Jill Drury from Milwaukee, Wisconsin submitted the recipe and said she used to stand in a corner eating pancakes all by herself, until she made these pancakes for her family. I know if you aren’t already a pancake lover, these will definitely do the trick! Congratulations, Jill, for a marvelous recipe and one I will be making over and over again.

CHERRY PANCAKES

Want to delight the family this summer? Serve these delicious cherry pancakes.

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 scant cup buttermilk
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1-1 /3 cups all- purpose flour
1 /2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 /2 tsp baking soda
1 cup Brownwood Acres Dried Tart Cherries or Brownwood Acres Dried Wild Blueberries
1 /4 cup FruitFast tart cherry juice concentrate

Directions:

Separate the eggs so that the yolks go into a large bowl and the whites go into the bowl of a stand mixer or a bowl large enough to fit a hand held electric mixer.

Add the buttermilk & juice and melted butter to the yolks in the bowl and beat together. In another bowl mix together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

With a stand mixer or electric mixer, whip the egg whites to hold soft peaks.

Now pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and stir lightly until just combined. Some lumps are OK. Fold in the egg whites until just combined. It’s OK if some of the whites aren’t fully incorporated.

Rub a non-stick frying pan with a bit of butter and heat over medium-high heat. Add batter to pan to make whatever size pancake you want (I like small ones made with a heaping tablespoon of batter – my pan fits about 5 of these at a time). Pancakes are ready to flip once a few bubbles appear on the surface and the tops are starting to go dull. Just before they are ready to flip, sprinkle a few dried cherries or dried blueberries on top of each pancake. Flip and cook another minute or two.

If you wish you can keep the pancakes warm in a very low oven while you cook the remaining batter.

CHERRY MAPLE BUTTER

You can adjust the amount of maple syrup to make it more or less pronounced, depending on your tastes.

1 /2 cup unsalted butter
1 /8 cup FruitFast Cherry Juice Concentrate
1 /3 cup maple syrup

Directions:

In a small saucepan, melt together butter, juice and maple syrup over low heat until melted. Serve immediately over pancakes.

Serves 3-4 people

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Chocolate Cherry Croissant Bread Pudding

Second Place winner – Margee Berry of White Salmon, Washington, delighted us with this marvelous bread pudding dessert. Contest judge, Kathy, said, “I am usually not a fan of bread pudding, but this recipe brought together interesting ingredients in a perfect way. It was absolutely delicious and was not difficult to make.”

Kathy is absolutely right.  I made this recipe for the judging panel and again a few days later for a dinner party.  Cheers from everyone!!

The croissants are such a light touch to this pudding allowing the cherry and chocolate flavors to come through.  We are so happy to be able to share it with our readers.

Congratulations Margee!

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CROISSANT BREAD PUDDING WITH SPARKLING SABAYON SAUCE

Ingredients:

Croissant Bread Pudding:

2            large croissants (about 6 ounces each) cut into ½ inch cubes

4            ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate, at least 65% cacao

1/ 2       cup FruitFast Montmorency dried cherries

2            cups half & half

1/ 2       vanilla bean, split lengthwise

2            large eggs

1/ 2       cup sugar

2            Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pats

Sparkling Sabayon Sauce

1/ 2        cup heavy cream

3             large egg yolks

1/ 4        cup sugar

1/3         sparkling wine (non-alcoholic can be used)

3            Tbsp FruitFast tart cherry juice concentrate

Directions:

For croissant bread Pudding:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spread croissant cubes onto a large baking sheet and bake until golden brown about 10 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

2.  Divide chopped chocolate and dried cherries into the bottom of six ¾ cup greased ramekins or custard cups.  Place equal amounts of croissant cubes on next.

3.  Place half & half in medium saucepan then scrape vanilla bean seeds into saucepan; add the bean. Whisk over medium heat until half & half starts to simmer.  Remove the bean.  In a small bowl whisk together eggs and sugar, slowly add ½ cup of half & half to the bowl, return to saucepan and whisk for 1 minute over medium-low.  Pour equal amounts of mixture over croissant cubes.  Dot the tops with the butter pats.  Place ramekins in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish.  Add enough hot water to the baking dish to come halfway up the sides of ramekins.

4.  Bake bread puddings until set about 40 minutes.  Remove ramekins from baking dish onto wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.  Run a knife around ramekin edges, then un-mold onto dessert plates and top with the sabayon sauce.  Serves 6

For Sparkling Sabayon Sauce:

1.  While bread pudding is baking make sauce by beating the cream in a medium bowl. With mixer until stiff peaks form then refrigerate to keep cold.

