Cherry Berry Buckle

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...While many folks save warm berry desserts for the dead of winter, I tend to serve them whenever our favorite fruits appear in the market. More often than not, I'll make a crisp or crumble, but every so often I'll break ranks and make a buckle. A buckle layers a more traditional, cakey batter underneath the fruit rather than on top of it. As the dessert cooks, the cake rises around the fruit, which tries its best to sink to the bottom, making the whole thing buckle inwards. When it's served warm with a scoop of ice cream or dollop of cream, it is a memorable, if simple dessert. Although they were not grown locally, I saw some gorgeous sweet cherries in our market and couldn't resist buying them. In truth, this dessert could be made with any combination of fruit, but it is especially good when made with the cherries. The only trick to making this buckle is to keep the quantity of fruit used to 3 cups. If you go too much over that quantity, the cake will be damp and soggy and you'll be disappointed with the result and unhappy with me. I found the recipe for the buckle in Eating Well magazine, and if you skin through the ingredient list, you'll see it is marginally better for you than others of its ilk. I hope you'll keep this recipe in mind when local berries hit the market. The buckle is a lovely old-fashioned dessert that I know your family will enjoy. Here is how it's made.

Countdown to Christmas - Cratchit's Crumble Pie

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Desserts in our house are considered to be Christmas fare if they are red or green. Some folks consider that to be a bit of a stretch, but we are easy to please, and I view it as a kindness for red and green desserts that simply don't get enough play during the rest of the year. This simple pie may not make the cut for a formal Christmas dinner but it would be a perfect  addition to a game day spread come the 1st of the year. It is delicious, ridiculously easy to make, and I do hope you'll give this effortless recipe a try at some point during the holiday season.. The pie falls into the tart-sweet category and if you enjoy your desserts barely sweet, you'll love this one. Here is how this remarkable pie is made.

Cratchit's Crumble Pie...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Taste of Home magazine

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cans (15 ounces each) pitted tart cherries, drained
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 large Egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inches)
Streusel Topping
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2) Combine sugar, flour, cherries, sour cream, egg and almond extract in a large bowl. Spoon into the pastry shell. Bake for 20 minutes.
3) Meanwhile, make topping. Combine oats, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle over filling. Cover edges of crust to prevent over-browning.
3) Continue baking for another 25-30 minutes, or until topping is lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour, then refrigerate. Yield: 8 servings.

                    

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             One Year Ago Today:                                                          Two Years Ago Today:

             Corn and Cod Chowder                                                              Apple Walnut Bread

                 Three Years Ago Today:                                                Four Years Ago Today: 

          Assorted Christmas Confections                                             Florentine Lace Cookies

Winter Apple and Cherry Shortcake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If you like the simplicity and down-home goodness of old-fashioned desserts, I hope you'll give this newfangled interpretation of shortcake a try. It pairs fall harvest fruits with spiced biscuit layers to create a dessert that is delicious and well worth the minimal effort that it takes to prepare. The recipe was created for Midwest Living magazine, and their developers took an already simple dish and made it easier still. They paired a canned pie filling with frozen cherries and used the combination to fill and top the shortcake. I made one small change to their recipe. I used 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon oil in place of the vanilla extract called for in the recipe below. I thought the cinnamon flavor was more in keeping with the fall nature of the dessert and hoped it would better mask any tinny flavor that might be associated with the canned apples. You can purchase cinnamon oil on the King Arthur website if you are unable to find it at your neighborhood supermarket. This makes a nice fall dessert, so I do hope you'll grab your can openers and give the recipe a try. Here is how the winter shortcake is made..

Winter Apple and Cherry Shortcake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Midwest Living

Ingredients:
Shortcake
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 beaten egg
2/3 cup milk
Apple-Cherry Filling (see recipe below)
3/4 to 1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Grease an 8 x1-1/2 inch round cake pan. Set aside.
2) To make shortcake: Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Mix egg and milk in a small bowl, then pour into flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Split into 2 layers.
3) Meanwhile prepare filling using recipe below. Spoon half of warm filling over bottom shortcake layer and top with half of whipped cream. Top with second layer, remaining filling and whipped cream. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings.

