Wow! I've just been eating the most delicious cherries courtesy of the Granite Belt growers. They arrived in a pack with a heap of other goodies which were also delish. I'm a little too old to wear cherry earrings, but was still thrilled to find not a double, but a triple in the bunch.
The cherry growers have given me some good tips on how to eat my cherries at their best - keep them cool, keep them dry and loosely packed in a closed container in the fridge and leave the stems on to maintain freshness.
Here's a cherry recipe that sounds delicious -
Goats cheese and rocket salad with cherry dressing
(4 servings)
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, Salt, Pepper, Sugar, 8 fresh cherries, pitted and quartered, 300g rocket, 50g pine nuts, 300g fresh goats cheese in a log, 3 tablespoon cornflakes, 2 teaspoons oil, 3 green onions, finely sliced
Method:
In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar and mustard to make a dressing. Season with salt, pepper and sugar and stir trough the cherries, set aside.
Rinse rocket and spin dry. Heat a small frying pan and dry roast pine nuts until golden brown. Cut cheese into about 2cm wide discs. Place cornflakes in a sealed lunch bag and crush with your fingers. Place cornflakes on a plate and press cheese with both sides into cornflakes. Heat oil in a non stick frying pan and brown the cheese on both sides. Place cheese on paper towel, then arrange with the salad on a plate. Scatter over the onions, pine nuts and dressing and serve immediately.