We asked for "unusual" cherry recipes, not knowing what to expect. What we ended up with is cherries 'round the clock -- every meal, snacks and beverages.
Some recipes are what you'd expect when cherries are an ingredient -- tempting and delicious. Others are, well ... .
Alison Johnson of Traverse City swears she eats Cherry Omelettes regularly.
"Some people just don't associate fruit with eggs," she said. "But I think differently. I think 'desserts, custards and such' and try to get the same taste in other ways.
"I've never understood why fruit omelettes are not more common," Johnson said. "Fruit adds a dimension of health and fresh taste, and the flavors are intensified with cooking.
"Be prepared for a pleasant surprise."
She likes her omelettes better with nectarines, but we're celebrating cherries right now.
Cherry Omelette
4 to 5 large eggs
1 c. fresh or frozen defrosted tart cherries
2 T. butter
2 T. sugar
Turn the burner up to a low-to-medium heat (about 31/2 for an electric burner). Use a 7&1/2-inch or smaller nonstick frying pan. Add butter and let it melt. Beat eggs in a heavy bowl. Slide the melted butter around the pan and add the cherries. Spread them out, then sprinkle sugar evenly over cherries. Cover and let cherries cook for 1&1/2 minutes. (You can pop a piece of cherry bread in the toaster at this point -- it goes great with this breakfast.)
Rewhip the eggs slightly and use a rubber spatula to pour the eggs over the cherries. Cover the pan and let eggs set for about 2 minutes (they'll puff up). Uncover and, with a spatula, cut the omelette in half, then in quarters. Flip each quarter over and let cook another half-minute. Serves 2 to 4, depending on appetite.
Note: This recipe is also delicious with peaches or nectarines, strawberries and blueberries, rhubarb, pineapple or apples with cinnamon-sugar. If you like bananas, you can add pieces of banana to any of the above fruits. They give the omelette extra sweetness.
-- Alison Johnson
Nikki Rothwell of Suttons Bay, coordinator of the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Station, and husband Dan Young make their own Cherry Sausage. She said the recipe works best when made with a sausage stuffer handed down from a previous generation. Hers came from Aunt Ginny.
Cherry Sausage
12 lbs. ground pork
3/8 c. salt
4 t. pepper
3 c. cherry wine
2 c. chopped, pitted sour cherries
2 t. sugar
1 t. cinnamon
Mix above ingredients well, but do not overwork the meat. You may need to adjust the salt to your tastes. Using a sausage stuffer, stuff the mixture into rinsed sausage casings. The stuffed sausage will come out from the stuffer in a continuous link -- you will need to twist the long sausage into 6- to 8-inch links. Make sure to twist in alternate directions or the sausages will unravel when they are separated. For example, sausage 1 should be twisted clockwise and sausage 2 should be twisted counter-clockwise. Give each sausage three full twists to adequately tie off the link. If a sausage stuffer is not available, the pork mixtures can easily made into patty-style sausage. This recipe makes 36 sausages, and sausage links can be frozen.
-- Nikki Rothwell, Dan Young
On to lunch. The Cherry Marketing Institute (www.choosecherries.com) has that covered with its Cherry Chili, developed by Cheryl Forberg.
Cherry Chili
4 ozs. dried tart cherries, chopped (3/4 c.)
2 c. fat-free low sodium chicken broth, divided
1 T. olive oil
1 c. chopped onion
1 T. fresh chopped garlic
1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 roasted red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 T. plus 1 t. chili powder
1&1/2 t. ground cumin
1 t. ground coriander
1 t. dried mustard powder
1/2 t. dried oregano
4 c. chopped fire-roasted tomatoes
1&1/2 c. cooked black beans (or 1 16-oz. can, rinsed and drained)
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
Heat one cup of the broth. Place cherries in small mixing bowl. Add hot broth and set aside.
Heat olive oil in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and saute for about five minutes or until onion is soft. Add garlic and cook one minute longer. Do not brown garlic. Add turkey and cook until it is no longer pink.
Add roasted bell pepper, chili powder, cumin, coriander, mustard and oregano. Cook mixture over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally for about two minutes. Add tomatoes and remaining cup of broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes.
Stir in beans, cherries and cilantro. Continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes or until mixture is just heated through. Season with additional salt if desired.
Makes about 2 quarts or 8 servings.
Nutrition Info: Calories 223, Total Fat g 6, Sat Fat g 2, Chol mg 41, Sodium mg 448, Total Carb g 28, Fiber g 5, Sugars g 14, Protein g 17
-- Cheryl Forberg, Cherry Marketing Institute
Stella Astor of Traverse City sent in this East African recipe where the cherries are the most normal ingredient. "They are so good," she said.
Banana Cherry Cookies (Cherry Kabakagala)
2 c. banana, chopped (any kind of banana works but must be very ripe)
1/2 c. dry cherries
1&1/2 c. tapioca or corn flour
Oil for deep frying
In a mixing bowl, beat banana at low speed until smooth. Add flour a little bit at a time until a dough forms. If necessary add a little bit more flour. Stir in the dried cherries.
Roll the dough on the lightly floured surface and cut into shapes with cookie cutter.
Deep fry at medium heat for 5 minutes or until light brown. Remove cookies from oil and cool on cookie sheet or paper towel for five minutes.
-- Stella Astor
For a midafternoon pick-me-up, try Cherry Limeade from Judy LaCross, a cherry farmer in Leelanau County.
