Tag: Preserves

Homemade Maraschino Cherries

Note: I was sent Northwest Cherries in order to write this post. All opinions are mine alone.

July is peak cherry season, which means I have A TON of cherries in my fridge! I was sent quite a few bags of cherries from Northwest Cherry Growers, and had to dive right in to using them! Fun fact: Northwest Cherry Growers is a group of 2,500+ farms that produce at least three-quarters of the nation’s entire sweet cherry crop.

Source: nwcherries.com

Northwest-grown sweet cherries tend to boast the highest fruit sugar content of any cherries. The naturally high sugar content makes them such a yummy snack on their own, or great in baked goods and other recipes. They are also one of the lowest fruits on the glycemic index. (In case you’re wondering, a general rule of thumb is that the darker the cherry, the sweeter it is.)

Cherries are also a superfruit and have been credited with reducing the risk of some serious diseases. Published research points to the health benefits of sweet cherries, including a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The study discovered consuming sweet cherries can help prevent chronic inflammatory diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis and cancer. These powerful superfruits also contain melatonin, which may increase your quality of sleep and reduce jetlag.

Cherry season is pretty short, from July to mid-August, so I’m excited to have the opportunity to use these beautiful cherries in a bunch of different recipes. Fresh cherries keep for approximately two weeks when refrigerated in a sealed bag or container. If you want to enjoy them year-round, you can also freeze cherries by rinsing, drying, and packing them up in freezer bags.

Source: nwcherries.com

I’m kind of in a canning state of mind after making my Blueberry Chia Seed Jam a few weeks ago, so I wanted to can some of these beautiful cherries. You may have noticed I’m a fan of cocktails, so I just had to make homemade maraschino cherries!

Maraschino cherries are named for the Marasca cherry grown originally in Croatia, which when distilled, produce a liqueur. Whole cherries that are preserved in this liqueur became known as Maraschino Cherries.

These maraschino cherries are not those bright red guys you’ll find in a Shirley Temple. No no, these are the adult, more refined version. There is no artificial coloring, and much less sweetener added. And they are perfect for cocktails and adult ice cream sundaes!

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 bags (~100 cherries) fresh cherries, pitted
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • the zest and juice of 2 lemons
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cups cherry (maraschino) liqueur

Continue reading Homemade Maraschino Cherries

Thumbprint Cookies

My mom and I just had a weekend of cookie baking. We ended up making ten different types of cookies!

We actually ended up making these thumbprint cookies because I misinterpreted what type my mom wanted to make. She mentioned wanting to make cookies with hard candies in them, and I decided that meant thumbprint cookies. Oops.

Anyways, who doesn’t like thumbprint cookies? They are really easy to make, and the shortbread combined with preserves is so tasty!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar, plus more for rolling
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • your favorite preserves, jam, or jelly (I used apricot and berry preserves)

Continue reading Thumbprint Cookies

Mini Preserves Tarts

This month, Walkers Shortbread sent us a little surprise with our monthly shipment for the Walkers Ambassador Program: Fig and Golden Plum Mirabelle preserves from Bonne Maman! I was so excited to use them in a recipe and immediately wanted to make mini preserves tarts. I incorporated some of the shortbread into the crust for a boost of flavor. (I used Martha Stewart’s recipe as a base and made some changes)

These mini preserves tarts would be great to set out as little bites for guests while waiting for Thanksgiving dinner to be prepared, or would be a wonderful addition to the dessert table! You could make it with any type of preserves or jams you wanted: Bonne Maman has almost 20 different options that would all make for a yummy dessert.

In addition to these yummy tarts, I have two other recipes that would be great Thanksgiving desserts that use Walkers Shortbread:

Walkers Shortbread is offering I Can Cook That readers an exclusive promotion, running from Monday, October 28 through Monday, November 4: 20% off your entire purchase at www.walkersus.com (excluding sales items) with the code ICCTFALL. So stock up for all your Thanksgiving needs!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup Walker Shortbread Rounds crumbs (~7 cookies)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 tablespoons Bonne Maman  preserves (I used 1 tablespoon fig and 1 tablespoon golden plum)
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream

To make the mini preserves tarts, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Using a food processor, blend the shortbreads until they resemble a fine crumb.

