Vanilla Figs And Dried Cherries Recipes

DRIED CHERRY AND ALMOND COOKIES WITH VANILLA ICING

Steps:

• For the Cookies:
• In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, cinnamon, and salt until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in the egg. Add the flour and beat on the lowest speed until just blended. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the dried cherries and almonds.
• Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and shape it into a log, about 12-inches long and 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Wrap the dough in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (Dough can be made up to 3 days in advance).
• Arrange an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 heavy baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Cut the log crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Transfer the dough slices to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1-inch apart. Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges and puffed, about 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before icing, about 30 minutes.
• For the Icing:
• Put the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the vanilla extract and water, adding more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the mixture becomes a drizzling consistency. (Makes about 2/3 cups icing, enough to ice both variations.)
• Put the cooled cookies on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Using a spoon or a fork, drizzle the cookies with the icing, allowing any excess icing to drip onto the baking sheet. Allow the icing to set before serving, about 1 hour.
• Cook's Note: To toast the almonds, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 6 to 8 minutes until lightly toasted. Cool completely before using.
• Cook's Note Alternative:
• Replace the dried cherries with 1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried apricots and add 2 tablespoons of toasted pine nuts. Also, use 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and omit the almond extract.

DRIED CHERRY CAKE

Steps:

• Combine cherries, hot water, and almond extract: let stand 20 minutes. Drain cherries, and pat dry between layers of paper towels. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, and 1 cup white sugar. Add yogurt, eggs, and oil. Stir well. Fold in cherries. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9 inch round cake pan.
• Stir pecans and 1 tablespoon white sugar together. Sprinkle on top of batter in pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 minutes, or until wooden pick comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

DRIED FIG, APRICOT, AND CHERRY SLUMP

Steps:

• Filling:
• Combine first 9 ingredients in 12-inch broilerproof skillet with 3-inch-high sides or wide 3-quart stovetop casserole dish. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
• Drop Biscuits:
• Whisk flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking soda, and sea salt in medium bowl to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until very coarse meal forms (butter pieces will be reduced to size of small peas). Add buttermilk and stir just until dough comes together (dough will be slightly wet). Mix remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon in small bowl to blend.
• Return dried fruit mixture to simmer. Using generous 1/4 cup biscuit dough for each, scoop 8 mounds of dough atop simmering fruit mixture, spacing apart. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over each biscuit. Cover skillet tightly and simmer over medium-low heat until biscuits are puffy and cooked through (tester inserted into center of biscuits comes out clean), about 12 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Let slump stand uncovered 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile position rack in upper third of oven at least 6 inches from heat source and preheat broiler. Broil slump just until biscuit tops are light golden, watching closely to prevent burning, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Divide fruit slump among bowls. Pour chilled cream over each and serve.

FIGS AND DRIED CHERRIES POACHED IN VANILLA-HONEY SYRUP WITH PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• Combine 2 cups water and sugar in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir in honey. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Add figs and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 15 minutes. Add dried tart cherries; cover and simmer until figs and dried cherries are tender, about 10 minutes longer. Transfer fig mixture to bowl. Chill until cold, about 3 hours. (Fig mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.) Discard vanilla bean. Divide fig mixture among 6 bowls. Top each serving with dollop of yogurt, if desired. Sprinkle with pistachios.

CHERRY CHOCOLATE BEIGNETS WITH VANILLA STEWED CHERRIES

Steps:

• Split the vanilla bean in half and with a back of a paring knife scrape the inside of its seeds. In a medium saucepan, add the 4 cups of cherries, red wine, 1/2 cup sugar and the vanilla bean and it's seeds. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, remove vanilla bean. Keep stewed cherries warm.
• To make Cherry Chocolate Beignets: In a large saucepan, heat up the oil for frying to 360 degrees F. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, set aside. In another medium bowl whisk eggs with oil, remaining 1/4 cup sugar and milk. Add flour mixture to egg mixture, stir in melted chocolate and dried cherries. Roll 2 tablespoons of batter into balls. Fry each side for 1 minute. Transfer beignets to a rack.
• To serve, place about 1/3 cup of the poached cherries with liquid in a soup bowl. Place 2 to 3 beignets on top and garnish with Cocoa-Sugar Dusting.
• In a small bowl combine cocoa powder and sugar.

CHERRY-FIG BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees.
• Combine flour, 3/4 cup sugar, butter, eggs, baking soda and vanilla in a small bowl.
• Beat at slow speed, for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping bowl often.
• Stir in cherries and figs.
• Spread into greased and floured 9" pan.
• Sprinkle remaining sugar over top.
• Bake at 325 for 22- 30 minutes.
• Cool completely, cut into bars.

FIG AND CHERRY COOKIE PIES

Steps:

• Prepare the pastry: Combine the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the egg yolks and cream, and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Add more cream if necessary, but stop before the dough is too wet. Tip the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and form it into a ball, divide in two and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, prepare the filling: In a small saucepan, combine the figs, cherries and 1¼ cups water, and bring to a low simmer over medium heat. Cook until the figs are very soft, about 15 minutes, adding a little more water as necessary to make a moist paste. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor and add the almonds, brown sugar, rum, orange zest, cinnamon and salt, and pulse until you have a relatively smooth paste. (You should have about 1¼ cups filling.) Let cool completely.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 1 ball at a time, roll the dough out to ⅛-inch thickness on a very lightly floured surface. Use a 2¼-inch cookie cutter to cut out circles. Transfer the circles to the prepared baking sheet. Scoop about a scant tablespoon of filling onto half of the dough circles. Brush the edges of the filled circles with a bit of cream and top with another dough circle, gently pressing the edges to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. (If the dough becomes too soft, pop it into the fridge to firm up before continuing.) You can reroll and cut the dough scraps one time.
• Chill the pies for 10 minutes. Use a fork to crimp all of the edges. (If you'd like to neaten the edges, you can go over the cookies again with the cookie cutter.) Refrigerate the cookies for at least 30 more minutes. While the cookies chill, heat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Brush the top of each cookie with cream. Bake until they're golden and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely.
• Prepare the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, almond extract and 3 tablespoons cream. The icing should be spreadable. If it isn't, stir in another tablespoon cream. Spread a bit of the glaze on each cookie and top with sprinkles. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for a month.

DRIED FIG, APRICOT AND CHERRY COMPOTE

Steps:

• Combine 2 1/2 cups water, sugar and cinnamon sticks in large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add figs and simmer uncovered 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in apricots, cherries and then brandy. Return to heat and simmer uncovered until all fruits are tender but still retain shape, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in crystallized ginger. Cool. (Compote can be prepared 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Serve at room temperature or chilled.

VANILLA FIGS AND DRIED CHERRIES

Steps:

• Combine the water, vanilla bean, honey, sugar, figs, and cherries in a slow cooker.
• Cover and cook over LOW until the figs are soft, 3-4 hours.
• Turn off the cooker, remove the lid, and let cool down a bit before serving warm or at room temperature with the whipped cream.
• To make the whipped cream-place a medium bowl and the beaters of an electric mixer in the freezer for at least 1 hour to chill thoroughly.
• Combine the cream, sugar, and rum in the chilled bowl; whip on high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.
• Fold in the sour cream; serve immediately.