Apple-Cherry Filling

Ingredients:
1 (21-oz.) can apple pie filling
1 cup frozen tart red cherries
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
In a saucepan, combine apple pie filling and cherries. Cook and stir mixture till heated through. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla.

If you have enjoyed your visit here, I hope you'll take a minute to...

      

One Year Ago Today: Mocha Pudding Cake

Two Years Ago Today: French-Style Yogurt Cake with Lemon

Three Years Ago Today: Inside Outside Ravioli - Pasta Nudi

Four Years Ago Today: Straw and Hay

President's Day - Martha Washington's Cherry Bread and Butter Pudding

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Our lovely, near-springlike, weather went off track again today. The sun never pierced its cloud cover and the temperature stubbornly refused to climb above 50 degrees. A smattering of showers convinced me to spend the day inside, but an unplanned gathering lured me, instead, to a New Year's lunch at out favorite campus hideaway, the Maple Garden. The place is always packed but it has never found favor with local food critics. To say it lacks atmosphere is an understatement. The tile floor is worn and patched and the Formica tables, which are communal, have, themselves, seen better days. The noise level can be impossible on busy days and residual heat from the very small kitchen, manned by two equally small chefs, is the only source of warmth in winter months. While the place does not have universal appeal, it is packed with Asian students who have no problem bussing their own tables and wearing coats as they eat. It's the home-style cooking that draws them in. This is not fancy restaurant fare, but it's the kind of food they've grown up with and it is cheap. And for those of us who carry on a love affair with Asia, it is a pleasant reminder of meals had on street corners and cubbies off the beaten tourist track. At any rate, our crew descended on the place this afternoon to sample special dishes they make for Chinese New year, particularly a lamb hot pot and a steamed river fish that had been recommended to us. The food and company made for a wonderful lunch, but put me in a time crunch for tonight's post. I had planned to make a Martha Washington cake as a special feature for President's Day, but I couldn't beat the clock, so I decided to make her simple bread pudding instead. This is a moist pudding that those of you who like custard will enjoy. I use a bread with a tight crumb when I make this, and while I've used cherry preserves for obvious reasons, any type of fruit preserve could be substituted. This is a fast, easy and inexpensive dish that you might want to make for President's Day. Here's how it is made.

Martha Washington's Cherry Bread and Butter Pudding...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Capital Feasts by Niki Witty

Ingredients:
12 slices white bread
Butter
Cinnamon
10-oz. cherry preserves
4 eggs
2 and 2/3 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons of sugar

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray an 8 x 8 x 2-in pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2) Cut crusts from bread. Spread butter on one side of each slice. Arrange four slices of bread in bottom of dish and sprinkle each lightly with cinnamon. Spread a spoonful of cherry preserves on each slice. Repeat, making two more layers.
3) Beat eggs in a medium mixing bowl. Add milk, almond extract and sugar and stir until well mixed. Pour over bread and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until top is a lovely golden brown and the custard is set. Serve warm from the oven. (Can be served cold also, if preferred). Yield: 6 servings.







