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Pork and Cherry Rice Bowl

These pork and cherry rice bowls are a quick and delicious rice bowl meal with a unique sweet and savory twist!

The post Pork and Cherry Rice Bowl appeared first on Budget Bytes.

If you want to break free from the same old same old, these Pork and Cherry Rice Bowls are a ridiculously delicious and unique twist on the classic rice bowl. Sweet and juicy cherries are a perfect contrast for unctuous, savory (and super budget-friendly) ground pork. The dish is finished with an acidic cherry sauce made with pork drippings that truly brings it all together. The best part: It’ll be on the table in about a half hour!

Overhead view of a pork and cherry rice bowl garnished with parsley.

What Is A Pork And Cherry Rice Bowl?

Ultimately, it’s a rice bowl. You have a grain, some protein, and produce. But rice bowls can get boring, and this out-of-the-box combination is savory with a touch of tart sweetness. For me, it was love at first bite.

Ingredients For Apple Slaw

While these rice bowls are easy enough for a weeknight meal (they come together in about a half hour!), their bold flavor makes them perfect for a special occasion. Here’s what you’ll need to make Pork and Cherry Rice Bowls:

  • Rice: This is the foundation of this rice bowl. I use jasmine rice in this recipe, feel free to use your favorite type, though of course the water ratio and cooking times might change depending on the type of rice used. If you need it, check out our handy tutorial on How To Cook Rice.  
  • Ground Pork: I use ground pork sausage patties because they’re budget-friendly and super convenient. They are already seasoned, so you only have to cook the pork through. Pork sausage patties are usually made with fennel or sage, seasonings that pair perfectly with savory cherries. You can, of course, use your favorite ground pork or plant-based sausage here; just make sure it isn’t something way out there like beer and cheese jalapeño.  
  • Cherries: I use frozen sweet cherries that are pitted and ready to go. They break down quickly into a sauce. Any type of sweet cherry will do here. If you want to use fresh, you’ll need to make sure they are pitted before putting them in the mix. Canned sweet cherries are fine as long as the don’t have added sugar. This is a savory preparation. If you don’t like cherries, I recommend you try one of our other fantastic rice bowls. 
  • Red Wine: Helps create our cherry sauce and adds depth of flavor. The alcohol thoroughly cooks out, so you won’t be getting anyone tipsy. If you want to skip the wine, use cranberry juice or chicken stock.
  • Red Pepper Flakes: Add dimension by bringing a touch of smoky heat. Though it is a subtle heat and nothing that will knock your socks off, feel free to omit it if you’re not a fan.
  • Lemon Juice: Adds a touch of acidity to the sauce. If you don’t have lemon juice, use apple cider vinegar. 
  • Italian Parsley: Adds herbaceous notes to the mix and is also used for garnish. 
  • Garlic and Yellow Onion: These are aromatics that help add bulk and flavor to the ground pork. You can substitute the onion with a tablespoon of onion powder and the garlic with ½ teaspoon of garlic powder. If you can’t do onions and garlic, skip them.
  • Butter: Helps pull the sauce together and gives it a nice sheen. 

What To Serve With Pork and Cherry Rice Bowls

If you want to bulk up your meal, pair these Pork and Cherry Rice Bowls with an easy Side Salad, Butternut Squash Salad, or Herby Potato Salad. They’re also excellent with Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms or Lemon Butter Green Beans.

How To Store The Leftovers

Store the rice and ground pork separately in airtight containers; otherwise, the rice will soak up that delicious sauce. You can refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in a microwave or on a stovetop until steaming. 

