Darcel Markgraf of BC Tree Fruit Growers shares three recipes for cherry season.
Broken Sangria
Broken Ladder Cider from BC Tree Fruits Cider Company lends an apple-y lightness to a quintessential summer cocktail!
Ingredients
One 1-kg cello bag BCTF Sweet Cherries, any variety
½-1 cup white sugar, to taste
½ bottle light red wine: Unoaked Merlot and Gamay Noir are good choices
4 cans Broken Ladder Premium Craft Cider
1 cup Cointreau or Amaretto
Directions
Wash, stem, and pit cherries and layer onto a 9 x 13 inch glass baking pan. Drizzle with sugar and red wine, place in the freezer for an hour or more.
In a large punch bowl or pitcher, pour Cider and Liqueur over frozen marinated cherries. Top with Broken Ladder. Spear cherries onto bamboo skewers to garnish and serve over ice in a highball glass.
Marinated Sweet Cherries with Green Lentils and Spinachch
A quick, nutritious and vegetarian cherry-themed dish!
2 large portions
Ingredients
Lentils
½ cup small green lentils
1 cup vegetable broth (from bouillon cube or paste)
1-2 cloves garlic, split into two
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Cherries
1 green onion: white part minced, greens chopped for garnish
1 Tbsp your favourite vinegar (red/white wine, cider, rice)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp your favourite mustard (Dijon, grainy, yellow)
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
1 cup washed, pitted, quartered BC Tree Fruits cherries
Pinch of salt, pepper, and sugar
Spinach
2-4 cups fresh spinach, cleaned and dried.
Directions
Cook the lentils first. Sort/rinse lentils. Cover with broth, add garlic. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 20-45 minutes until tender but not falling apart.
Marinate the cherries with the green onion, vinegar, olive oil, mustard, thyme leaves, salt, pepper, sugar and cherries. Strain the vinaigrette from the cherries and toss it into the hot, drained lentils.
Arrange the lentils over the spinach on a platter or on individual serving dishes. The heat will wilt the spinach just a bit. Top with marinated cherries, garnish with chopped green onion tops. Makes two large portions; recipe can be doubled.
Sweet Cherry Boden Torte
German immigrants brought this quick summer dessert to orchard country. The unique pan shape and sturdy cake base provide the ideal foil for any glazed fruit.
Ingredients
Filling
1½ cups cranberry juice
3 Tbsp Instant Clear Jel*
¾ cup white sugar
1 kg cello bag BCTF Sweet Cherries, any variety
Cake Base
½ cup salted butter
¾ cup white sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
Zest from one lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
Directions
Make the Cake
Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Generously butter and flour an 11-inch (28-cm) diameter torte pan, or use a baking spray to ensure easy release. Using a standing or hand mixer, whisk the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each. Add vanilla and lemon zest. Sift flour and baking powder together, then whisk into the batter until no white streaks remain. Smooth the batter evenly into the pan, taking care to avoid air bubbles in the perimeter. Bake for 30 minutes, cool for 5 more minutes and invert cake onto a cookie sheet to cool before filling. Can be made a day or two ahead.
Prep the Filling
Shake the sugar and Instant Clear Jel together in a 1-2 cup lidded jar until thoroughly mixed. Add the cranberry juice, shake to combine and set aside. Wash, stem, and pit cherries. Use a soda straw if you do not have a cherry pitter.
Assemble
Smooth about three-quarters of the glaze over the cake base. Arrange whole, pitted cherries on their sides in a circular pattern until cake is covered. Drizzle the remaining glaze atop the fruit: the acidity of the cranberry juice will prevent the cherries from turning brown. Serve within the day, whipping cream is optional!
*Instant Clear Jel is made from waxy maize and can be found in bulk food stores, online, and in baking supply shops. It thickens without heat-well worth the hunt to find this versatile ingredient. It can be substituted with regular corn starch or tapioca; however you must bring the glaze to a boil first and then cool it before using.
More Global BC recipes are available here
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