Adapted from my book The Foods of the Greek Islands.

The cornerstone of Greek sweets are the preserves made with the fruits of every season.

Each home has several different jars of fruit in the pantry, and guests are offered a teaspoon with a glass of water as a welcome to the house.

I know that fresh sour cherries are not the easiest fruit for most people to get, and their season is so short, so I suggest you make the preserves with perokerasa (Rainier cherries) instead.

Unfortunately, the true color of the Rainier cherries preserves is a quite unattractive murky yellow, so you are better off adding a few drops of red food coloring.  Instead, I prefer to boil a red beet with the cherries, a trick I learned from Tunisian cooks.

Makes 3 cups

2          pounds firm cherries, such as Rainier or Royal Ann (not pie cherries or Bing cherries), pitted (see NOTE Sour Cherry preserves)     

2          cups sugar      

1          small red beet, peeled and quartered (optional)       

1/4       cup freshly squeezed lemon juice      

2–3      teaspoons pure vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine the cherries and sugar and toss well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or for up to 2 days.

Transfer the cherry mixture to a large saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.

Boil for 3 minutes, then remove from the heat.

Let cool completely. With a slotted spoon, transfer the cherries to a colander set over a large bowl. Bring the syrup to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Add the beet (if using), the lemon juice and the syrup from the bowl. Boil the syrup until it reaches 235°F to 240°F on a candy thermometer.

Return the cherries to the pan and boil for 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla extract and let cool completely. Discard the beet and pour the cherries into clean jars, filling almost to he top, then close he lids. As they cool, they will pop and seal so they will keep for up to a year, at least in a cool place.

If they do not seal, store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

NOTE: Vissino, Sour Cherry Preserves

As sour cherries are quite tart, you may need to double the amount of sugar. It all depends on your personal taste. The Greek tradition is to add 1 kilo sugar for each kilo of pitted cherries, but this is far too much for my taste.

No aromatic or coloring is needed here, of course.

The post Cherry and Sour Cherry Preserves: Kerasi or Vyssino Glyko appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

The tart sour cherries are traditionally cooked with meatballs in Iran, Syria, and Turkey, and since I love the combination of fruit with all kinds of meat, I thought chicken would be great with cherries. Boned and skinned chicken thighs cook fast, so the cherries don’t lose their bright color when the dish is done.

Last but not least, I balance the cherries’ tartness with plenty of sliced Kea onions which are wonderfully sweet.  

I marinate the chicken with soy sauce and wine, as I do when I make a stir-fry, and this adds an extra layer of flavor.   

Serve with just fresh crusty bread, or with toasted pita triangles, like Anissa Helou’s Kabab Karaz. Great with a simple bulgur pilaf, as well as with mashed or roasted potatoes. In the winter it is ideally complemented with David Tanis’ Baked Polenta.   

Serves 4-5

MARINADE:

¼ cup soy sauce, preferably Japanese

¼ cup white wine

3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

About 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme

1 ½ pounds (750 grams) boned and skinned chicken thigs

About 1/3 cup olive oil

2-3 medium sweet onions (about 1 pound, 500 grams) halved and cut to about 1/8-inch slices

1 ½ pounds  (750 grams) pitted sour cherries, fresh or frozen

Freshly ground pepper and salt, to taste

1-2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup, optional

Fresh thyme to sprinkle 

In a medium bowl mix the marinade ingredients, add the chicken, toss, cover and set aside for about 20 minutes, while you start sautéing the onions. Or you can transfer to a Ziploc bag and refrigerate for up to 3 hours.

In a heavy skillet or sauté pan warm the olive oil and add the onions. As they start to sizzle, toss, lower the heat and let the onions cook for about 8 minutes, to soften.

Increase the heat and add the chicken along with its marinade to the onions in the pan. Cook tossing often for about 10 minutes, or until the pieces are no longer pink.

Add the sour cherries, toss, and cook in high heat for another 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked.

Taste, and add some honey or maple syrup if you find the sauce tart –I don’t. Add freshly ground pepper and salt, if needed, sprinkle with fresh thyme and serve.

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I doubled the recipe, making a round, simply decorated cake, and a log, for Marianna and Leonida Allamani’s 16th birthday.  

See the BASIC RECIPE to make the cake and the chocolate Glaze.

2 cups homemade or store-bought sour cherry or cherry preserves

About 1/2 cup or more, Cherry Brandy or Grand Marnier liqueur

500 grams (about 1 pound) double cream, whipped with 1/3 cup icing sugar

1 cup mascarpone

About 1 cup shelled raw pistachios

A few Maraschino cherries

After baking it, let the cake cool for 20-30 minutes, then carefully cut in half horizontally with a large knife. Place each half on a cutting board lined with parchment paper, cut-side up.

In a small sieve drain the preserves over a bowl to collect the syrup.

Mix the syrup with the liqueur, using more or less, according to your taste.  With this mixture douse generously the cake pieces, making sure you pour syrup all over the surfaces.

Toss the whipped cream with the mascarpone, and spread generously with this mixture both the bottom part of round cake and the log, scattering the cherries over the cream. 

Very carefully place the second part of the cake over the cream and cherries, and with a spoon pour the glaze over the cakes.

Let the glaze cool for 10-15 minutes, then decorate the top with pistachios and maraschino cherries. Let cool and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, before cutting to serve. 

The post My ‘Black Forest’ Chocolate Cake appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.