Side view of a pork and cherry rice bowl.
Close up overhead view of a pork and cherry rice bowl.
Print

Pork and Cherry Rice Bowls

These pork and cherry rice bowls are a quick and delicious rice bowl meal with a unique sweet and savory twist!
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Total Cost $7.27 recipe / $1.82 serving
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Rest Time 10 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4 (about 1.5 cups each)
Calories 749kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 Tbsp salted butter, divided $0.38
  • 2 cups long grain white rice, rinsed $0.75
  • 2.5 cups boiling water $0.00
  • 1/4 tsp salt, divided $0.01
  • 1 yellow onion, diced $0.32
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced $0.16
  • 12 oz. pork sausage $2.99
  • 1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped $0.42
  • 1/2 cup frozen or fresh sweet cherries $1.25
  • 1/2 cup red wine $0.94
  • 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper $0.02
  • 1/4 tsp lemon juice $0.01

Instructions

  • In a medium pot with a heavy lid or in a rice cooker, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and mix in the rice. Toast the rice in the butter, stirring until fragrant. Then add the boiling water and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
  • Once the rice comes to a boil and there are small steam vent holes across the surface, cover and cook for 15 minutes. When the fifteen minutes are up, remove the rice from the heat, but do not uncover the pan. Allow the rice to steam for an additional 10 minutes before removing the lid.
  • In the meantime, place a skillet over medium-high heat and melt 1 tablespoon of butter in it. Add the diced yellow onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the minced garlic cloves and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  • Add the pork sausage to the pan and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Mix the chopped Italian Parsley into the pork.
  • Remove the pork from the pan, leaving the juices in the pan. Add the red wine to the pan and deglaze it, using a wooden spoon to scrape up all the brown bits. This should take about 1 minute.
  • Chop the cherries into quaraters and add them to the deglazed pan, stirring occasionally until the liquid reduces into a thin syrup, about 5 minutes. Take the cherries off the heat. The rice should also be done cooking by now, so make sure to take it off the heat and allow it to steam for 10 minutes.
  • Add the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and lemon juice to the cherry sauce. Stir to incorporate. Add the final tablespoon of butter to the cherry sauce and stir until it melts.
  • Once the ten-minute resting time for the rice is up, uncover and fluff it. Taste for salt and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
  • Divide the rice between four bowls. Top the rice with the ground pork. Drizzle with cherry sauce. Garnish with Italian parsley and serve.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Nutrition

Serving: 1.5cups | Calories: 749kcal | Carbohydrates: 81g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 35g | Sodium: 796mg | Fiber: 2g

How to Make Pork and Cherry Rice Bowls – Step by Step Photos

Boiling water being poured into a pot with rice.

In a medium pot with a heavy lid or in a rice cooker, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and mix in 2 cups of rice. Toast the rice in the butter, stirring until fragrant. Then add 2 1/2 cups boiling water and 1/8th teaspoon salt. 

Half cooked rice in the pot, showing air vents in the surface.

Once the rice comes to a boil and there are small steam vent holes across the surface, cover and cook for 15 minutes. When the fifteen minutes are up, remove the rice from the heat, but do not uncover the pan. Allow the rice to steam for an additional 10 minutes before removing the lid.

Sautéed onion in a skillet.

In the meantime, place a skillet over medium-high heat and melt 1 tablespoon of butter in it. Add 1 diced yellow onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 

Cooked pork sausage in the skillet.

Add 12 ounces of pork sausage to the pan and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Mix ½ cup chopped Italian Parsley into the pork. 

Red wine being poured into the pan to deglaze.

Remove the pork from the pan, leaving the juices in the pan. Add 1/2 cup red wine to the pan and deglaze it, using a wooden spoon to scrape up all the brown bits. This should take about 1 minute.

Reduced red wine sauce in the skillet.

Chop 1/2 cup fresh or frozen sweet cherries into quarters, then add them to the deglazed pan, stirring occasionally until the liquid reduces into a thin syrup, about 5 minutes. Take the cherries off the heat. The rice should also be done cooking by now, so make sure to take it off the heat and allow it to steam for 10 minutes. 

Butter added to the cherry red wine sauce in the skillet.

Add the remaining 1/8th tsp salt, 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1/4 tsp lemon juice to the cherry sauce. Stir to incorporate. Add the final tablespoon of butter to the cherry sauce and stir until it melts.

Fluffed rice in the pot.

Once the ten-minute resting time is up, uncover the rice and fluff it. Taste for salt and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Cherry pork rice bowl being assembled.

Divide the rice between four bowls. Top the rice with the ground pork. Drizzle with cherry sauce. Garnish with Italian parsley and serve.