One Year Ago Today: Bubble and Squeak Rosti














Two Years Ago Today: Skillet Lemon Souffle














Three Years Ago Today: Shrimp Cakes with Sweet and Sour Tomato Sauce

Ripe Peach and Cherry Galette for Roger Detering

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Roger's orchard usually comes to life when the peaches ripen. Families weave and bob through the trees, gathering fruit for winter storage and when their buckets are full and dutifully weighed, the children are allowed to escape for one last scavenge of the blueberry bushes. It's a bit different this year. Things that once moved at a mazurka pace have slowed to a waltz, and the place, which normally buzzes with conversations in languages that span four or five countries, is strangely quiet. Roger and his wife, Sharon, both died this year and the farm seems to sense their absence. I guess it's fair to say, that there are some shoes that are just too difficult to fill. I wrote about Roger and Detering Orchards several years ago. If you have time that post can be found here. It will help you understand why this quiet constant man was held in such high regard by his community and people who knew him. If the way we are laid to rest is a measure of our worth, Roger was a wealthy man and his life bore fruit far sweeter than his trees. Roger was buried on a sleepy summer day and his memorial service was attended by 500 of the 3500 people in his town. Among the mourners were Old Order Mennonite women and members of a motorcycle club dressed in full leather gear. Those courageous enough to brave the microphone and speak before the crowd lent credence to a life that was marked by love and the human fruits he bore. Roger was a one man WPA and employed most of Harrisburg's teenagers at one time or another. And, according to his son, it wasn't just the kids. “He kept a lot of people around even though it wasn’t a benefit to the business.” Roger understood they needed the dignity of work and he was happy to carry them. Neighbors never paid for fruit and better than half the people at the service had received free fruit and vegetables when times were tough. Despite all this, he was a successful businessman and understood the value of money. He just put it in a different perspective than most. He gave generously to his alma mater, Oregon State, and faithfully supported youth scholarship programs. Roger never recovered from his wife Sharon's death last summer, and it really weighed him down. One of his daughter's described her mother's death as a frost too cold for him to bear. His own passing was mercifully quick. He died of a heart attack, just a quarter mile from the house where he was raised, but "the lives he touched are reminders that you don't have to travel far to make a difference in the world."

We were at the orchard this weekend and I came away with ripe cherries, near perfect peaches and some lovely memories. I thought this galette, which is based on a recipe from Baking with Julia, would be a perfect way to use them. A galette is nothing more than a free-form pie and they are very easy to make, if you remember to keep your pastry cold. This is simple, lovely and quite delicious. I hope you will give it a try. Here's the recipe.

Ripe Peach and Cherry Galette...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite Inspired by Baking with Julia

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 cup ice water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoons salt
7 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Filling:
2 cups sliced ripe peaches (peeled and pitted)
1 cup sweet cherry halves (pitted)
2 tablespoons cherry jam
2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
water for brushing
1/2 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Directions:
1) To make the dough: Mix sour cream with water and set aside. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut in butter until it looks like coarse sand. Add sour cream water mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, and toss with a fork. Only add what you need to get the dough to come together. Bring dough together and separate into two balls. Flatten into discs and save each in plastic wrap. Chill for 3 hours or up to 2 days.
2) To prepare galette: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cover a 16-inch pizza pan with parchment paper. Roll out dough to 13-inch circle, using a generous amount of flour to prevent sticking. Transfer dough to parchment covered pizza pan. Spread jam in a 9-inch circle in center of dough. This is the are that will contain the filling. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Arrange fruit over jam and crumbs, leaving a 4-inch rim. Sprinkle granulated sugar over fruit and dot with thin slices of butter. Pleat margins by folding sections toward center of galette. Each fold will create a new corner that should be folded to partially cover fruit. Brush dough lightly with water and sprinkle turbinado sugar over crust. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until pastry is golden and fruit is tender and  bubbling. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving. Best eaten as soon as possible. Yield: 1 9-inch galette.


Photo courtesy of Spatulas, Corkscrews and Suitcases.