2.  Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a medium metal bowl; add the wine and cherry concentrate, set bowl over saucepan with simmer water; whisk constantly until mixture is thick about 6 minutes.  Place the bowl over a large bowl filled halfway with ice and cold water.  Continue whisking mixture in the metal bowl until cooled about 6 minutes more then fold in the whipped cream.  Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Contest judge – and National Cherry Festival Queen -  Maria LaCross summed up best her major criteria in the selection process; “Which contest recipe would you most like to have another helping of?”  And they all did …

First Place winner - Mary Shivers

Mary’s winning dish incorporates several FruitFast products and the combination of grains, nuts and tart cherry juice made the taste unforgettable.

Congratulations Mary!

Coconut-Cashew Chicken with Spicy Cilantro Cherry Sauce

Ingredients:

Non-stick cooking spray
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cups Nature’s Hand Coconut Cashew Granola
3  Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Sauce:

1/2 cup Brownwood Acres Dried Tart Cherries, chopped (divided use)
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 of a large dried ancho chile pepper, stemmed and seeded
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup minced onion
2 oz. FRUITFAST Montmorency Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate
1/4 tso kosher salt
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp water

Garnish:
4 cilantro sprigs

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Stir egg and milk together in a pie plate.  Pulse granola in a food processor for 10-20 seconds until consistency of crumbs.  Pour into a large bowl and stir in flour, garlic powder, cayenne, parsley flakes, salt and pepper.  Dip both sides of chicken in egg mixture then in granola mixture, coating completely.  Place chicken 1/2-inch apart in prepared baking dish.  Bake for 25-30 minutes until juices run clear.  Meanwhile, for sauce, in a food processor or blender, puree 1/4 cup dried cherries, chicken broth, dried ancho chile pepper, garlic, and onion until smooth.  Pour into a 1-quart saucepan.  Stir in cherry juice concentrate, salt, and brown sugar.  Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to boil, stirring often.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 6-8 minutes.  Stir in remaining cherries and cilantro. In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch and water together.  Stir into mixture.  Cook and stir until mixture thickens.  To serve, place each chicken breast on a serving plate.  Top with sauce as desired.  Serve remaining sauce on the side.  Garnish with cilantro sprigs.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Tart Cherry Berry Cheesecake

How difficult it was to select those initial semi-finalists from an assortment of excellent entrée and dessert recipes.  Such a variety of taste-tempting submissions like Fettuccine with Prosciutto in a Cherry Goat Cheese Sauce, Grapefruit n’ Edamame Guacamole, Blue Cheese Cranberry Cabbage Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Tart Cherry Berry Cheesecake (pictured) and countless others.

But not to worry.  We will share these wonderful recipes on our recipe blog and will look forward to receiving your comments, suggestions and future submissions.  Feel free to submit a favorite recipe or idea to me whenever the urge strikes.

The Challenge has confirmed how many talented and innovative culinary types there are.  One of the best aspects of this contest has been the contacts I have had with many of you.  Please stay or get in touch with me as I value your input and perspective on anything related to food.

Here’s to healthy eating and joy of cooking!

Photo courtesy of Taste of Home

I agree and that’s why the last few weeks reviewing recipe entries for FruitFast’s Berry Cherry Challenge has been such a pleasurable journey, full of new ideas, methods and culinary pairings offered by chefs and cooks from all around the country.

First, the response to the contest has been outstanding – better than anticipated – but even more heartening has been my contact with submitters through emails and notes.  The enthusiasm for your craft – and I believe it’s a finely-honed art requiring concentration and skill at this level – has been heart-warming and contagious.  Thanks for making the Challenge such a fun and rewarding experience.  We’ll be announcing the winners April 30^th!

With Easter and Passover, we usher in a new season of entertaining, and that means plenty of time planning and preparing meals – as the kitchen becomes the heart of the household for congregating and conversation.

Enjoy that experience of providing not only sustenance, but healthful eating and discovery for those you love.

Photo by jess4freedom

Well, here’s one from the recipe blog, jess4freedom, and it just could not be simpler.  Of course, you will find FruitFast Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate added to the mix for exceptional color and real cherry taste.  My favorite option is using the more condensed, thicker CherryFlex Liquid Fruit Supplement which you will also find delicious in salad dressings, meat sauces or poured straight from the bottle over ice cream. Note this soup requires two hours to chill.

Ingredients:

1 quart tart cherries
1/3 cup ginger ale
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup FruitFast Cherry Juice Concentrate or 4 Tbsp CherryFlex Liquid
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1  tsp vanilla extract
1  cup sour cream

Directions:

Place cherries in a food processor or blender: cover and process until smooth. Add ginger ale, milk, sugar, cherry juice concentrate or CherryFlex Liquid, lemon juice, and vanilla: cover and process until blended.