A fork digging into a pork and cherry rice bowl.

The post Pork and Cherry Rice Bowl appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Cherry Sauce

Make this easy and delicious Cherry Sauce recipe for a sweet and tart topping for your favorite desserts or as a filling for Cherry Turnovers!

The post Cherry Sauce appeared first on Budget Bytes.

This sweet and tart Cherry Sauce is a delicious and simple way to add a fantastic finishing touch to your desserts. It’s ridiculously versatile and an absolute knockout drizzled over ice cream, cakes, or pancakes. This easy Cherry Sauce recipe is made with frozen sweet cherries, so it’s also incredibly budget-friendly. But you can also use fresh sweet cherries, which are really easy on your wallet when they’re in season. Win!!

Overhead view of a glass dish full of cherry sauce.

What Is Cherry Sauce?

Cherry Sauce is a tangy syrupy dessert dressing made with fresh or frozen cherries. It can be served warm or cold as a topping for ice creams, pancakes, waffles, flan, and cheesecake. This easy cherry sauce recipe is also wonderful drizzled over chocolate, lemon, and vanilla cakes! It can also be used as a filling for Cherry Pie and Cherry Turnovers. (OMG, am I making a Cherry Sauce-inspired dessert table at my next brunch? Don’t doubt it!)

Ingredients For Cherry Sauce

I love that you can cook this yummy Cherry Sauce in about fifteen minutes with very minimal effort. And then all you have to do is not eat it all in before you pour it over your favorite dessert. (That’s a lot harder than it sounds. Trust.) Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy Cherry Sauce recipe:

  • Sweet Cherries: have more sugar and less acidity than tart cherries. They’re usually labeled Dark Sweet Cherries. You can use fresh or frozen dark sweet cherries or mixed variety cherries. If you use tart cherries (usually a lighter brighter red) you’ll have to up the sugar content of this sauce by 2 to 4 tablespoons of sugar, depending on the tartness of the fruit.
  • Sugar: Helps to sweeten the sauce and balance out the natural tartness of cherries. We use granulated white sugar but feel free to use brown sugar for deeper caramel notes.
  • Lemon: The zest adds a nice citrus note to the sauce while the juice also adds flavor and naturally thickens the sauce with pectin.
  • Cornstarch: helps thicken the sauce and gives it a glossy finish.

What To Serve With Cherry Sauce

Cherries pair perfectly with the flavor of almonds, lemon, orange, cream, caramel, cheese, vanilla, and chocolate. These are just a few of the recipes it will take over the top:

How To Store Cherry Sauce

Once the sauce has cooled, refrigerate it in an airtight container. It will keep for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze Cherry Sauce. Store it in an airtight container with plastic or beeswax wrap directly on the surface of the sauce. It will keep for up to 3 months. Then, thaw it out in your refrigerator overnight.

Cherry sauce being drizzled over a piece of cheesecake.
Overhead view of cherry sauce in a glass dish.
Print

Cherry Sauce

Make this easy and delicious Cherry Sauce recipe for a sweet and tart topping for your favorite desserts or as a filling for Cherry Turnovers!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Total Cost $3.88 recipe / $0.24 serving
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 16 (2 Tbsp each)
Calories 37kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups frozen or fresh sweet cherries $3.33
  • ½ cup sugar $0.22
  • 1 pinch salt $0.01
  • 1 lemon $0.30
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch $0.03
  • 3/4 cup water $0.00

Instructions

  • Place a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add cherries, sugar, salt, and 1/2 cup of water. Stir to incorporate and bring the mixture to a soft boil.
  • Use a vegetable peeler to zest the lemon in long strips. Then juice the lemon. Add the zest and just 1/2 tablespoon of the lemon juice to the pot. Stir to incorporate.
  • In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch into the remaining 1/4 cup of water until it is completely dissolved and creates a slurry. Add the cornstarch slurry and stir until incorporated. Boil the sauce for at least one more minute to activate the cornstarch.
  • Continue to stir until the syrup in the cherry sauce is bubbling softly and has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Take the cherry sauce off the heat, allow it to cool, and remove the strips of lemon zest. It will thicken as it cools. Enjoy!