One Year Ago Today: Corn Salad with Tomatoes and Feta Cheese

Two Years Ago Today: Asian-Style Chicken and Water Chestnut Rissoles

Three Years Ago Today: Grilled Tomato Sandwich with Blue Cheese Spread

Cherry and Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I am always on the prowl for dishes that work well for brunch. It is my favorite way to entertain, and because we have so much repeat company, I make a conscious effort to avoid serving the same things over and over again. That means I'm open to testing new recipes when I come across them, and when a search came up with this coffee cake, I was more than ready to give it a try. The recipe for the cake was an award winner in a contest held by Country Woman magazine, and, while it was a bit more involved than many of their other breakfast pastries, it sounded delicious and immediately moved to my must-try list. The recipe is straight forward and easy to follow, but I have a few tips to share with those of you who decide to give it a try. If at all possible, use a 10-inch springform pan to bake the cake. The bake-time given in the recipe should be viewed as a suggestion rather than a rule. The first time I baked the cake, I used a 9-inch pan and I found the time to be way off. The edges of the cake were overdone before the center of the cake was set. The larger pan helped resolve the issue, but both versions of the cake had a center that fell slightly as it cooled. The cake batter is not easy to work with. It is damp and sticky and will resist attempts to build sides that are one inch high. For best results, keep your hands damp when you do this, or use the back of a cold spoon to push it into place. I also advise making the cake the night before you plan to serve it. It will be impossible to slice if the cheese layer is not well-chilled. These are all annoyances, but the finished cake is delicious and worth the aggravation.  I hope you will give it a try. Here's the recipe.

Cherry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Taste of Home's Country Woman Magazine

Ingredients:

Cake

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup cold butter, cubed
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon almond extract

Filling

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Directions:
1)In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Reserve 3/4 cup crumb mixture. Add baking powder, baking soda and salt to remaining crumb mixture. Stir in egg, sour cream and almond extract until blended. Press onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of an ungreased 9-inch springform pan with removable bottom.
2) For filling, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar for 1 minute. Add egg; beat just until combined. Spread over crust. Carefully top with pie filling. Sprinkle with almonds and reserved crumb mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50-60 minutes or until center is set. Cool on a wire rack. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; remove sides of pan. Chill well before serving. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 8-10 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Lemon Garlic Chicken Kabobs

Two Years Ago Today: Hot-Pepper Jelly

Chocolate-Cherry Cookies

From the kitchens of One Perfect Bite...I not always au courant when it comes to preparing sweet and happy endings for our meals. Truth be told, I'm an old stick-in-the-mud. It is rare for an old favorite to be bumped by a new creation. I'm an apple and berry and lemon girl, with what I'll admit is an unhealthy fondness for ice cream and cheesecake, and while I make the new desserts and cookies they rarely make more than one appearance at my table. Our holiday meal this weekend was elaborate and I wanted it to end it simply with an Irish coffee and a biscuit or two. I've watched several cookie recipes grow old as they queued on my to-do list and this seemed like a perfect time to let them come to the front of the line. I tried three recipes and while they are all lovely, only one of them caught my fancy. Today's cookie is nice and loads of people will love it, but I finally have to admit to myself that I don't like the chocolate-cherry combination. This started years ago with a Black Forest cake and it has not gotten better with the passage of time. My palate is convinced that anything sweeter than a sour cherry is on a par with cherry flavored cough syrup. So, I hope you'll keep that in mind when I tell you I won't be making this cookie again. It's a perfectly nice cookie but the flavor combination just does not sit well with me. If you enjoy the pairing of chocolate and cherry, I suspect you'll really like these cookies. The recipe is straight forward and the cookies are easy to make, though they need a 3 hour chill before baking. Tweeked versions of this recipe are everywhere, but the version I used is based on one that comes from the Better Homes and Gardens website.

Chocolate-Cherry Cookies...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients:
8 ounces (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups dark chocolate chips
1 cup chopped dried cherries

Directions:
1) Mix butter and sugars together in bowl of an electric stand mixer. Add vanilla, nutmeg and eggs and mix until smooth.
2) Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture in three parts, mixing until batter is smooth after each addition.
3) Stir in chocolate chips and cherries with a wooden spoon. Transfer batter to a large resealable plastic bag and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours.
4) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Scoop 1-inch spoonfuls of the dough onto an ungreased sheet pan. Place pan in oven and bake until edges are brown and the middles are golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool until warm or room temperature. Serve cookies immediately or keep for a few days before serving. Yield: 48 cookies.








