Black Bing Cherry Sauce
Jul 03, 2007 | From the kitchen of Rose
in a posting about our ski trip to deer valley in march of this year, i wrote about a delectable sour cherry sauce that accompanied a dessert and promised that if i could work it out i would post it on the blog. as it turned out, the sour cherries that married so perfectly with the sweet dessert somehow clashed with the savory duck. it soon occurred to me that the sweeter bing cherries just might work. this week my theory proved right. though i resolved to take a break from blogging while on vacation, mainly because i am spending every waking hour cooking and baking for my father, leaving only enough time to hem his pants—he claims he’s shrinking and i suppose at 2 1/2 weeks sky of 93 he is probably right. but i had to post this recipe while the cherries are still in season—it is that good. luckily he is sleeping late this morning so as his breakfast bagel is heating i hasten to post this recipe.
by the way, frozen cherries work just fine so don’t feel bad if the cherry season has passed, or if fresh cherries aren’t available in your area. they are available in most supermarkets and come in conveniently sized 12 ounce bags!
this sauce is deeply cherry with an intriguing tang from the madeira and vinegar and rounded mellowness from the butter.
Makes: About 1 cup of cherry sauce/10 ounces/284 grams
12 ounces/3/4 pound/340 grams fresh cherries (pitted* they will be 2 cups and about 10 ounces/284 grams) if using frozen cherries place them in a strainer over a bowl to collect the juices and allow them to thaw completely. add water to equal the 1 cup called for to poach the cherries. they will take a little less time to cook.
in a medium saucepan, placed the cherries and 1 cup of water. bring it to a boil and simmer covered for about 10 minutes or just until the cherries are tender when pierced with a skewer.
with a slotted spoon, remove the cherries to a bowl. if any cherry juice remains with the cherries return it to the pan. add 1/2 cup/3.5 ounces/100 grams of sugar (you can use half turbinado for extra flavor) 1/4 cup madeira, and 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, and reduce the juices, stirring constantly, until thick and syrupy and reduced to about 1/2 cup.
return the cherries to the sauce and boil for about 3 minutes or until the sauce thickens but is still pourable. remove it from the heat and whisk in 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 tablespoon at a time.
* to pit the cherries i use a large old fashioned hair pin/ insert the looped end into the stem end of the cherry and wiggle it around the pit until it is loose enough to pop out. they stay more whole this way and ensure that every pit has been removed.
P.S. enjoying this sauce with roast duck did nothing to temper our enthusiasm for a slice of sour cherry pie for dessert!
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Patrincia
11/21/2008 06:24 PM
Hi Barbara - I have a Jack LaLanne juicer. It was a gift from a relative that I didn't ask for, but it sure has come in handy for making raspberry and strawberry puree.
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Barbara
11/21/2008 05:51 PM
Patrincia -- what brand / type of juicer do you own? I've been thinking of getting one.
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Patrincia
11/20/2008 03:56 PM
If anyone has a centrifugal juicer, do give it a try... mine traps all the raspberry and strawberry seeds, and it washes nicely in the top rack of the dishwasher. I love it!
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Hector
11/20/2008 02:53 PM
Laurie, I love my KA strainer, but it isn't perfect. It removes the perfect amount of raspberry seeds for a conserve, after 2 or 3 passes. But if you plan to remove all the seeds for a sauce, after running the KA for 2 or 3 passes, you need to use a regular strainer or other device to remove the remainder seeds. Don't use the KA for more than 3 passes because the concentrated seeds will get stuck and very tight inside the strainer coil which took me days to soaking and cleaning.
I've just got my Back to Basics, with the fine berry attachment, but haven't tried it yet. If it removes all the seeds at once with zero or little fruit pulp waste, it is the way to go. For the conserve, I would just mix back about 10% of the collected seeds
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Laurie
11/20/2008 01:14 AM
Well, this an EXTREMELY long overdue response (I just ran across this topic again and saw your comment), but YES!!! the Back to Basics strainer is AWESOME at removing all (or virtually all) those pesky little seeds. It's great!
In the meantime, however, I've also acquired the KitchenAid Pro 600 stand mixer, and I'm tempted to follow Hector's lead and get the strainer attachment just to compare - my KA is always out on the counter, so it would be more convenient....