Add the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon and process for 10 seconds.

Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, 15 to 20 seconds.

Combine 1 egg yolk with 3 tablespoons ice water and 1 teaspoon almond extract.

Add to flour mixture and process until the dough comes together, about 10 seconds. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Lightly dust a work surface with flour; roll out dough to just thinner than 1/4 inch (6 mm). Using a round cookie cutter, cut out shapes and press into a mini cupcake tin. (I used a 2 1/2″ round biscuit cutter)

Use a fork to press down the dough around the edges of each mini cupcake tin. Fill each with 1 teaspoon preserves.

Lightly brush exposed dough with heavy cream. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer tarts from tins to a wire rack to cool. Let cool completely before serving.

These are perfect little bites! The crust is light and fluffy and help highlight the delicious sweetness of the preserves.

You get a hint of the almond extract which is a great complement to fig and plum. If you don’t have almond extract you can sub in some vanilla extract.

 

 

Mini Preserves Tarts
Recipe Type: Dessert, Make Ahead
Author: I Can Cook That
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup Walkers Shortbread Rounds crumbs (~7 cookies)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 tablespoons Bonne Maman preserves (I used 1 tablespoon fig and 1 tablespoon golden plum)
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Using a food processor, blend the shortbreads until they resemble a fine crumb.
  3. Add the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon and process for 10 seconds.
  4. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, 15 to 20 seconds.
  5. Combine 1 egg yolk with 3 tablespoons ice water and 1 teaspoon almond extract.
  6. Add to flour mixture and process until the dough comes together, about 10 seconds. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
  7. Lightly dust a work surface with flour; roll out dough to just thinner than 1/4 inch (6 mm). Using a round cookie cutter, cut out shapes and press into a mini cupcake tin. (I used a 2 1/2″ round biscuit cutter)
  8. Use a fork to press down the dough around the edges of each mini cupcake tin. Fill each with 1 teaspoon preserves.
  9. Lightly brush exposed dough with heavy cream. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer tarts from tins to a wire rack to cool. Let cool completely before serving.
3.2.1255

 

Christmas Trifle

Each year, my mom makes a beautiful trifle for Christmas. I’m pretty sure at one point, she was only making one, but as the popularity of her trifle grew, she is now up to making 6+ for different holiday events, friends, and family. My sister and I grew up begrudgingly helping my mom make these trifles but we both have grown to love them and look forward to a bite of trifle every December.

 

 

A trifle is just a layered dessert that is usually made with cake pieces, cream, pudding, and fruit. My mom tops her with a beautiful design of fruit: kiwi, peaches and raspberries. I wanted to make some trifle to share with this blog but a normal trifle can serve a whole family, so I made a mini version! To prepare a regular trifle, the process is just the same.

I highlighted Driscoll’s Berries in my trifle. I absolutely love their raspberries and blackberries so I wanted to have a higher ratio of berries in my trifle than may normally be used. Driscoll’s also sells really beautiful Strawberries and Blueberries that I have used in many many of my previous posts. Berries always add such beautiful color and flavor to a dish!

Note: Driscoll’s sent me coupons for free berries to make this recipe; my opinions are my own.

 

Ingredients:

  • Egg custard mix
  • Chocolate pudding mix
  • Milk (to make the pudding/custard)
  • Pound cake
  • A very small amount of white rum (optional)
  • Berry jam, jelly, or preserves
  • Whipped topping
  • Canned sliced peaches, drained and rinsed
  • Kiwifruit, peeled and sliced
  • Fresh Driscoll’s raspberries and blackberries

Continue reading Christmas Trifle

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