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Vegan Cooking
Tart Cherries Bring Sweet Memories
by Mary Eileen Finch
Cherries always remind me of my parental grandmother or "Granny" as we called her. She lived in a quaint brick house that had a large backyard peppered with several cherry trees. But alas, we were not allowed to touch them. She had a lot of grandchildren and I'm sure she was afraid after we got through with them she would have no cherries left for baking. But I was young and the lure of the fresh, sweet, juicy fruit was too much for me to resist. On summer afternoons we would sit in the living room, her in the recliner and I on the couch, she would crochet and I would try to read. But I was really just waiting for her head to start nodding, a sign that she was falling asleep. When I was sure that she was sound asleep I would slowly slide off the couch and sneak outside, making sure the screen door didn't slam shut behind me. I would then run to the backyard and climb up a tree and begin gorging myself. There is nothing quite like warm, tangy cherries fresh off the tree. Of course your first instinct is to spit the seeds as far as you can but I was always too afraid to leave any evidence of my thievery. So, I would carefully place the seeds and stems in my hand and after I was done eating I would go and hide them under one of her numerous flowerpots. I would than proceed to quietly enter the house, sit back down, and pretend that I had never left.
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Granny always had a cherry pie or cobbler on her counter. She had a special knack with pastry and watching her make it was pure entertainment. She had a big bowl that she would pour flour and salt into, making a well in the middle. Then she would put a spoonful of lard down into the hole and start kneading away, adding water when necessary. She used no measurements but would always end up with this beautiful flaky crust in a matter of minutes. She would put the crusts and cherries in a pan with lots of sugar and butter, the result of which was something similar to cobbler but with many layers.
Unfortunately her way with pastry was not hereditary. My pie crust usually turns out something similar to pizza dough. So I make the dish using phyllo sheets, which produces amazing results. Here is my veganized recipe:
Fresh Cherry Cobbler
- 1 cup vegan sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 cups pitted fresh cherries
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 40 sheets phyllo dough
- 1 cup vegan butter, melted
Preheat oven to 450°. Blend sugar, cornstarch, cherries, and almond extract in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Continue to boil and stir for 1 minute. Pour fruit mixture into a bowl and set aside.
Brush a 9" x 12" baking pan with butter. Place 10 buttered phyllo sheets on bottom. Sprinkle with 1/3 of cherry mixture. Place 10 more buttered phyllo sheets on top, then 1/3 more cherry mixture, top with another 10 buttered phyllo sheets and rest of cherry mixtures. Finish with another 10 phyllo sheets and brush with remaining butter.
Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.
Cherries are also good in ambrosia salad, using non-dairy cool whip and vegan marshmallows of course.
Fresh Ambrosia Salad
- 1 container Hip Whip
- 2 cups shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup fresh sliced peaches
- 1/2 cup red grapes
- 1/2 cup fresh sliced pears
- 1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped
- 1 cup oranges, chopped
- 3 cups chopped vegan marshmallows
- 1 cup fresh cherries
- 1-teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1-teaspoon ground cinnamon
In a large bowl, combine the whipped topping, coconut, chopped nuts, fresh fruit, pineapple, oranges, marshmallows, cherries, nutmeg and cinnamon. Mix together well and refrigerate for 30 to 45 minutes.
Cherry Trivia
- Cherries were brought to America by ship with early settlers in the 1600s.
- Modern day cherry production began in the mid-1800s.
- The most famous sweet cherry variety is the Bing cherry.
- The U. S. cherry industry produces more than 650 million pounds of tart and sweet cherries each year
- Cherries are drupes, or stone fruits, related to plums and more distantly to peaches and nectarines.
- There are two main types of cherries: sweet and sour. Sour cherries are lower in calories and higher in vitamin C and beta-carotene than sweet cherries.
- The Romans carried cherries throughout Europe and England along the routes of conquest.
Cherries can also be added to cakes to add color, flavor and variety. Poached cherries make an excellent topping for soy ice cream. Dried cherries add sweetness to oatmeal or trail mix. But, for me, nothing can compare to stolen cherries plucked right off the branches of my granny's cherry trees.
Mary Eileen Finch, CD (DONA) lives in Arkansas along with her inspiring husband, Jason, and their three adorable children, Rebecca, Jarod, and Alex. She is a certified labor doula and a vegan of seven years.
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