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Rose
09/16/2008 08:00 AM
they have such tough skins that when i'm in a rush i just freeze them without sugar or anything in ball canning jars. but if you have time you could process them first and add sugar. i'm not sure they would keep for 13 years that way (as they did just frozen whole) but then i'm sure that's not your intention. (i still have two jars of this vintage by the way!)
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Matthew
09/16/2008 12:05 AM
Rose, I bought some Concord grapes today that I would like to freeze for a future pie. Do you recommend just freezing them whole, or do you process them first and add sugar?
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Hector
06/12/2008 03:11 PM
In Hawaii, we like to freeze the individual grapes, and eat them frozen like snacks.
I also love to make jello out of fresh grapes, you strain the juice with some lemon juice and add gelatin. It will work with frozen grapes.
I have made jelly with grapes using Cordon Rose Raspberry Conserve method. No pectin, so low in sugar, and fantastic!!!!!!!! you do need a motorized strainer to remove seeds/skins, much easier than doing by hand.
Also, hang them in a cool room and make grapes. Here a picture.
http://www.hectorwong.com/roselevy/Raisins.html
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F Miller
06/12/2008 01:51 PM
Hello All:
I was working in the garden this morning & realized that I will have more than a bumper crop of California Concord grapes. I planted this variety of grapes because my Mom likes to make Concord grape jelly. The huge quantity last year turned the love of jelly making into a chore.
What suggestions do you have for the grapes? Grape juice didn't work out. My husband's Mom makes Concord grape pie. We will need something that we can make & freeze, due to the quantity.
Many thanks.
F
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Anonymous
06/12/2008 01:51 PM
Hello All:
I was working in the garden this morning & realized that I will have more than a bumper crop of California Concord grapes. I planted this variety of grapes because my Mom likes to make Concord grape jelly. The huge quantity last year turned the love of jelly making into a chore.
What suggestions do you have for the grapes? Grape juice didn't work out. My husband's Mom makes Concord grape pie. We will need something that we can make & freeze, due to the quantity.
Many thanks.
F
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F
12/04/2007 06:30 PM
Seed removal for grapes, berries, pumpkins, squash or salsa:
Someone in our family is going to get this food mill as a present.
http://www.lehmans.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=6883&itemType=PRODUCT&RS=1&keyword=Roma
We had almost 100 pounds of California Concord grapes harvested from our back yard made into grape jelly. No one was more surprised than me about the quantity. We spent most of the Labor Day weekend picking, de-steming, cooking and pressing the grapes. Mom took the juice and extra grapes home to make the jelly. [When cooking the grapes, we add Granny Smith apples in lieu of pectin.]
For grape jelly made with Splenda, you have to add the pectin. Does anyone have a different experience?
I purchased the grape auger to facilitate the process for next year. This winter, I'll be more agressive about pruning. We don't want to have too much of a good thing: it's supposed to be fun, not a chore!
Hope this information helps those trying to remove seeds.
F
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Hector
08/05/2007 09:24 PM
Dear NK, I use the KitchenAid Fruit and Vegetable Strainer attachment to remove raspberry seeds. After 2 passes it removes 80% of the seeds! I prefer my raspberry conserves to have a bit of seeds left!
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NK
08/05/2007 08:02 PM
Have you had a chance to test out removing the raspberry seeds? I just finished a double recipe and I am really tired of removing the seeds, I would love a solution to this problem.
Thanks:o)
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Patrincia
07/17/2007 02:40 PM
Yep, you sure can! (but honestly - who has leftover pie sitting around for serveral days) :)
Seriously though, sugar is a preservative, but if you feel funny about leaving a pie out at room temp, go ahead and refrigerate it - your crust might get a little soggier, and the fruit filling won't taste quite as delicious when it's cold, but you'll feel better about eating it (which is better than throwing it away, right?).
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Linda Albertson
07/17/2007 10:36 AM
Hello,
In your book, The Pie and Pastry Bible, you indicate that you leave your baked pear pie out at room temperature for several days? You mean it would still be safe to eat afer sitting out that long? Please clarify.
Thank you kindly.
Linda A.
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Patrincia
07/17/2007 09:15 AM
Can't wait to hear all about it!
