Sparkling Cherry Limeade

July 16, 2015

This isn't some artificially flavoured sugary fizzy drink. It's made from ripe dark cherries and fresh squeezed lime juice. First, either use a cherry pitter - or just halve the cherries and pick out the pit. This birdbeak knife is handy for things like this. I use a couple handfulls of cherries per litre of water. Then juice, or muddle, the cherries. Since it's just a few cherries, I don't like to dirty up a juicing machine, so smashing with a muddler works easiest. Then, add the juice of two limes to the smashed cherries. Strain out the pulp and set aside the juice.

It does need just a little sugar to add some sweetness. I use about half as much sugar as juice. Add the sugar and juice to a bit of water. Then top it off the mixture with seltzer. Adjust the ratio of all the items to suit your taste, because, ya know, everybody likes things a little different.

Stone Fruit and Ginger Galette

November 9, 2014

This is a mix of delicious and easy.

I like this gluten free crust made from ground nuts and oats. It's hearty, rustic and fairly easy to make. In a food processor, mix the nuts (pecans, almonds and walnuts) with quick oats and a bit of salt and sugar. Run the food processor until the mix is finely chopped and crumbly. Then, add enough water to bring it together in a soft dough. Since there's no gluten, it doesn't really need to rest. Place between two sheets of parchment and roll out.

Prep the stone fruit. I chose a mix of cherries, apricots, plums and peaches. Add to a bowl with fresh grated ginger, sugar, vanilla, cornstarch and a pinch of salt. Place the fruit on the dough and distribute evenly, leaving a generous border. Fold the dough inward to enclose the fruit. Place the galette on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes.

I like to serve it with accents of fresh fruit and Swedish pearl sugar.

Happy Fourth of July 2014 - Dark-fruit on Shortcake

July 4, 2014

A delightfully delicious dessert using summer-fresh dark-fruit.

Start by making a shortcake (3 parts flour, 1 part coconut oil and 2 parts almond milk). Also, remember a pinch of salt, a bit of sugar and baking powder. I tried forming it in a pastry ring, but they would be more consistent if they were rolled and cut. Bake at 400F until golden brown.

While baking, prepare the fruit: wash and drain blueberries and pit the cherries.

When the shortcake is finished baking, allow it to cool for a few moments and spread with dairy free spread (or whipped cream, if you prefer). Then, pile the fruit atop the shortcake. As a finishing touch, drizzle with honey (or agave syrup if you're ultra-vegan).

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Vişne Nektari

June 1, 2013

More travels have brought me new flavours. This is a beverage typically found in Turkey. Although I rarely drink sweetened beverages, this is worth the calories.

Start with fresh or frozen tart cherries. They should constitute ~35% by mass for your recipe (I know, I know, just get a kitchen scale and everything works perfectly).

If you haven't got fresh tart cherries, frozen pie cherries are perfectly fine.

More math: ~5% should be sugar. Ex: ~250g cherries needs 50g sugar and ~750ml water. The total mass is ~1kg, but after straining the pulp, the volume yield is a bit less than a litre.