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Nutrition

Serving: 2Tbsp | Calories: 37kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 3mg | Fiber: 0.4g

How to Make Cherry Sauce – Step by Step Photos

Cherries, sugar, and water in a sauce pot.

Place a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add 2 cups frozen cherries, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 pinch of salt, and 1/2 cup of water. Stir to incorporate and bring the mixture to a soft boil.

Lemon peels added to the sauce pot.

Use a vegetable peeler to zest 1 lemon in long strips. Then juice the lemon. Add the zest and just 1/2 tablespoon of the lemon juice to the pot.

Cornstarch slurry being added to the sauce.

In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch into the remaining 1/4 cup of water until it is completely dissolved and creates a slurry. Add the cornstarch slurry and stir until incorporated. Boil the sauce for at least one more minute to activate the cornstarch.

Finished cherry sauce coating the back of a spoon.

Continue to stir until the syrup in the cherry sauce is bubbling softly and has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Take the cherry sauce off the heat, allow it to cool, and remove the strips of lemon zest. It will thicken as it cools. Enjoy!

Finished cherry sauce in a glass dish, viewed from the side.

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Homemade Cherry Pie

Cherry pie is a classic for a reason! With a crisp, flaky crust and juicy, sweet cherries, this pie is one you will crave all year round. I know we only have a few more weeks of summer. Depending on where you live, some kids already headed back to school this week. So let’s soak …

The post Homemade Cherry Pie appeared first on My Baking Addiction.

Cherry pie is a classic for a reason! With a crisp, flaky crust and juicy, sweet cherries, this pie is one you will crave all year round.

White plate with a slice of cherry pie topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I know we only have a few more weeks of summer. Depending on where you live, some kids already headed back to school this week.

So let’s soak up every last drop of summer that we can. After all, the farmer’s markets are still bursting with fresh summer fruits and veggies!

Nothing is more classically summer than a fresh, homemade cherry pie. It’s one thing you need to make before the fall weather blows in.

(more…)

The post Homemade Cherry Pie appeared first on My Baking Addiction.


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Cherry Crisp

This cherry crisp recipe is the dessert of your dreams! The pan of sweet tangy cherries is topped with cinnamon-spiced…

A Couple Cooks – Recipes worth repeating.

This cherry crisp recipe is the dessert of your dreams! The pan of sweet tangy cherries is topped with cinnamon-spiced buttery crumbles.

Cherry Crisp Recipe

Welcome to the dessert of your dreams: this Old Fashioned cherry crisp recipe! Most summers we go cherry picking in Michigan and bring back a mound of the dark, sweet fruit. One of the best ways to use it? Bake up a crisp, of course! This one is perfect in our book, with sweet tart, juicy red fruit covered in cinnamon-spiced butter crumbles. (We also like to add a hint of ground cardamom for some intrigue!) Either way, served with homemade whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, it’s next-level good.

Ingredients for cherry crisp

Cherry crisp is the perfect dessert to highlight the sweetness of cherries! It pleases everyone and is very simple to make, with basic ingredients you likely already have on hand. It’s also versatile for different types of diets! Here are the ingredients for a basic cherry crisp:

  • Sweet cherries, fresh, frozen or canned (see notes below)
  • Granulated and brown sugar
  • Cornstarch
  • Lemon zest
  • Vanilla extract
  • Old Fashioned rolled oats
  • All purpose flour
  • Cinnamon
  • Salted butter
  • Salt
Cherries

Types of cherries

This cherry crisp is best made when cherries are in season: which is the summer, here in the Midwest! We love to go cherry picking in Michigan and we nabbed a huge bowl of cherries for just a few dollars (a tiny fraction of what you’d pay at the store!). Of course, you can buy yours at the grocery or even use frozen or canned cherries! Here are a few types of cherries you can use in this cherry crisp:

  • Sweet cherries: The most popular types of sweet cherries are Bing (dark red) and Rainier (golden and red), but you can find other varieties that are similar in color and flavor. Bing cherries are easy to find at the grocery store and often you can find them fresh or frozen. They are very sweet, firm and juicy.
  • Tart cherries: Montmorency cherries are sour cherries grown in Michigan. They’re more fragile to transport so most often you’ll find them dried or sometimes frozen. You can use them here if you can find them fresh, but add about 2 tablespoons extra sugar to the filling (then taste and add more as desired).
  • Frozen cherries: Frozen cherries work well in crisp! Keep in mind the notes about sweet vs tart above.
Cherry Crisp recipe

Can you use canned cherries?