One Year Ago Today: Peanut Butter Fudge















Two Years Ago Today: Zeppole for the Feast of St. Joseph

Cherry Berry Fudge

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...As a child I was regularly scolded for the way I picked chocolates from a box. While I still consider it to be terribly unfair, we were expected to eat whatever we took from the box. I was about six years old when I learned a well-placed thumb in the bottom of a chocolate would assure that I didn't have to deal with the dreaded coconut or candied fruit that masqueraded as candy. As far as I was concerned, they were only a step or two above canned peas and any scolding I received was far better than having them cross my lips. I still have that aversion. The trouble is the Silver Fox does not. He loves both. Several years ago I found a really quick recipe for a chocolate and berry fudge that I make for him at this time of year. It is very easy to prepare and the type of dried fruit that is used to make it can be varied. He prefers cherry, but cranberries, blueberries or apricots can also be used. This is as straight forwarded as a candy recipe can get and if you enjoy the chocolate and fruit combination, you'll love the fudge. As for me, I find solace in turtles or chocolate covered caramels. Here's the recipe for a cherry berry fudge that's perfect for Valentine's Day.

Cherry Berry Fudge...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Taste of Home Magazine

Ingredients:
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package (6 ounces) dried cherries
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
1) Line an 8-in. square pan with foil. Coat foil with cooking spray. Set aside.
2) In a heavy saucepan, combine chocolate chips and corn syrup. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Remove from the heat.
3) Stir in confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla. Beat with a wooden spoon until thickened and glossy, about 5 minutes. Stir in cherries and walnuts. Spread into prepared pan; refrigerate until firm.
4) Using foil, lift fudge out of pan; discard foil. Cut fudge into 1-in. squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Yield: 1-1/3 pounds (64 pieces).







One Year Ago Today: Turkey Meatballs with Lemon Yogurt Sauce
















Two Years Ago Today: Marbled Sweetheart Sugar Cookies

Crocked Pork Roast with Cherry Glaze

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I know I'm about to walk into a mine field, but it really can't be helped. Hopefully, I can navigate the terrain without unduly offending either lovers or haters of the crock-pot. While I'm a centrist, I intend to honestly report the results of the recipes I've been testing. Some were good, others were not. All were recipes developed by professional cooks or food writers. I have, in other entries, spoken of the yin yang relationship I have with the crock-pot or slow cooker. I love its set it and forget it functionality, but I have serious problems with the texture and flavor of the meat it produces. I think most recipes written for the crock-pot produce protein that is dreadfully overdone and strangely flavorless if it's not buried under a ton of sauce or gravy. To overcome these problems, particularly in competition recipes, I season meat or poultry the night before it is to be cooked and brown it before it goes into the pot. I also reduce cooking time and rely on a meat thermometer to indicate doneness. Crocked Pork Roast with Cherry Glaze is a recipe that comes from a book I was given during the holiday. It was the cover feature and I selected it thinking that the only the best recipe would be selected to grace that spot. I made the recipe exactly as directed and I was not happy with the results. The dish bears no resemblance to the pork roast shown on the cover of the book. I think that's deceptive, pure and simple. The book cost someone $35 and the finished dish cost $16 to make and when I factored in my time I was really bent out of shape. Cooked as instructed , the roast falls apart when lifted from the pot and the sweet and sour sauce used to braise the meat is too sweet to use for anything other than light glazing. This was clearly a miss. I made it a second time so I would have pictures to show you. I cut the cooking time and sauce ingredients in half and had better, though not perfect, results. This dish was a strike-out for me. I didn't care for it, but because some of my tasters thought it was delicious, I'm including it here. Here's the recipe.

