Cherries

It's the season of cherries and we are trying to make the most of it. This means, most of all, eating fresh cherries, of course, but also preserving cherries and making cherry pies and cakes.
Last year I got hooked on making jams and this year I made cherry jams too.

Cherry Jam

Ingredients:

• 1000 g of pitted cherries (I don't have (or need) a special tool to remove the pit, instead I use a safety pin, it's surprisingly easy, though messy)
• 500 g sugar
• 1 even teaspoon lemon acid

Cover the pitted cherries with the sugar, stir and leave in the fridge for the night or at least for 4 hours. On the next day bring the cherries to boil, reduce the temperature and leave to simmer for 30-40 min. Stir regularly. When the density is to your satisfaction, add the lemon acid, boil for 1-2 min more and switch off the hot plate. Fill the jam in jars while still hot, close the lids and turn the jars upside down to cool.

We prepared six small jars and the children already ate one of them for breakfast - they love pancakes and sandwiches with homemade jam.

Cherry Cake

This is a recipe I came up with to make use of some half a kilo of cherries we had left in the fridge the other day.
Ingredients:

• 400 g pitted cherries
• 200 g sugar
• 200 g flour
• 50 g wheat semolina
• 50 g oil or butter
• 10 g baking powder
• 3 eggs
• 50 ml milk

Cover the pitted cherries with the sugar and leave in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Beat the eggs, add the oil and the milk. Mix the flour with the semolina and the baking powder, add the cherries and stir. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry mixture.

Pour the batter in a cake form and bake in a preheated oven at 180C until ready.

The cake is very juicy and with a fresh summery taste, ideal for morning coffee or milk:

Cherry Smoothy

Ingredients:

• 250 g pitted cherries
• 250 g yogurt
• 250 g milk
• 2 tbsp sugar

We used to make smoothies with milk or water, but after I came upon a recipe, combining yogurt and milk, this is how we prepare smoothies with fruit at home these days. And it makes so much sense - fruit acid curdles the milk, but when the milk is combined with yogurt, which is in a sense already curdled milk, the mixture becomes homogeneous and tasty. The same recipe can be applied to strawberries, peaches, apricots, etc.

Mix the cold ingredients in a blender, serve immediately and enjoy :)