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Cherries have long been linked to the most magical time of the year. Their redness and rarity lend them to make perfect festive fruit – plus, their season coincides with the holidays. They’re indulgent, whimsical and special, bringing extra delight to any occasion.
Here, Cherry Time™ – South Africa’s foremost cherry producer –has collaborated with some of South Africa’s top recipe creators who have crafted timeless dishes to put the cherry into your summer feasting.
NO-FUSS CHERRY POP TARTS
by Saadiyah Hendricks (@sadiesbubbleofyum)
INGREDIENTS:
– 2 cups @sweet_cherrytime™ cherries, pitted and halved
– 1/4 cup sugar
– Juice of 1/2 lemon
– 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
– 1 tablespoon cornstarch
– 1 tablespoon water
– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
– 500g puff pastry sheets
– 1 egg
– 1 tablespoon water
– sugar for sprinkling
– 2 tablespoons of the Cherry filling
– 1 cup icing sugar
– 1 teaspoon water
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a small saucepan, on medium heat, whisk the cherries, sugar, lemon and cinnamon.
2. In a bowl, mix cornstarch with the water.
3. When the Cherry mixture starts boiling, add the cornstarch and whisk for a few minutes until thick and syrupy. Finally add the vanilla and let it cool completely.
4. Prepare the pastry by cutting it into equal size rectangles and place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
5. To assemble, on every alternate pastry rectangle place in the centre a tablespoon of the Cherry filling (keep aside 2 tablespoons for the glaze) allowing for a border, then cover with another pastry rectangle, sealing the ends by using the tip of a fork to indent the edges.
6. Preheat the oven to 200C and place the pop tarts in the freezer while the oven heats up. In the interim, prepare your egg wash by mixing whisking the egg and water. Then brush the egg over the surface of each tart and finally sprinkle with sugar before popping into the oven for 20 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool while you prepare the Cherry glaze.
8. To make the glaze, mix the sugar, Cherry filling and water then strain through a sieve and spoon over the cooled tarts.
Now it’s time to dig in!
MERRY CHERRY MESSES
by Angie Batis (@miss_luckypony)
INGREDIENTS:
CHERRY SYRUP –
1 cup Cherry Time Cherries – pitted
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp lemon juice
MERINGUES –
4 egg whites – room temp
220g castor sugar
2tsp white vinegar
CHERRY CREAM –
250mls fresh cream
3 Tbsp cherry syrup
A big handful of Cherry Time Cherries sliced – just cut around the pip
DIRECTIONS:
In a pot over a medium heat bring the cherries, sugar, water & lemon juice to a gentle boil. Reduce heat & simmer for 12 mins.
Remove from heat, then with a wooden spoon push down hard on the cherries before pouring the syrup through a sieve & into a bowl. Push as much liquid through the sieve as possible. Cool syrup completely.
How to make meringues: Preheat the oven to 130°C. Place a piece of baking paper onto a baking tray.
In a large bowl using an electric mixer/KitchenAid, beat the egg whites until fluffy, then SLOWLY add the sugar a tablespoon at a time.
Once you have a thick glossy mixture, add the vinegar & mix for 3 mins.
Spoon it into a piping bag fitted with whatever nozzle you like & start by making the bottom halves of your pavlovas. I piped out round flat circles about 10 cm wide.
For the tops, use 2 different star-shaped tips – pip out small meringues next to one another to form little constellations.
Bake everything for an hour. Once done turn off your oven & let the tray of meringues cool down inside.
How to serve – Beat the cream until stiff peaks form then gently stir in the syrup & sliced cherries.
Place a COOLED meringue disc on a plate, add a big dollop of cream, then top that with a meringue constellation. Pour cherry syrup over them just before serving
CHERRY ALMOND CAKE
Recipe by: Vanessa Vermaak, (@my_homemade_kitchen_za)
“Cherries have to be my all-time favourite fruit. It’s such a pity that we have such a short window to enjoy them each year. I don’t often use them for baking or cooking since, I must confess, I usually gobble them up before that. But this time I restrained myself long enough to make this deliciously simple rustic Cherry Almond Cake.
“This Cherry Almond Cake is such a quick and simple cake to throw together and not overly sweet. It’s the perfect cake for a tea party, visit from a friend, or even as a hostess gift.
With the holidays coming up I’m sure we’re not going to be as social as usual, but this cake is definitely a go to foodie gift.”
Ingredients:
· 250 g Fresh Cherry Time™ cherries pitted (approx. 250 – 350g)
· 113 g Unsalted Butter softened to room temperature
· 150 g Golden Castor or Light brown sugar white/castor will also work if needed
· 2 Large Eggs
· 5 ml Vanilla Extract
· 64 g All-Purpose/Cake Flour
· 2 g Baking Powder
· 1.5 g Salt
· 100 grams Ground Almonds / Almond Flour
· Icing sugar for sprinkling/decorating
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Then grease a small 18 – 20cm springform cake tin with non-stick cooking spray and line the bottom with a piece of baking paper. Set aside
2. De-stalk and pit the cherries, trying to keep them whole. Set aside*
3. In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened butter and sugar together until smooth
4. Then add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix through. Then fold in the ground almonds until incorporated
6. Spoon half the batter into the prepared cake tin then even out to cover the bottom. Add half the cherries, then spoon over the remainder of the batter to cover the cherries. Add the remainder of the cherries on top. Note: The batter should be thick and not too easy to spread. It will only fill the tin around ⅓ – ½ way, but it does rise while baking. During the rise the top cherries will sink down so you do not have to push them into the batter before baking
7. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until golden and a skewer/cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean (Please do test the cake as cherries hold a lot of moisture which might require an extra 5 minutes of baking time)
8. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for around 10 – 15 minutes. Then remove from the tin and leave to cool completely on a wire rack
9. Dust with icing sugar before serving
NOTES: If you do not have a cherry pitter, you can use a thick skewer/sosatie stick and push the back end through the cherry. The pit should pop out the other end.
Remember to order Cherry Time™ online now from https://cherrytime.co.za/to have them delivered to your door while stocks last (Western Cape only), or order and collect from various pickup points across Gauteng and Durban. They’re also available at Pick ‘n Pay and other select local stores.