduled programming for a special recipe (I promise I have one more cherry recipe to share).

I have had a hard time finding a pizza sauce I like.  I used to like the Whole Foods stuff but lately it's been a bit bland.  I've tried the TJ's sauce in the cold case but found it lacking, and I decided to pass on the TJ's jarred sauce because of some unsavory additives.

Then today I had an idea!  I love TJ's bruschetta - it's the best I've found next to homemade.  So I grabbed a jar and decided to throw it in the blender (the bruschetta, not the jar) with some tomato paste I had leftover from a curry debacle earlier in the week (don't ask - let's just say it was edible but nowhere near as good as my sister-in-law's).  Yes, it's kinda cheating.  I could have done it from scratch.  But this was a lot quicker and easier, with no guesswork on spices.  Unfortunately I didn't measure anything, so the following are estimates.

Ingredients:

• Approximately 6 oz bruschetta
• 1-2 tbsp. tomato paste
• Splash of olive oil

Toss it all in the blender or a food processor and give it a whirl.  Adjust tomato paste and olive oil as needed.

It is so good!  And it's nice to have a starting place for homemade sauce.  When I have the chance, I'll try using my bruschetta recipe instead of cheating.

Pork Chops with Cherry Sauce

After a few days of chowing on fresh cherries, I decided I needed to incorporate them into a dinner somehow.  Cherries pair well with pork, so I went in search of a cherry sauce for some nice center cut pork chops I bought from Whole Foods.  I found a simple recipe but I didn't have any port (and I didn't feel like going out to find some), so I subbed pomegranate juice instead.

Cherry Sauce:

• 1 c. sweet cherries, pitted and halved
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1/3 c. pomegranate juice
• 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• Salt & pepper

To make:

• Heat oil in small saucepan
• Saute minced shallot until softened
• Add cherries, pomegranate juice, and vinegar; cook until cherries soften and juice is reduced by about half
• Remove from heat, season with salt & pepper, and set aside until pork is finished

For the pork, I bought three center cut pork chops (they were maybe 1/4 to 1/3 of a pound each), rubbed them with salt, pepper, and a bit of thyme, and grilled them.  There was more than enough sauce for the three chops.

The picture isn't the best; something about the combination of shiny sauce, the light, the white plate, and the camera flash just conspired against me.  Oh well, you get the idea.

I enjoyed this.  It was a little sweet and a little tart, and it paired well with my cherry rice pilaf.

Kicking off Cherry Week - Cherry Pudding Cake

Summer is such a busy, fun time of year.  No wonder I haven't found time to update the blog!  One of our many fun activities this summer was cherry picking.  This was the first time for John and the kids, and my first time in many years.  We went with some friends and had a blast, even though the orchard was 1.5 hours from home.  We picked about 5.5 pounds and Samantha ate about a half-pound on the way home! 

The next day, I made muffins with cherries for breakfast and then made a cherry pudding cake.  I admit, I was skeptical when I first read the recipe, mainly because I could not imagine what would happen when I poured boiling water over it before putting it in the oven.  It sounds weird and looks weird, but trust me, it turns out great. 

Ingredients (slightly adapted from here):

• 2 c. sweet cherries, pitted
• 1 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 ½ c. sugar
• ½ c. So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk
• 3 tbsp. Earth Balance butter, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 1 c. boiling water

To make:

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Place fruit in the bottom of a buttered 8x8 glass baking dish
• Combine 1 c. flour, baking powder, salt, and 3/4 c. sugar in a mixing bowl
• Add milk, butter, and vanilla
• Beat until smooth
• Spread batter over fruit
• Combine remaining sugar and 2 tbsp. flour and sprinkle over batter
• Pour boiling water over mixture 
• Bake 40-45 minutes or until tester comes out clean when inserted in center

It looks strange going into the oven but this is what it looks like when it comes out:

And it is soooooo good.



I think I'm going to try it with peaches next.