Pour into bowl: whisk in sour cream until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours. Prep Time: 5 minutes.

Servings:  4

www.speckmanphotography.com

Thanks to all of you who took the time and made the effort to submit your original recipes using FruitFast products — everything from tart cherry juice and fruit liquids to FruitFast’s dried cherries, blueberries and cranberries are featured in all kinds of intriguing entrées and desserts — now it’s our turn to begin the fun part of the process  — choosing  the winners.

Due to the hefty number of responses, we changed the winners’ announcement date to Friday, April 30. That’s when we’ll be sharing the winning recipes and hand out the prizes.

Stay tuned and get all the latest information right here and on our Facebook page!

Photo: Francesco Tonelli; Styling: Philippa Brathwaite

Ingredients:

8 oz uncooked orzo
1 tbsp kosher salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
1-1/2 cups diced fennel (about 1 bulb)
1/2 cup chopped radish
3 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
3 Tbsp minced green onions
2 cups med size, cooked, deveined shrimp
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/3 cup almonds (optional)

Directions:

Cook orzo pasta with 1 Tbsp kosher salt according to the package directions.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Drain well.

Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, mustard and ground pepper in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk.
Set aside.

In a large skillet, add olive oil and heat.   Add fennel, radish, and green onions.  Sauté until fennel is tender crisp, add the shrimp and continue to sauté until the shrimp is warm, about another minute or two.   Add the orzo and transfer to the bowl with the lemon dressing.  Add fresh mint, salt and almonds (if using).   Toss to coat.  Serve warm.

Yield: 4 (1-1/4 cup) servings

Ingredients:

Nut Flour:

1/2 cup cashews
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup almonds

Nut Mixture:

1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup Brownwood Acres Dried Tart Cherries
1/2 tsp salt (do not use, if nuts and/or seeds are already salted)
1 tsp cinnamon (optional, but add if not using chocolate chips)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup high quality coconut oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease with coconut oil a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

For nut flour, place 1/2 cup cashews, cup of pumpkin seeds and cup of almonds in a food processor and grind into a coarse nut flour; be careful not to grind into a paste. Transfer the nut flour to a medium bowl and stir in the sunflower seeds, 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, dried cherries, salt and cinnamon (if using) and chocolate chips.

In a small saucepan, melt the honey and coconut oil over medium heat, do not boil. Pour the honey/oil mixture over the nut mixture and stir to coat evenly. Press the mixture into the prepared casserole dish and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.

Allow to cool for 20 minutes, then gently cut and remove the bars. At this point, if they fall apart, they can be pressed back together.  Place the bars on a plate to cool further. As they cool they will harden, as the honey acts like glue. After they cool, place in an airtight container.

Whether you consider yourself an amateur cook or a gourmand, the winning original recipe entrant using FruitFast products will receive their choice of either a new KitchenAid Mixer or a $250 cash prize!

The Berry Cherry Challenge entries will be accepted now through Tuesday, April 5.  The top three winners will be announced on Wednesday, April 20.  Second and third place winners will receive $125 and $75 respectively of FruitFast products.  Plus the first 25 contest entrants will receive $2 off any Brownwood Acres/ FruitFast product of their choice just for entering!

The two contest categories are Entrées and Desserts.  The possibilities for imaginative recipes is almost limitless, especially when submissions incorporate Brownwood Acres/ FruitFast products and our extensive line of super fruit juice concentrates, dried fruits, fruit liquid varieties of CherryFlex, Mixed Berry and Wonderful Pomegranate.

The first phase judging criteria will be based on originality, ease of preparation and creative use of the FruitFast products.

Successful submissions moving on to Phase II will be judged on originality,  ease of preparation, taste, and creative use of fruit.  The panel will prepare and judge the final entries based on this criteria.

Contestants must be 18 or older, residents of the US or the District of Columbia.  Original recipes created by the entrant may be submitted with entry form as an attachment by email to debbie@fruitfast.com or mail to:   FruitFast/ Berry Cherry Challenge, PO Box 261,  Traverse City, MI  49685-0261.  Entries may be faxed to 231.947.1408.

Berry Cherry Challenge recipes may also be accompanied with photos or video, and while encouraged, are not necessary.  See complete recipe contest rules at www.berrycherrychallenge.com.

Be sure to check the Brownwood Acres website, Berry Cherry Challenge website, and the FruitFast Facebook page often for contest updates, reminders and the winners!

Don’t wait –  let’s get cookin’!