Crocked Pork Roast with Cherry Glaze...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker: Recipes for Entertaining

Ingredients:
One 3 1/2 to 4 pound rolled boneless pork loin roast
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
4 fresh sage leaves
3 cloves garlic, quartered
2 medium-size yellow onions, sliced
One 12-ounce jar tart cherry preserves
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup slivered almonds

Directions:
1) Remove string from pork roast and trim any visible fat. Sprinkle evenly with chopped parsley, rosemary, and thyme; lay sage leaves on top. Roll up and tie at 2-inch intervals with heavy string. Pierce roast all over with tip of a paring knife and insert slivers of garlic. Spray inside of crock with nonstick cooking spray and place onions on bottom. Place roast on top of onions. Coat with a few blasts of cooking spray. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours.
2) Combine preserves, honey, vinegar, cloves, cinnamon, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add almonds. Pour glaze over pork roast, reduce heat setting to LOW, cover, and cook for another 6 hours, until meat is tender when pierced with tip of a knife and an instant-read thermometer registers about 160 degrees.
3) Transfer to a platter, cover with aluminum foil, and let stand for 10 minutes before
removing string and carving into thick slices. Serve with crock juices spooned
over the top.

FROM: Not Your Motherʼs Slow Cooker Recipes for Entertaining

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Creamy Italian Crock Pot Chicken - Meals 4 Moms
Slow Cooked Sweet Barbacoa Pork - Gina's Skinny Recipes
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings - The Southern Bite
Corn Chowder in the Slow Cooker - Real Mom Kitchen
Amy's Slow Cooked Pot Roast - Very Culinary Blog
Potato and Olive Chicken - The Brunette Foodie
Smothered Pork Chops in the Crockpot - Annie Bakes
Sausage and Bean Stew (Crock Pot) - 400 Calories or Less

Cherry Cupcakes - Pink Saturday

Photo courtesy of Photobucket - Creative Commons Attribution

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...A bit of chocolate is good for the soul and mine is happy right now. These cupcakes go together quickly and are better for you than most. That's not to say they're better for you than an apple might be, but the folks at Eating Well have managed to reduced the fat and calories and still deliver something you'll enjoy. If you need to take the edge off a sweet tooth, give these a try. I'm happy to report that despite what's been taken from them, enough remains to make these a really nice snack. If you object to the use of food coloring, by all means omit it. It adds nothing but a lovely pink hue to the cupcakes. It is Pink Saturday, so I decided to use it. Here's the recipe.

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Eating Well

Ingredients:
Cake
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (see Note)
3/4 cup cake flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk
1-1/2 cups chopped pitted cherries, fresh or frozen (thawed and drained), plus 12 fresh cherries with stems for garnish
Frosting
6 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel), at room temperature
1 /2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 cup packed confectioners’ sugar
Red Food coloring
Milk for thinning

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups with paper liners.
2) Whisk whole-wheat flour, cake flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
3) Beat granulated sugar and oil in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Beat in egg and vanilla until well combined. With mixer on low, alternately mix in dry ingredients and buttermilk, starting and ending with dry ingredients and scraping sides of the bowl as needed, until just combined. Fold in chopped cherries until just combined. Divide batter among prepared cups (they will be full).
4) Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 22 to 26 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
5) Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, sour cream and confectioners’ sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add a drop or two of red food color to tint icing. Refrigerate frosting until very cold, about 2 hours. Thin with milk if necessary to spread on cooled cupcakes. Garnish with a cherry on top. Yield: 12 cupcakes.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Frosting - One Perfect Bite
Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes - Sugar Plum
Raspberry Cup Cakes - My Kitchen Treasures
Red Velvet Cupcakes - What's for Dinner Across State Lines
Carrot Cupcakes - Christine's Cuisine
Owl Cupcakes - Sinfully Southern Sweets
German Chocolate Cupcakes - Barbara Bakes