Canned cherries also work; it’s best if they are packed in water and unsweetened. We don’t suggest using cherry pie filling here because it has an artificially sweet flavor. One 15-ounce can of cherries has about 2 cups of cherries, so you’ll need 2 ½ cans here.

Tips for how to pit cherries

The most time consuming part of a cherry crisp recipe is pitting the sweet cherries! There are a few methods for how to do it, but we’ve found there’s one in particular that’s easiest: with a straw! Here’s what to do:

  • Remove the cherry stem.
  • Place the straw where the stem was and hold the cherry with one hand.
  • Press the straw into the fruit firmly but gently, and the pit will pop out the other side.
  • Keep in mind, this is a messy process! Wear an apron and you may want to wear plastic gloves to keep the cherry juice from staining your hands.
Cherry Crisp recipe

Flavor adders for cherry crisp: cardamom and more

This cherry crisp recipe tastes incredible as written, but we like to add one additional ingredient to take the flavor over the top: ground cardamom! It adds floral notes that bring a hint of complexity. Here are a few more flavor adders:

  • Ground cardamom: Use ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom in the topping, or simply sprinkle with a hint of ground cardamom when serving
  • Orange zest: Substitute the lemon zest for orange zest for an even more citrusy zing
  • Almond extract: If you love cherry and almond, add ¼ teaspoon almond extract to the filling
  • Amaretto: Why not? Stir in 1 tablespoon amaretto for a cherry amaretto crisp
  • Walnuts, pecans or almonds: For an added crunch, stir in ¼ to ½ cup chopped nuts to the crisp topping.

Diet variations

This cherry crisp recipe is versatile and works for many types of diets! Here are a few ways to modify the recipe for diet preferences:

  • Vegan: Use vegan butter or refined coconut oil (unrefined also works; it just tastes more like coconut!).
  • Gluten Free: Use almond flour instead of all-purpose: its crunchy texture works perfectly in a crisp.
Cherry dessert

More cherry recipes

Love cherries? Here are a few fun ways to use them in desserts, drinks and more:

This cherry crisp recipe is…

Vegetarian. For vegan, use coconut oil or vegan butter. For gluten-free, use almond flour.

Print
Cherry Crisp Recipe

Cherry Crisp


  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 8

Description

This cherry crisp recipe is the fruit dessert of your dreams! The pan of sweet tangy cherries is topped with cinnamon-spiced buttery crumbles.


Ingredients

  • 5 cups pitted sweet cherries (1 3/4 pounds)*
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • Zest of 1/2 lemon (or ¼ teaspoon orange zest)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup Old Fashioned rolled oats**
  • ¾ cup all purpose flour (or almond flour for gluten-free)
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Optional: ground cardamom (¼ teaspoon in the crisp or for serving)
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 8 tablespoons cold salted butter (or coconut oil or vegan butter for vegan)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Pit the cherries. In a medium bowl, mix them with the granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and vanilla extract in a bowl, then pour the filling into a round 9-inch pie pan, 9 x 9 inch baking dish or 7 x 11 baking dish.
  3. In another medium bowl, mix together the oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and kosher salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and then use your hands to mix it into the oats until fully distributed and there are no more dry crumbs. It may take a while so be patient; you can also use a fork or pastry cutter if you prefer. (If using coconut oil, it can be room temperature; use the same method to add it.) Break the dough into crumbles with your fingers and place them in an even layer on top of the cherries.
  4. Bake: Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the top is evenly golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Cool for 30 minutes to 1 hour, then serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers up to 3 days (reheat to room temperature if desired). This crumble also freezes well for several months in a sealed container; reheat it in a 350 degree oven until bubbly and the topping is crisp.