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Laurie
07/16/2007 12:40 AM
Hi Patricia - we just returned from a long weekend out of town to find the strainer waiting on the front steps. It's midnight, but I had to open the box and assemble it anyway. It appears to be a well designed, no nonsense tool that could easily turn me into an avid jelly/jam/preserve/chutney/salsa maker. I'm going to pick up some frozen raspberries after work tomorrow and test it on Rose's Raspberry Puree. Will report results.
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Hector
07/09/2007 03:48 PM
Wow, now I don't have to purchase plum sauce to eat my roast ruck or pork with!
What is the shelf life of this sauce? Can I can it?
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Patrincia
07/06/2007 06:15 PM
oops - I should learn to proof read my edits better :(
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Patrincia
07/06/2007 06:12 PM
Wow Laurie - thanks for going through all that for us. So how did you get your strainer yet? If so, have you had a chance to use it?
I have found my Jack LaLanne Power Juicer (centrifugal) works very well to remove raspberry seeds too.
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Laurie
07/06/2007 01:18 PM
Dear Rose,
I bought The Cake Bible when it first came out and (with the sole exception of an ancient dog eared copy of my Grandma Edna's Chocolate Cake) it's been my only cake recipe source ever since. I love all the "how and why" as much as the recipes.
My family's not so interested in "how and why", but they DO love the All Occasion Downy Yellow Butter Cake for birthdays, especially when it turns into four layers filled with Rose's Raspberry Puree. You may have guessed where this is going next...
The seeds! I can mix, bake, fill, frost and deliver the entire cake in the time it takes to strain those little red miracles. So after all these years I finally decided to act on your good advice and get the Cuisinart attachment. Oops, too late. So I went net surfing for options and one of the first hits was a 2005 comment in THIS BLOG (!) where you suggested the Back To Basics food strainer (with fine screen) as a good alternative. Now THAT'S service - and I'm delighted to discover the blog!
I'd like to return the favor by reporting the following (in hopes of saving other Raspberry Puree nuts several hours of detective work):
Back To Basics was recently purchased by Focus Products, where it became a division of West Bend. You can order the strainer from the Back To Basics website, but you won't find any evidence of the "Berry Screen" or any other attachments. If you are persistent and lucky, you will eventually talk to a real live human and learn that a Berry Screen exists, that it is classified as a "part," that it must be ordered separately from West Bend's Customer Service department, and that you can get the strainer from them as well.
When you call West Bend, you will be treated with politeness as well as enthusiasm for the product, but after 20 minutes you still won't be clear on the price ($12.99 or $14.99 for the Berry Screen; and "it looks like" $59.99 for the strainer), or whether it's in stock ("oh yes! but it's not coming up on my screen, I wonder what this grape spiral thing is, can you hold?"). There is no hold music, so after a minutes you won't really be sure if you're on hold or not.
So, while on "hold," I did another Google search for Berry Screen (now that I knew what to call it) and found it and the strainer in a couple of places. Be cautious, since the one with the best price didn't have a working phone number, and some places list the various screens as available but they aren't actually in stock.
The best deal I found was a company called "Ultimate Nourishment" from Sacramento at www.ultimate-weight-products.com. Their Deluxe Back To Basics Food Strainer "package" comes with (1) the Tomato/Apple screen, (2) the Berry Screen, (3) the Pumpkin Screen, and (4) the Grape Spiral, all for $71 (i.e., a few dollars less than I would have spent getting just the strainer and the Berry Screen directly from West Bend). For an extra $10, you can add the Salsa Screen (which I did, since it sells separately for $20).
Not only that, but the very efficient and pleasant person who answered the phone (Julie) is the owner of the company, has personally used the product with all its attachments, and is extremely knowledgeable about fresh food preparation and preservation.
I apologize for the length of this comment. Since it was so hard to find this thing and I know others are in the same boat, I felt compelled to share. Please feel free to edit as you see fit.
Above all, THANK YOU for your wonderful books (I have them all and read them obsessively even when I have no plans to bake anything), your dedication to understanding "how and why", and your generosity in communicating it to the rest of us.
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Ivy
07/04/2007 07:43 AM
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Courtney
07/03/2007 12:32 PM
Oh I bet this would be good with pork chops too.
I wanted to thank you for introducing me to cake stips. I had almost given up on baking cakes, as my over would either over cooke the outside or under cook the center even when I dropped the temp. No more! YAY!
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