Cherry Ping
Question: How do you make a cherry turnover?
Answer: Tickle its stomach.
Are you ready for more fruit jokes? No? Can’t say as I blame you. “That cherry joke is really lame, Mom,” my 7-year-old son informed me.
Are you ready for National Cherry Month then? February is just around the corner. Think George Washington, an axe and cherry tree. The lingering days of winter make February a perfect time to celebrate the cherry – a proven pain reducer, cancer quencher, headache soother and snooze inducer.
Did you know that the cherry is actually a member of the rose family? Kind of makes it a natural tie-in with love, hearts and roses presented to pretty girls and all that mushy stuff for Valentine’s Day. You can take a rather mundane dessert, jazz it up with a ripe-red kissable cherry, and the sophistication level rises. Take ordinary chocolate cake for instance. Add cherries, and suddenly the title changes to black forest cake. How’s that for a crowd stopper?
Why choose cherries?
There are lots of reasons to pile this jewel-colored treasure into your grocery cart and most of them reach beyond great taste and rumors of aphrodisiac qualities.
Cherries with a musky scent are said to stimulate the production of pheromones. These naturally occurring chemical compounds are found in all insects, animals and humans. When pheromones are secreted, they attract the opposite sex. Historically, the saying “brides with lips like cherries” stemmed from this association. So, if you want that little redhead to notice you for Valentine’s Day, Charlie Brown, better stock up on cherries.
Cherries are a seasonal fruit. Good luck finding many fresh berries in February. The scarcity adds to their sensuous reputation. Best bets this time of year might be the freezer section of your supermarket for some frozen berries or try locating some canned ones packed in water.
Has your fruit done this for you lately?
Pain reducer
Black and Bing cherries have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which may shut down the pain caused by gout and arthritis.
Headache soother
Eating 20 cherries at the first onset of cranium pain may help prevent a full-blown headache. Cherries contain potent plant chemicals called anthocyanins, which have been shown to be 10 times as potent at blocking inflammatory pain as aspirin. Eating around 20 cherries is like taking one or two aspirin a day.
Cancer quencher
Studies conducted on tart cherries suggest that they contain substances that reduce the formation of carcinogenic (cancer-causing) chemicals that occur when meat is cooked under high temperatures.
Snoozer inducer
If counting sheep has failed you and has you seeing out of puffy, red-eyes, stock up on tart cherries. The tart variety is rich in the antioxidant melatonin, which my help promote restful sleep.
Try surprising your Valentine with this scrumptious cherry dessert recipe. It makes a generous 12 servings, so spread the love around.
CHERRY PING
Serves 12.
1 cup sugar and 2⁄3 cup sugar, divided
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 (16-ounce) cans of pitted tart cherries in water, reserve 1 cup liquid
1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon almond extract
2 teaspoons powdered sugar (optional)
Combine 1 cup sugar, the flours and baking powder in a bowl. Stir well. Add the vanilla and eggs until just moistened. Set aside. Drain cherries, reserving liquid. Put in 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine 2⁄3 cup sugar, cornstarch and nutmeg. Whisk cherry juice, the lemon juice and almond extract into the sugar-nutmeg mixture. Pour this over the cherries. Drop flour mixture by heaping teaspoonfuls onto cherry mixture. Bake 35-40 minutes at 375 degrees or until top sounds hollow (pings) when tapped. Cool for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.
Lynda Murray, MA, RD, LD, CSSD, lives in Burlington, Iowa. She can be reached at dietitianmagician@q.com or www.dietitianmagician.com. Items in this column are intended to be informational in nature only. It is not intended to diagnose or treat.