Notes

*Frozen cherries work too. If using tart cherries instead of sweet, add a few more tablespoons sugar to the filling, to taste. Canned cherries also work; it’s best if they are packed in water and unsweetened. We don’t suggest using cherry pie filling here because it has an artificially sweet flavor. One 15-ounce can of cherries has about 2 cups of cherries, so you’ll need 2 ½ cans for this recipe.

**If desired, you can add ¼ to ½ cup chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds to the topping.

  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Cherry crisp recipe, cherry crisp, recipe for cherry crisp

A Couple Cooks - Recipes worth repeating.


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Summer Fruit Tart with Almond Cream

This is one of the simplest fruit tarts to make. Juicy fruits are embedded in a rich almond frangipane, making it easy to slice, and it keeps well, too. So now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about nectarines. Peaches get a lot of press. Yes, they’re juicy and yes they’re sweet. But honestly, I prefer the more assertive flavor of nectarines,…

Frangipan French fruit tart recipe with nectarines and raspberries

Frangipan French fruit tart recipe with nectarines and raspberries

This is one of the simplest fruit tarts to make. Juicy fruits are embedded in a rich almond frangipane, making it easy to slice, and it keeps well, too. So now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about nectarines.

Frangipan French fruit tart recipe with nectarines and raspberries

Peaches get a lot of press. Yes, they’re juicy and yes they’re sweet. But honestly, I prefer the more assertive flavor of nectarines, with their slightly tooth-resistant skin, just enough to provide contrast to the juicy flesh, but not enough to make them necessary to peel. Yay for that as well.

Continue Reading Summer Fruit Tart with Almond Cream...

Summer Fruit Galette

Being a baker, summer is my favorite time of year. Not only are peaches, nectarines, cherries and plums abundant at the market, but as the seasons progress, the volume of fruits lowers the price, and I stock up on whatever I can, whenever I can. At Paris markets, I try to search out producteurs, the vendors who grow the food they sell, and every summer, one in…

Being a baker, summer is my favorite time of year. Not only are peaches, nectarines, cherries and plums abundant at the market, but as the seasons progress, the volume of fruits lowers the price, and I stock up on whatever I can, whenever I can.

At Paris markets, I try to search out producteurs, the vendors who grow the food they sell, and every summer, one in particular shows up at my market with lots of Reine Claude and mirabelle plums, a few different varieties of cherries, plump melons that you can smell standing a few feet away, tender figs, and fresh apricots.

Making the shopping experience even better, were the fellows who sold the fruits. Not only were they easy on the eyes, but they often put punky-looking cherries in baskets, labeling them “for clafoutis” (a nicer way of saying “for baking”) and selling them at a reduced price. This year, there seems to have been a turnover in staff – zut – but the replacements also offer up the imperfect fruit, or even an overload, at a discount.

Continue Reading Summer Fruit Galette...

Cherry Clafoutis

One of the first books that made me fall in love with France and French cuisine was Roger Vergé’s Entertaining in the French Style. Vergé was the chef and owner of Moulin de Mougins, his world-famous restaurant on the Côte d’Azur, near Cannes. I never went, but used to page through the book, admiring the relaxed, friendly lifestyle that always seemed to revolve around a table,…

One of the first books that made me fall in love with France and French cuisine was Roger Vergé’s Entertaining in the French Style. Vergé was the chef and owner of Moulin de Mougins, his world-famous restaurant on the Côte d’Azur, near Cannes. I never went, but used to page through the book, admiring the relaxed, friendly lifestyle that always seemed to revolve around a table, laden with good food and plenty of local wine. It made me want to go and be a part of it all. In fact, there are two empty seats at that table, and I’d like one of them.