"My Cherry Limeade is a recipe that I 'made up' as a result of doing cherry lemonade for a long time for my family and for groups. I thought that it might be fun to try a variation. Cherry concentrate mixes well with many other juices -- apple, orange, cranberry, pineapple, etc, and in fruit punch. It also can be stirred into soda pop to make a healthier cherry coke and other soda mixtures, as well as smoothies; cherry viniagrette salad dressing; stirred into hot oatmeal and smooth yougurt ... the possibilities are endless."
Cherry Limeade
12 ozs. frozen limeade (you can use lemonade, of course, but she says pink lemonade doesn't look as good as yellow when mixed with the cherry concentrate)
5 cans ice cold water, divided (use the can from the frozen concentrate)
1/4 to 1/3 c. cherry concentrate
Mix limeade concentrate with four cans water, then add cherry concentrate and the remaining can of water. Stir well and taste. If it's too strong, add more water. If it's too weak, add more cherry concentrate. Float lime slices in the drink and, after an hour or more, they add a fresh-squeezed taste to the drink. Always stir or shake the jar well just before pouring.
-- Judy LaCross
Our happy hour recipe comes from Nikki Rothwell and Dan Young again who make their own maraschino cherries. Rothwell said, "Balaton cherries work best as they are firmer fruits compared to Montmorency cherries."
Pre-Prohibition Maraschino Cherries
2 c. pitted Balaton cherries
1/2 c. sugar (or to taste)
3/4 bottle Black Star Farms cherry brandy
Pit cherries and place into quart jar. Add sugar and brandy to the top. Seal and shake well. Allow brandy to infuse the cherries for at least two weeks. Keep mixture refrigerated; cherries can be used for up to one year (if they last that long!). Add a cherry to your Manhattan or your favorite cocktail any time.
-- Nikki Rothwell and Dan Young
Todd Kreykes of South Boardman uses a lot of northern Michigan's bounty in his suppertime main dish recipe. He says cherries tame the "gamey taste" of freshly caught salmon.
Glazed Salmon
2 to 3 lbs. salmon, cut into 2 or 3 fillets, skin removed, dark flesh trimmed off
Cherry barbecue sauce
1 c. pecans, crushed or halved
1/2 c. dried cherries
Place salmon fillets on large sheet of aluminum foil. Pour a generous amount of cherry barbecue sauce over filets. Pack pecans around the fish to act as a crust. Sprinkle with dried cherries. Seal foil around fish and grill or bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until sauce caramelizes around edge and the fish is flaky. "If the fish is not sealed correctly, it should not be a big problem," Kreykes said. "For an added flavor kick, grill directly over charcoal with a few soaked hickory wood chips on the hot coals without the foil, then add nuts and cherries after."
Serve with sauteed morels -- if you have any left.
-- Todd Kreykes
Megan Umulis of Lake Ann provides the side dish for the cherry dinner. She said it's simple and it's the best salad she's ever had. The key ingredient is the Natalie Robyn's Cherry Vinaigrette, available at Oleson's and the Grand Traverse Pie Co., she said, and she credits her aunt with inventing the salad.
Broccoli Salad
3 stalks broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
3 slices red onion
3 T. dried cherries
3 T. unsalted sunflower seeds
1 package ramen noodles, with seasoning pack
2/3 c. Natalie Robyn's Cherry Vinaigrette
Mix broccoli, red onion, dried cherries and sunflower seeds. Set aside.
Crumble ramen noodles to desired size. Add 1/2 package of ramen noodle seasoning. Pour cherry vinaigrette over noodles and seasoning and let sit for 10 minutes.
Mix everything before serving.
-- Megan Umulis
Ted Cizma, the executive chef at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, has dessert covered. He has used both tarts and sweets in his Grilled Cherry Pizza, but said the recipe was originally created using sweet cherries.
"We often make grilled pizzas when entertaining outside on the deck, and set out a variety of toppings for guests to make their own," he said. "The cherry pizza originated with my daughter, who is always angling for dessert even when she doesn't finish her dinner."
Grilled Cherry Pizza
Pizza dough (also available at local pizzerias):
1 packet dry yeast
1/2 t. sugar
2 c. all-purpose flour
Salt
1/4 c. canola oil
Cherry topping:
3 pints cherries, halved and pitted
1/2 c. light brown sugar
Seeds of 1 vanilla bean
1 t. lemon zest
1/8 t. ground white pepper
Canola oil
2 tablespoons white chocolate, shaved into large curls
Fresh mint leaves
To make the dough:
In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in 3/4 c. warm water. Place the flour in the bowl of a food mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the yeast mixture, and mix on low speed for 1 to 2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and the canola oil, and continue mixing on low speed until a nice, supple dough forms, about 3 to 5 minutes. If the dough looks too wet, sprinkle in 1 more teaspoon of flour, and continue mixing. Cover the bowl with a damp towel, and allow to rise on the countertop until it has doubled in size, approximately 2 hours.
To make the cherry topping:
In a medium bowl, toss together the cherries, sugar, vanilla seeds, lemon zest and white pepper. Make a double-layer tinfoil pouch, and place the cherry mixture inside, folding over the edges to form a seal.
Set the pouch on a grill over medium heat, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the cherries are soft.
To assemble:
Cut the dough in half, and roll out each half on a flat, floured surface to form a 12-inch-diameter round about 1/4-inch thick. Brush both sides with oil. Move the coals to one side of the grill, and when the fire is medium hot, place the rounds over the coals. When the rounds start to puff up and take on a little color, turn them over, and place on the coolest part of the grill. Ladle half the cherry mixture onto each pizza, and return to medium heat until the underside is cooked but does not burn. Remove from the grill, sprinkle white-chocolate shavings over each pizza, and top with scissor-snipped fresh mint leaves. Serves 6.
-- Ted Cizma, executive chef, Grand Traverse Resort & Spa
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