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Almond and Cherry Torte

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...A happy convergence of incidents led to the creation of this buttery torte. While sorting through my pantry, I found a half-used container of glaceed cherries that were still edible and soft enough to use. The prior evening I'd stumbled on a, new-to-me, site called Cake Crumbs and Cooking The feature that day had been a cherry cake that sounded like it would be perfect for tea or dessert. A version of the recipe also appeared in Delia Online and in the BBC Good Food Magazine. Thus, armed with cherries and several recipes, all of which had been well-received, I began to make my first ever cherry cake. The first step was to convert ingredients from metric to standard US measure. That done, I made a few changes to the base recipe to reflect the fact I had no self-rising flour and only half the cherries suggested in the original recipe. Undeterred, I carried on and within two hours had a lovely cake with a soft buttery crumb and marvelous almond flavor. Unfortunately, while they added texture to the cake the taste of the cherries was barely perceptible. In an effort to keep the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the cake, I halved and rinsed the cherries as had been suggested. I took the additional step of tossing them with flour before adding them to the cake batter. All that changed nothing. They sank anyway and probably lost flavor when their syrup was washed away. The strange thing is that I liked the cake and found the fruit almost superfluous. The cake is barely sweet but the almond meal and topping make it extremely flavorful. It is far more like a Viennese torte that a cherry cake. Would I make it again? Not with glaceed cherries, unless I had leftover bounty from my Christmas cooking. While I've heard some classify this dessert as being cheap as chips, it is not inexpensive to make and, while it is lovely, I like more bang for my buck. For those of you who are curious, here's the recipe.

Almond and Cherry Torte...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, adapted from several British sources

Ingredients:
2 sticks (8-oz.) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 small container (8-oz.) glace cherries, halved and rinsed
1 cup (4-oz.) ground almonds
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup (2-oz.) flaked almonds
Confectioners' sugar

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of a high sided 8-inch cake pan. Line bottom with parchment paper. Grease paper. Dust bottom and sides of pan with flour.
2) Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until incorporated. Add almond extract and mix to combine.
3) Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Fold into egg mixture. Fold in cherries, almonds and milk.
4) Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Level top and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Bake for 1¼ -1½ hrs or until cake has risen and is firm to the touch.
5) Remove cake from oven and cool in pan for 30 minutes. Turn pan onto wire rack to cool completely.
6) Dust top of cake with confectioners' sugar just before serving. Yield: 12 servings.

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Toscatarta - One Perfect Bite
Lemon and Almond Tart - One Perfect Bite
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(Almost) Cherry Garcia Ice Cream

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Had the gods of mythology sampled this Ben and Jerry favorite, there would have been no talk of ambrosia and an ice cream parlor would have, instead, been opened on the top of Mount Olympus. It is remarkably good and it's Bob's ice cream of choice. It's hard to find Cherry Garcia ice cream in many parts of the world, so, each year before we leave, Bob has his fill of it while we are still in DEFCON 1. It is remarkably easy to prepare and I have only one caution should you decide to make it. It's important not to overwork the chocolate and cherry mixture when folding it into the cream. It's also important to keep the chocolate shavings thick enough to retain their shape during the process. Now to the real question. Does it actually taste like Cherry Garcia ice cream? Kinda. Sorta. Maybe. A lot depends on the flavor of the Bing cherries you use. That can vary from one pint to another, so I've started using a tablespoon of kirsch to assure that wonderful cherry flavor. The recipe is Tom and Jerry's own, so I have not included kirsch in the ingredient list. Here's how they do it.

Cherry Garcia Ice Cream...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Ben and Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream and Dessert Book

Ingredients:
1/4 cup shaved plain chocolate (we prefer Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate candy bars)
1/4 cup fresh Bing cherries, halved and pitted (you may use canned cherries, but be sure to drain the syrup)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy or whipping cream
1 cup milk

Directions:
1) Place shaved chocolate flakes and the cherries in separate bowls. Cover and refrigerate.
2) Whisk eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more. Pour in the cream and milk and whisk to blend.
3) Transfer mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions.
4) After ice cream stiffens (about 2 minutes before it is done), add chocolate and cherries, then continue freezing until ice cream is ready. Yield: 1 quart.

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Ice Cream Crunch Cake - One Perfect Bite
Fresh Mint Ice Cream - One Perfect Bite
Lemon Buttermilk Ice Cream - One Perfect Bite
Cherry Ice Cream with Chocolate Chips - Simply Recipes
Snickerdoodle Ice Cream - The Recipe Girl
Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream - David Lebovitz