Recipes: Best with a cherry on top

With their glowing ruby-red hues, luscious shape, sweet juiciness and that special note of tartness, cherries are quite simply, irresistible. Amongst the abundance of high-quality stone fruit grown in South Africa, cherries occupy a special niche, with a short window to enjoy the local season.

Juicy Delicious has curated a few recipes to showcase some of the inventive and delicious ways to incorporate South Africa’s luscious cherries into your holiday menu. All recipes by Emma Nkunzana

Cherry Focaccia & Cherry Jam

Easy
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus 8 hours proofing
Cooking time: 30

Ingredients

Focaccia

• 500g Bread Flour
• 1Tbsp Fine Salt
• 2tsp Sugar
• 1tsp Instant Yeast
• 1½ cups water, room temperature
• ¼ cup Olive Oil
• 100g Cherries, pitted and halved
• 2tsp Maldon Salt

Cherry Jam

• 100g Cherries, pitted and quartered
• ¼ cup Sugar
• 2Tbsp lemon juice

Method

1. In a large bowl combine flour, salt, sugar and yeast.
2. Make a well in the centre and add water, mix until you have a loosely formed dough.
3. Cover bowl tightly with cling wrap and rest overnight.
4. A minimum of 8 hours and a maximum of 24 (do not refrigerate).
5. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and form into a tight ball, the dough should come together quite easily.
6. Pour half the oil into a 26cm skillet or baking pan.
7. Transfer dough to the dish and coat with the oil, gently press to fill out the edges.
8. Cover with cling film and let stand for 2 – 3 hours at room temperature.
9. Preheat the oven to 200C.
10. Using fingertips fill out any gaps in the pan. Make sure there are no air bubbles underneath the dough.
11. Scant cherries atop dough and press down with fingertips to nestle them into the dough.
12. Drizzle with remaining olive oil, and a sprinkle of coarse salt.
13. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until both the top and bottom are crispy and golden brown in colour.

To serve

1. Cherry jam and goat’s cheese

Cherry Jam

1. Place cherries, sugar, lemon juice in a small saucepan, coat the cherries and allow to macerate for an hour.
2. Once ready to cook, turn on the stove to medium heat and bring the mixture to a simmer.
3. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the mixture thickens.
4. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Allow to cool before serving alongside focaccia.

Spiced Duck Breast with a Cherry & Red Wine Glaze

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 30min
Cooking time: 20min

Ingredients

• 4 Duck Breasts or Chicken Thighs
• 2 tsp Black Pepper
• 5 Allspice Berries
• 3 Whole Cloves
• 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sumac

For the Sauce

• 200g Cherries, pitted and halved
• 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Ginger, grated
• 1 Chilli, sliced
• ½ cup red Wine
• ½ cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 cup Chicken Stock

Method

1. Score the skin of the duck, careful not to cut too deeply and expose the meat.
2. In a pestle and mortar, pulverise pepper, allspice berries, cloves and fennel seeds, add salt and sumac.
3. Sprinkle spice mix over duck breasts, massage on both sides.
4. For an intense flavour season overnight in the fridge, bring duck to room temperature before cooking.

For the duck

1. Place a pan on medium to high heat.
2. Once hot, place duck skin side down and cook for about 4 minutes, until the skin is golden in colour.
3. Sear the meat side for a minute and set aside.

The Sauce

1. To make the sauce place cherries, sugar, ginger and chilli in the pan you used for the duck. Heat on medium for 1 minute to slightly caramelise.
2. Add red wine and balsamic vinegar, allow to cook down for about 4 minutes until slightly thickened.
3. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer.
4. Return duck breasts to the pan, skin side up, and cook in a preheated oven of 180ºc for 10 – 12 minutes.
5. Remove breasts from pan and let rest for 10 minutes.

(If using chicken thighs do not score the skin. Sear both sides for a total of 12 minutes when frying. Bake in the oven, covered for 15 minutes, remove the cover and cook for a further 10 minutes.)

If needed, reduce sauce to desired consistency, thinly slice duck breasts at an angle and serve with cherry glaze.

Serving Suggestion: Serve on a bed of mash with charred and shredded Brussel Sprouts or charred broccolini.

Cherry & Almond Tart

Easy
Serves: 6 – 8
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 Roll Store Bought Shortcrust Pastry
• ½ cup castor sugar
• 120g butter
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 Tbsp cake flour
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp almond extract or 2 tsp almond essence
• 200g cherries, pitted and halved, plus extra for garnishing
• To serve: ½ cup cream, lightly whipped

Method

Pastry

1. On a lightly floured surface, ever so slightly roll dough out and lay it into a 23cm fluted tart dish with removable bottom.
2. Bake blind in a preheated oven at 200 ̊C for 8 minutes.
3. Allow the pastry to cool before filling.

Filling

1. In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, combine butter and sugar together.
2. You don’t need to aerate the mixture just enough to combine.
3. Fold in flours until incorporated, then add one egg at a time, mixing after each addition followed by almond extract.
4. Pour almond batter into a pre-baked tart dish, smooth over with an offset spatula.
5. Stud cherries into the batter.

Baking

1. Bake in a preheated oven of 170 ̊C for 40 – 45 minutes, until the middle is firm.
2. Cool on a wire rack and remove the outer rim of the tart dish.
3. Serve with fresh cherries, a drizzle of cream and a dusting of icing sugar.

Roasted Cherry & Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

Easy
Serves: 8
Preparation time: 25min, plus 8 hours freezing time
Cooking time: 30min
Freezing time: 8 hours

Ingredients

• 100g dark chocolate, melted
• 360g fresh cherries, de-stalked
• 30ml (2 Tbsp) castor sugar
• 30ml (2 Tbsp) water
• 5ml (1 tsp) cornflour
• 10ml (2 tsp) fresh lemon juice
• 300g condensed milk
• 200g plain smooth cottage cheese
• 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract
• 360ml whipping cream, chilled
• extra fresh cherries, to decorate

Method

1. Line a large loaf tin with cling wrap and set aside.
2. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
3. Pour the chocolate onto the tray and spread into a thin rectangle roughly 24cm x 34cm. Cover with another sheet of baking paper and smooth the top gently with your hands.
4. Roll the paper up while the chocolate is still soft and secure each side with a clothes peg.
5. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Note – for the best results roll the paper around a cardboard tube, such as the inner tube from a roll of foil or baking paper.
6. Unroll the paper, as you do this the chocolate will break into shards. Place the tray back in the fridge while you prepare the ice cream.
7. Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
8. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
9. Toss the cherries in 1 tablespoon of sugar and arrange in an even layer on the tray.
10. Roast for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes then remove the pips.
11. Place the water, cornflour, lemon juice and remaining sugar in a saucepan and stir together.
12. Tip the cherries and their juices into the pot.
13. Place over a medium heat, stir well and bring to the boil.
14. Lower the heat and allow to simmer gently for 8-10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the syrup has thickened.
15. Remove from the heat and cool for a few minutes.Use a stick blender or food processor to process until smooth.
16. Set aside to cool completely.
17. Whisk the condensed milk, cottage cheese and vanilla together until combined and smooth.
18. Whip the cream until stiff.
19. Add a third of the condensed milk mixture to the cream and fold in.
20. Add the remaining condensed milk mixture and cool cherry sauce.
21. Crumble in two thirds of the chocolate shards and fold in.
22. Store the remaining chocolate shards in an airtight container in the fridge for decorating.
23. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin.
24. Cover and freeze for 8 hours or overnight until solid.
25. Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving time.
26. Turn out onto a serving plate, top with fresh cherries and the remaining chocolate shards.
27. Slice and serve.