Cherry clafoutis recipe

Unlike a lot of chef books, this isn’t “aspirational” cooking, that is, pictures and recipes of foods that you could never hope to make. I recently got a book by a much-admired chef and I wanted to share a recipe. But there was only one recipe in the book that could be made in less than a day, and each recipe had at least one ingredient that I had no idea where I would get it. Don’t get me wrong. I liked the book a lot and his restaurant looks amazing, but it didn’t make me want to run to the kitchen. So I admired the book, and the food, from afar.

Cherry clafoutis recipe

There are so many pictures in Chef Vergé’s book that made me flash back to my past, decades ago, when I was learning more about French cuisine while cooking in Northern California, which shares a similar climate – and ingredients – with Provence. He had dubbed it “Cuisine of the Sun.” The much-loved chef recently passed away and I revisited the book, to relive what excited me about French cuisine, way-back-when.

Continue Reading Cherry Clafoutis...

Cherry Hand Pies

Cherry Hand Pies are the epitome of personal pie goodness! Flaky pie crust and sweet cherry filling in a portable pie form – what more could you ask for? This post contains affiliate links. If you’ve been around here for a while, you might have figured out that I love individually sized desserts. They’re just so …

The post Cherry Hand Pies appeared first on My Baking Addiction.

Cherry Hand Pies are the epitome of personal pie goodness! Flaky pie crust and sweet cherry filling in a portable pie form – what more could you ask for?

Cherry hand pies arranged on a wire cooling rack

This post contains affiliate links.

If you’ve been around here for a while, you might have figured out that I love individually sized desserts.

They’re just so cute, fun to eat, and are great for parties or taking to potlucks and cookouts.

Mini pecan pies? Better than a full pecan pie. 

Mini pumpkin pies? So much cuter and more fun than a regular-sized pie.

Mini s’mores cheesecakes? Well, I think you get the idea.

And is there a more summer-perfect pie than cherry pie? I feel like there has to be a cherry pie or cherry crisp at every summer barbecue. It’s just the rule!

The minute I see fresh sweet cherries on sale at the store I have to buy them up and pack all of their goodness into Cherry Hand Pies for a portable version of this summer fave.

(more…)

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Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Add some fall flair to your oatmeal cookies! These Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies are filled with dried cranberries and white chocolate chips for a twist on your favorite oatmeal cookie. I’m starting to get into cookie mode over here. While in the school pickup line the other day, I made a list of all of the …

The post Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies appeared first on My Baking Addiction.

Add some fall flair to your oatmeal cookies! These Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies are filled with dried cranberries and white chocolate chips for a twist on your favorite oatmeal cookie.

Four pumpkin oatmeal cookies stacked next to a glass of milk

I’m starting to get into cookie mode over here. While in the school pickup line the other day, I made a list of all of the cookie recipes that I want to bake over the holidays.

I must say that I have a pretty good list going with everything from Peanut Butter Blossoms and Crispy Ginger Cookies to these pretty Snowflake Sugar Cookies and classic Gingerbread Cookies.

But before I head into full-on Christmas cookie mode, I decided to whip up a couple of batches of cookies that are full of festive fall flavors.

Pumpkin cookies are a go-to every fall. I’ve made them even better with my favorite cookie add-ins!

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Tapisserie

Years ago, at a flea market in Paris I pickup up some old metal letters from a bakery in France that spelled out PATISSERIE. Being a baker, of course I was thrilled (although still despondent that someone else snatched up the matching BOULANGERIE letters…) and proudly displayed them on the shelf of my apartment. Since my apartment at the time was so small, shelf space…

Years ago, at a flea market in Paris I pickup up some old metal letters from a bakery in France that spelled out PATISSERIE. Being a baker, of course I was thrilled (although still despondent that someone else snatched up the matching BOULANGERIE letters…) and proudly displayed them on the shelf of my apartment. Since my apartment at the time was so small, shelf space was at a super-premium. Yet I was happy to give a lot of it up to have those letters reminding me of my métier.

When I lent my apartment to some visiting friends, I noticed the P and the T had been reversed, and it spelled TAPISSERIE. I got a kick out of it and thought that was very clever. When a new bakery in Paris called Tapisserie from the team of a noted restaurant, I figured it wasn’t a place to purchase a tapestry, but a clever – and original – place to get terrific desserts.

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