4 Ways to Make Everything Better with Cherries
Earlier this week, F&W's Justin Chapple showed how to easily de-pit cherries using a wine bottle and a chopstick. Here, his Test Kitchen co-star Kay Chun offers four clever ways to use all that fruit.
Cherry Hand Pies
In a bowl, toss 2 cups pitted, chopped cherries, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/8 tsp. cinnamon and 1 Tbsp. each of cornstarch and lemon juice. Mound onto eight 3-by-3 1/2 -inch pieces of puff pastry; fold, seal and crimp. Brush with beaten egg, cut a slit in the tops and bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 350° for 40 minutes.
Cherry Couscous Salad
In a saucepan, cook 1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous in 1 Tbsp. olive oil over moderate heat, stirring, 3 minutes. Add 2 cups water, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir in 1 1/2 cups pitted cherries, 1/2 cup chopped black olives, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice and 1/4 cup chopped tarragon; season with salt and pepper.
In a bowl, whisk 1/4 oz. gelatin and 1/3 cup buttermilk. In a saucepan, stir 2 cups milk and 1/2 cup honey over low heat. Off the heat, whisk in the gelatin. Whisk in 1 Tbsp. lime juice and 2/3 cup buttermilk. Pour into six 6-oz. ramekins, cover and chill overnight. Top with cherries and lime zest.
Cherry-Pork Meat Loaf
In a bowl, mix 12 crushed saltines, 2 eggs, 1 1/2 lbs. ground pork, 1 1/2 cups pitted chopped cherries, 1/2 lb. crumbled breakfast sausage, 1/2 cup water, 1 tsp. salt and 1 1/4 tsp. pepper. Pat into a 4-by-12-inch loaf on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes. Top with Dijon mustard and parsley and serve.
