Bowl of Cherries
By July, cherries are falling from trees and blueberries are ready to be picked. Perhaps nothing says the Fourth of July more than a warm cherry pie. Tart cherries such as Montmorency are excellent for baking, but can be challenging to find fresh as they do not ship well. Sweet cherries, such as Bing and Rainier, are grown in the Northwest and Michigan and are plentiful this time of year. Popular sweet cherry recipes include cobblers, crisps and the classic French clafouti, which combines cherries and cream. Fresh blueberry pie is another welcome dessert at the end of a summer meal. Wild blueberries are smaller and more flavorful than the plumper ones grown on local farms.
Just Peachy
August is the time to pick up some fresh peaches and start baking. Summer peaches are juicy and aromatic and when baked, they soften into sweet syrup that is too good to miss. Peach cobblers and crisps are homey and delicious, and faster to prepare than pies. And if it’s too hot and sultry in the kitchen, keep that ice cream maker on hand for frosty scoops of fruit ice cream or sorbet.
Cherry Pie
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 cups pitted sour cherries
- 1 1/4 cups white sugar
- 10 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Directions
- Cut the shortening into the flour and salt with the whisking blades of a stand mixer until the crumbs are pea sized. Mix in cold water. Refrigerate until chilled through. Roll out dough for a two crust pie. Line a 9 inch pie pan with pastry.
- Place the cherries, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium size non-aluminum saucepan. Allow the mixture to stand for 10 minutes, or until the cherries are moistened with the sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Lower the heat; simmer for 1 minute, or until the juices thicken and become translucent. Remove pan from heat, and stir in butter and almond extract. Pour the filling into the pie shell. Cover with top crust.
- Bake in a preheated 375 degree F (190 degree C) oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
Cherry Clafouti
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds pitted fresh sweet cherries
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 8 egg whites
- 1 cup skim milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 (7 inch) vanilla bean, split lengthwise and crushed
- 3 tablespoons kirsch (cherry brandy)
- 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 10 inch tart pan, or a similar sized baking dish.
- Spread out the cherries in the bottom of the prepared pan, and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg whites, milk and cream. Stir in the kirsch and vanilla bean. Gradually whisk in the flour mixture until smooth. Remove the vanilla bean from the batter, and pour it over the cherries.
- Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until puffed and browned. Let cool until the top sinks in slightly. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Fresh Cherry Crisp
Ingredients
- 4 cups pitted sour cherries
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup shortening
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- In a large bowl, combine cherries, 1 1/2 cups white sugar, and 4 tablespoons flour. Pour into 9×13 inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, oats, and brown sugar. Cut in butter and shortening until crumbly. Sprinkle over cherries.
- Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until topping is golden brown.
Peach Cobbler
Ingredients
- 9 fresh peaches
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup butter, chilled
- 2/3 cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F ( 205 degrees C).
- Submerge peaches in boiling water for about 1 minute. The amount of time required to make the skin easy to peel varies with the degree of ripeness: if really ripe, it may take less time. Remove peaches with a slotted spoon, and run cold water on them. Slip off the skin. Cut peaches into wedges, and place in either a deep 10 inch pie plate or a 2 inch deep 2 quart baking dish. Toss peaches with lemon juice and 1/2 cup sugar. Cover with foil.
- Bake 15 minutes, or until the peaches are hot and bubbly
- Whisk together flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles small peas. Pour buttermilk over top, and toss with a fork until the mixture clumps together. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough over the peaches. In a small cup, mix 2 teaspoons sugar and nutmeg. Sprinkle over biscuits.
- Bake until biscuits are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Set dish on wire rack to cool 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Peach-a-Berry Pie
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh peaches – peeled, pitted and sliced
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 (9 inch) pie crusts
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened and cut into pieces
- 1 tablespoon coarse granulated sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Place peaches and berries in a colander for about 15 minutes to drain any excess fluid , then transfer to a large bowl. Gently toss with sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Transfer to a pie crust. Dot with butter, and top with remaining crust. Cut vents in top crust, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until crust is golden brown.
Raspberry Peach Crumble
Ingredients
- 1 pint fresh raspberries
- 3 fresh peaches, pitted and chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch cinnamon
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 6 small ramekins.
- In a bowl, mix the raspberries, peaches, lemon juice, 1/3 cup white sugar, and 1 pinch cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl, mix the oats, butter, brown sugar, 1/4 cup white sugar, vanilla, salt, and 1 pinch cinnamon.
- Fill the prepared ramekins with equal amounts of the raspberry and peach mixture, and top with equal amounts of the oats mixture. Arrange the ramekins on a baking sheet.
- Bake 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until crisp and golden brown. Cool 10 minutes before serving.