I’m a big fan of cherries. They are probably my favorite stone fruit. I only say that with a little hesitation because I’m thinking that statement through, but yeah, cherries are my favorite. I’ve been making cherry desserts since I was thirteen. I’ve made a few here even, my cherry almond mini cakes, chocolate cherry bread pudding, and pecan cherry pancakes. You get my point, I’m a cherry cheerleader. (more…)

It’s breakfast time again here at Presley’s Pantry.  I promise to stop with the breakfast posts for a little while after this one.  I use to dislike Oatmeal with a fierce passion.  I’ll just say it out loud… I LOVE OATMEAL now (click over to Babble for the whole story on my sudden love with oatmeal).  For my nearest and dearest who are snickering at that remark calling me a hypocrite through a whisper in their teeth, I have declared a change of heart.  Now when I open my eyes in the a.m. I can’t wait to get my hands on a bowl.  I’m still playing around with different combos of steel cut love, but here is one I have been quite pleased with lately.  Enjoy it!

Serves: 4

Ingredients for Cherry Hazelnut Farro Oatmeal:

• 5 – cups water
• 1 – Melissa’s Produce vanilla bean pod (split down the middle)
• 1 – cinnamon stick
• 1 – cup steel cut oatmeal
• 1/2 – cup Melissa’s Produce farro
• 1/3 – cup brown sugar
• 1/3 – cup Melissa’s Produce hazelnuts (chopped)
• 1/2 – cup Melissa’s Produce cherries (pitted and cut in half)
• 1 – cup milk or 1/2 & 1/2
• Cherry jam (optional)

1. In a pot over a medium flame add water, vanilla bean pod, and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil.
2. Add in oatmeal and farro, give it a good stir and bring to a boil.
3. Once oatmeal/farro are boiling, cover pot with a lid and lower the flame to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Remove from flame and let sit for 5 minutes.
5. Serve hot in a bowl and garnish with brown sugar, hazelnuts, cherries, and milk. Add cherry jam if you like things extra sweet.
6. Enjoy.

Some things are sooooo good, they should only come in small bites.  It leaves you wanting more but gives you the opportunity to nibble on a delectable piece of sweetness and not have the guilt that goes along with eating a huge piece of dessert. These beyond heavenly cherry almond mini-cakes are in a category all their own, and could be enjoyed after dinner as a mini dessert or perfect for a classroom of children. ENJOY!!!!!!

Ingredients for Cherry Almond Mini-Cakes:

• 10 – tablespoons of butter
• 7 – ounces of almond paste
• 1 – cup sugar
• 1- cup flour
• 1/2 – teaspoon kosher salt
• 5 – egg whites
• 1 – teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 – teaspoon almond extract
• 32 – Melissa’s Produce cherries (pitted)
• 32 – mini cupcake holders

Directions:

1. In a small sauce pan over a low flame melt butter. Stir every so often until butter is slightly browned. Remove from heat and place to the side to cool for 15 minutes.
2. In a mixer add almond paste and mix on medium speed to break up paste for 5 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl add sugar, flour and salt and mix together. then add to the almond paste and continue to mix for 3 minutes. Until most of almond paste is incorporated. If you see that some pieces of almond paste are much bigger then others. Stop the mixer and break them up with your hands, by grinding your fingers together to form small grains of almond paste.
4. Then pour browned butter into almond paste flour mixture, and mix till combined.
5. Add in egg whites, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Mix on medium for 3 minutes. Then turn mixer off and let dough rest for 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven for 400 degrees fahrenheit. Line mini cupcake tins with paper liners and set to the side. Pit the cherries and set to the side.
7. Fill each paper liner with 1 tablespoon of almond paste batter, then stick a cherry in the middle of each cup. 
8. Bake for 14 minutes. Then remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
9. ENJOY!

