Black Sweet Cherry Pie

I have been making this sweet cherry pie for many years and we always look forward to cherry season to enjoy this unique treat!

The glaze just glistens as you can see in the above photo.

After the baked crust has cooled and the glaze mixture has chilled you place a small amount in the bottom so that the cherries don't weep through the crust, making it soggy.

One crust pie recipe:

1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening, plus 1 tablespoon
2 - 3 tablespoons cold water

Mix together the flour and salt, add the shortening and with a pastry blender cut in the shortening until pea sized particles form. Sprinkle in the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork after each addition. Continue adding the water one tablespoon at a time until all the flour is moistened. Gather the dough together with hands and firmly press into a ball. Roll out on floured surface to size desired. Place dough in pie dish/pan and bake for 8 - 10 minutes at 475 degrees. Cool on wire rack.

Black Sweet Cherry Pie:

1 1/2 quarts black sweet cherries, pitted and place in strainer, reserving juice
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup liquid (juice from pitted cherries & water to equal one cup)
3 tablespoons corn syrup
3 tablespoons black cherry gelatin

Stir together sugar & cornstarch, set aside. Combine 1 cup liquid and corn syrup. Stir corn syrup mixture slowly into cornstarch mixture in a saucepan. Cook until thick and bubbly, and then cook an additional 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in the gelatin mixing well. Cool (I place in the fridge for awhile).

Spread a small amount of glaze on the bottom of the baked pie shell. Pile the cherries on top and pour remaining glaze over cherries. Refrigerate until firm.

Serve with fluffs of sweetened, whipped cream...sprinkle with a few toasted almonds if desired or garnish with fresh mint and nasturtiums.

Other fruits can be used, making certain to use the same color of gelatin as your fruit.

Zucchini Galette

Zucchini season has arrived! I am always on the look-out for recipes containing the versatile little green gem! I stumbled upon a recipe while visiting Smitten Kitchen and it appealed to me so decided to give it a try!!!The ingredients were purchased and the date was set...Wednesday, July 7, 2010! Michigan weather can be a little challenging once in awhile...we awoke to a very hot & humid day but nothing was going to distract me from preparing this recipe.

Ben & I were immediately Smitten...love at first bite! The combination of zucchini, garlic, ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella was truly perfect!

The crust was delicious, beyond words!

This picture was taken prior to placing the galette in the oven and I was pleased with the appearance!

Zucchini Galette:

Pastry...
1 1/4 cup flour, chilled in freezer for 1/2 hour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces & chilled again
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup ice water

Filling...
1 large or 2 small zucchini, sliced in 1/4 inch rounds
1 tablespoon Plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1 tablespoon chopped basil

Glaze...
1 egg yolk beaten with a teaspoon water

Prepare the dough:
Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Sprinkle bits of butter over dough and using a pastry blender, cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with the largest pieces of butter the size of tiny peas. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice & water, adding this to the butter/flour mixture. With a wooden spoon, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Pat lumps into a ball without over working the dough. Cover with plastic wrap & place in fridge for an hour.
Prepare filling:
Spread zucchini out over two layers of paper toweling. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and let stand for 30 minutes, gently blot zucchini with paper towels before using. In a small bowl, whick the olive oil and garlic together, set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, and 1 teaspoon of the garlic/olive oil mixture together; season with salt & pepper.

Prepare Galette:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured work surface, roll the dough into a 12" round, transfer to a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the galette dough, leaving a 2" border. Starting at the outer circle, arrange the zucchini slices in an attractive pattern, overlapping the slices. Brush the remaining garlic/oil mixture evenly over the zucchini. Fold the dough border over the filling and brush with the egg yolk/water mixture.

Bake the galette until the cheese is puffed, the zucchini is slightly wilted and the galette is golden (about 30 minutes). Remove from oven, sprinkle with basil (I actually put a little basil in the cheese mixture also). Allow to stand for about 10 minutes, then slide the galette onto serving dish (if desired-I didn't do this but would if we had guests).
Cut into wedges and serve...this is also good cold (according to Ben).

Ben's Baked Beans

Ben decided on baked beans for his part of the July 4th Throwdown using a recipe from Paula Deen (with a few of his creative changes).

Ingredients:

1 can French Fried Onions
6 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled
2-3 tablespoons brown mustard
1 cup molasses
1 cup BBQ sauce
20 oz. can drained, crushed pineapple
64 oz. canned baked beans
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a large bowl, mix beans, pineapple, molasses, BBQ sauce, bacon, and 1/3 of the onions. Add salt & pepper to taste, and pour mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Sprinkle remaining onions and the bacon on top.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 - 60 minutes
Serve warm!

Ben learned that slicing the bacon before frying would be a good idea (thankfully I was not at home to see the apparent mess but he did well cleaning up the flying bacon that he chopped).

This recipe will be a repeat!

4th of July Cupcake

A fun little cupcake treat! The little pinwheels , red & white sprinkles, and Patriotic cupcake liners just make a plain cupcake festive!

You can use the cupcake recipe of your choice and "doll" it up for a Patriotic treat!
I used buttercream frosting but you could use your own favorite recipe.

July 4th Decor'

A little welcome to our home!

Another welcome...the vase is filled with blue lupine, wild daisies, fern and red daylily from the garden!

The table is ready for the party!

This is ready for the sundae station!

Ice Cream Balls for July 4th Celebration

Happy July 4th!!!The above ice cream ball sundae hit the spot on an especially hot & humid July 4th day!
The day before serving I made ice cream balls (8-10) and froze them in a paper lined muffin tin.
After the balls were completely frozen, I prepared the coating mixture:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup coconut (shredded)
11/3 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Combine the above ingredients in a large skillet over medium high heat, stirring constantly until golden brown and crumbly. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Roll the frozen ice cream balls in the above cooled mixture and place back in freezer.

Cherries and nuts await the guests...who garnished their own treats!

What is a sundae without whipped cream?

Butterscotch topping and chocolate sauce, warmed a bit...so good!

Butterscotch Sauce:
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/3 cup cream
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup butter (salted)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the above ingredients in a saucepan and bring just to a boil, remove promptly and cool.
Warm in microwave just before serving.

Chocolate Sauce:

1 can Eagle Brand Milk
1 can Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix together the Eagle Brand and Chocolate syrup. Add butter and bring to a boil on medium heat. Add vanilla and allow to cool.
Warm in microwave just before serving.

Michigan Strawberries Are The Best!!!

Michigan strawberries truly are the best, they are so sweet and juicy!We Michiganders look forward to making strawberry freezer jam every year and as you can see in the above photo it makes a perfect little gift for someone special!

The little paper doiley is a quick and easy jar topper, tied with a sequin roping and you are ready to deliver!

The recipe comes from the Sure-Gel package...so quick & easy and a great way to enjoy a bit of summer during those cold winter months ahead!