Get ready for a chocolate covered cherry... "MJM Mouthgasm"!

January 3, 11:58 AMTampa Inspirational Cook ExaminerJoseph Granato

Previous Next

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Tampa Inspirational Cook Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Cherries and chocolate... Move over strawberries!

Today is National chocolate covered cherry day!  That's right... if you are thinking chocolate and cherries, one of the first things that comes to mind besides the cordials, is the ever loving classic... the "Black Forrest Cake".  But, today we will create another "soon to be" classic...

Ahhhhh, there is nothing like hot, fresh “Cherry” pie... " if you know what I mean, Vern" !!!  Another crazy concoction (creation) is my “aLL MiXeDD uP” cherry pie.  It’s all mixed up because I use several varieties of cherries.  I like the combination of the sweet Golden Anne Cherries mixed with the tart cherries mixed in with the semi sweet Bing Cherries.  The three together makes an excellent combination!  Now being today is National Chocolate covered Cherry day, I thought I would throw a "twist" to my cherry pie!  Instead of putting a top crust on the pie, make it as directed but leave off the top crust.  Instead make a chocolate ganache and once the pie is baked and cooled, drizzle the ganache over the top of the pie and let set.  You are garonteed' to have a multipe "MJM Mouthgasm" for sure!!!

Chocolate covered “aLL MiXeD uP” CHERRY PIE

‘Z’ Dough...
1 ½ - cups all purpose flour
  ½ - cup - fine cornmeal
1 - teaspoon salt
¾ - cup sugar

1 stick plus 2 ½ Tablespoons - unsalted butter @ room temperature

3 - egg yolks
1 - teaspoon vanilla
1 - Tablespoon cold water

In a food processor, put the dry ingredients.  Pulse until thoroughly mixed.  Next add the room temperature butter, in chunks, to the dry ingredients.  Pulse until mixture is coarse and crumbly.  In a separate bowl, lightly mix the egg yolks, vanilla and the water.  With the machine running pour the liquid through the feed tube.  Mix until dough forms and rises on top of the blades.  Remove the dough and knead lightly with a little flour, if necessary, until dough ball is not sticky to touch.  Place in ziploc baggie and refrigerate for an hour or more.  Next, remove the dough and split into two pieces.  Roll out each piece between two sheets of wax paper, with some flour sprinkled to prevent sticking, reserving one piece for the bottom and the other for the top.  (Rolling between the wax paper keeps your rolling pin clean, your tabletop or cutting board clean and when making pie dough, after removing one side allows you to handle the crust easier when placing in the pie tin)!  Once you achieve the desired thickness (approximately one-eighth to one-quarter inch thick).  Next, remove one piece of the wax paper and place your “Pam” sprayed pie tin with topside facing down, on the exposed side of the pie dough.  Flip over the pan/dough and form the dough to the pan making some sort of edge on the dough.  Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. 

MJM tip of the day... when making fruit pies, sprinkle some plain cake crumbs or cornmeal onto the crust before adding the filling.  This will help absorb any extra juices and will help prevent the crust from getting soggy!

THE FILLING…
1 - can tart pitted cherries
1 - can Bing cherries
1 - can Queen Anne Golden cherries
Drain and put the juice into a saucepan.  Reserve about ¼ to ½ cup of the juice in a separate bowl, to mix with the cornstarch to thicken your pie filling.

3-4 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 - teaspoon lemon juice (sounds funny, but actually takes away a little of the tartness)!
1 - cup 10X sugar
1 - teaspoon vanilla

Bring to a boil the juice in the saucepan.  In the separate bowl of juice add the cornstarch and stir until thoroughly mixed. (When mixing cornstarch always use cool or cold liquids, otherwise it ain’t goin’ to happen)!  Next with the juice boiling add the sugar, vanilla and lemon juice.  Next, add the cornstarch liquid while constantly stirring with a whip or large spoon.  Reduce the heat and continue stirring nice and clear looking and thick.  If necessary, make more cornstarch solution using cold water and add to the mixture while cooking until to the desired thickness.  Next, take the cherries, still in the strainer (this allows them to drain more, in fact, you can lightly press the fruit to squeeze any excess juices) and mix them gently into the thickened and slightly cooled juice mixture. 

Pre-heat the oven to three hundred, fifty-degrees.  Next, put the cherry filling into the chilled pie shell that is already sprinkled with some cake crumbs or cornmeal.  (Optional:   if you want a top crust, with a little egg wash brushed on the edge of the dough, place the top piece of the crust and press the edges together.  Put a couple of slashes in the top of the crust to help release the pressure inside of the crust.  Brush the top of the pie with an egg wash).  Then place the pie on a wax paper lined sheet pan (this make for easy clean up).  It is easier to handle the pie if it is on a sheet pan, plus the extra thickness of the pan helps prevent the bottom from burning!  Bake for about forty-five minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling.  Remove from the oven and let cool for several hours before drizzling with the ganache.  If you are in the cake mood, still,  check out this "cherry chocolate cake with chocolate ganache".    Another taste-bud teasin' delite!
 

O.K. that should do ya' for now.  The cornmeal crust adds a nice dimension to the pie, too!   And you have two cake recipes to link on to, so you have three recipes today!  That should keep your taste buds hoppin' with "Cherry Lovin' Joy".  It is a beautiful day out there, at least here in sunny Florida.. Create a super fun weekend and as always... "Live the Life you Love"! 

Your friend,

Mango