Eating fruit at it’s peak in the season is the best gift Mother Nature provides.  This luxury of sweetness can only be found in a piece of fruit at the height of it’s ripe/maturity.  Right now the spotlight is shining brightly on Cherries! Whole Foods Markets are celebrating their 3rd Annual Cherry Fest by bringing the best cherries to their stores for us customers to sink our teeth into. When this type of opportunity is conveniently placed at your fingertips you take it and run.  I bought several bags, around 6 pounds worth.  I thought “I can eat them all by myself or I could be a friend and invite some pals over for a Cherry Social.”  I decided to do the latter.  We enjoyed some in their natural glory and with the other I created a few dishes to serve at my gathering of friends.  The Cherry Menu:  Chocolate Cherry Bread Pudding, Chicken Cherry Salad Sandwiches and Cherry Watermelon Sangria!

Run over to Whole Foods Market, grab a few bags of cherries in their peak season sweetness and make these recipes.  I promise you won’t be disappointed.

For the Chocolate Cherry Bread Pudding, I bought all the ingredients at Whole Foods Market.  WFM makes my all-time favorite store bought cookie sold in their amazing bulk section, Amaretti Cookie.  I love the flavor sooooo much I incorporated it into the bread pudding thinking Cherry and Amaretto work wonderfully together and boy was I right. Hee-hee!  I also used their chocolate pound cake and Greenlee’s Best Cinnamon Bread (also sold in store).  This Chocolate Cherry Bread Pudding was made in a pyrex dish then spooned into cupcake holders to serve individually.  Topped with a fresh cherry.  Enjoy.

Ingredients for Chocolate Cherry Bread Pudding:

1o – Amaretti cookies (crushed)

5 – cups chocolate pound cake (cut into 1 inch cubes)

5 – cups Greenlee’s Best Cinnamon Bread (cut into 1 inch cubes)

2 – cups semi sweet chocolate chips

1 – cup sliced almonds

2 – cups fresh cherries (pitted and cut into 4 pieces)

1 1/4 – cups sugar

4 – eggs

1 – teaspoon cinnamon

1 – teaspoon almond extract

1 – teaspoon vanilla

3 – cups half and half

1 – cup whole milk

5 – tablespoons unsalted butter (melted and brought back to room temperature) plus a little extra to butter your dish.

 All photos taken by Nicole Presley

Preheat oven to 300 degrees fahrenheit.

Crush Amaretti cookies and cut pound cake and cinnamon bread into cubes.  Combine all in a big mixing bowl.

Next add in chocolate chips and sliced almonds.  Mix well.  Set to the side.

Wash cherries and pitt them all.  Then slice each cherry into 4 pieces.  Set to the side.

Generously grease a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish, now take 6 cups of  bread cubes and place in baking dish, arrange neatly to make your first layer.  Then add all cherry slices.

Place remaining bread cubes mixture on top of cherries and press down to compact dish. Set to the side.

With a electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs together on high for 4 minutes.  Next add cinnamon, almond extract, vanilla, half and half, milk and butter.  Beat for 2 minutes.  Carefully ladle egg/half and half mixture over prepared bread cubes.

Once egg/half and half mixture is poured in, gently  press down on bread cubes with both hands to make sure they are soaked in egg/half and half mixture.

Now in a large baking dish or roasting pan (15 x 10 inches) fill 1 inch deep with hot water to create a water bath, then place the 9 x 13 inch prepared bread pudding dish in the middle of the 15 x 10 water bath (you want the bath to go halfway up the side of the 9 x 13 inch dish) and place in oven for 1 hour.

As soon as the bread pudding is ready, remove from water bath and and let it cool for 1 hour.

Spoon bread pudding into cupcake holders for individual servings.  Top with a cherry and sprinkle with Amaretti cookie crumbs if you have any left. 🙂  Place in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 hours or overnight.

Scroll down for the Chicken Cherry Salad Sandwiches!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post by Whole Foods Market. However all opinions and recipes are my own. I genuinely love Whole Foods Market. 🙂