Cherry Crisp

Don't forget to join Gnee of Singing With Birds and me for our End of Summer BlogBBQ!

I've never baked much with cherries. Last summer I purchased a few cherries from the Farmer's Market and made this. I used an opened up paper clip as my cherry pitter. While it worked okay, I wanted a real cherry pitter. I bought this one. If you have a lot of cherries to pit, get this one, it's awesome!

I was looking forward to making a cold soup with those cherries. When Tim heard that, in a very disappointed voice he said he was hoping I would make a dessert. Since I am challenged, when it comes to pie crusts, I decided to make a crisp.

Cherry Crisp

4 cups pitted sour cherries
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2.In a large bowl, combine cherries, 1 1/2 cups white sugar, and 4 tablespoons flour. Pour into 9x13 inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, oats, and brown sugar. Cut in butter and shortening until crumbly. Sprinkle over cherries.
3.Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until topping is golden brown

I am linking this to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound!

Grilled Chicken with Cherry Sauce

I picked up a pint of cherries at the Farmers Market on Saturday. Not really enough for a pie or cobbler. I decided to try a cherry sauce for grilled chicken.

So these cherries have pits!! My kitchen is full of gadgets but not a cherry pitter. Normally when I see how you can take an ordinary item and make something else useful out of it, I always think what a great idea but never seem have a need for it. Who knew a paper clip would made a great cherry pitter?

This is my adaptation of several recipes for cherry sauce and cherry barbeque sauce. You could use this sauce on pork or even fish. It's slightly sweet with a little tang.

Cherry Sauce

1/3 cup apple juice

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 Tbs orange juice

¼ tsp grated orange rind

2¼ cups pitted quartered sweet cherries (about 1 pound)

2 tsp cornstarch

2 tsp water

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cherries and bring to a boil over medium low heat. Cook 10 - 15 minutes, stirring often. Strain the mixture and return to the pan. Combine the cornstarch and water. Stir into the sauce and bring to a boil, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.

Brush on chicken breasts during the last few minutes of cooking. Watch carefully, since the sauce is sweet, it will burn easily.