Sauteed Cherries Recipes

Steps:

• After spending some time in the south of France, I really came to love certain fruits and nuts mixed together in desserts. Maybe it's because almonds and cherries are actually both fruits, that I feel they belong together. Or maybe, quite simply, it's the flavor combination of these 2 ingredients that makes them perfect (and simple finish) for any meal. It can be paired with a sorbet or ice cream, depending on your mood.
• Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and the almonds. Stir to coat the nuts with the butter. Add the ground cinnamon and toss to coat. Toast until fragrant. Transfer the almonds to a bowl and set aside.
• Return the skillet to medium heat and allow it to get hot again, about 1 minute. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and toss in the cherries. Stir in the sugar and cinnamon sticks. Cook for 1 minute, stirring so the sugar dissolves, then remove the skillet from the heat. Carefully add the Grappa and gingerly return the skillet to the heat. Step back a little as the alcohol may cause the pan to flame slightly. Stir and continue cooking until the liquid becomes somewhat syrupy, an additional 1 to 2 minutes Remove the cinnamon sticks.
• Arrange the cherries in 4 to 6 bowls, top with almonds, a splash of Grappa and a generous scoop of lemon sorbet. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Heat 1 Tb. olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high flame until it just starts to smoke. Add tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Saute, shaking pan frequently, until tomatoes soften and skins just begin to wrinkle, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and continue to shake the pan until garlic is fragrant. Off heat, stir in the basil and remaining 1 Tb. olive oil, then serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Put the bread on a baking sheet and toast until lightly golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.
• Meanwhile, heat the butter and canola oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions and toss to coat, then add the sugar and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden brown and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, combine the toasted bread, caramelized onions and spinach. In another large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, heavy cream, 1 1/2 cups cheese, the mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the thyme and nutmeg. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add the bread mixture to the baking dish, then pour the egg mixture over the bread and press down to make sure it is totally submerged.
• Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake the strata, uncovered, until it is golden brown on top, puffed slightly and doesn't shimmy with uncooked custard when you shake the pan, 50 minutes to 1 hour; sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese during the last 10 minutes of baking. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
• Meanwhile, prepare the tomatoes: Heat the canola oil in a large saute pan over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the cherry tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chives and remove from the heat. Serve the strata with the sauteed tomatoes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Melt butter in large saute pan. Add quail and saute on both sides. Carefully add brandy and flame. Let flame die down and flip the quail in the brandy. Remove quail and place in a small oven-proof pan. Roast for 8 minutes, until internal temperature of quail is 150 degrees F. While the quail are roasting, add the drained dried cherries to the pan along with the cherry juice, sugar and thyme. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the arrowroot mixture and simmer until thickened. Arrowroot will produce a clearer sauce than cornstarch although both will work well. Return quail to the sauce mixture and simmer for 1 minute.

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sugar, stir, then add the cherries and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cherries are tender and hot through, about 3-5 minutes. Add the lemon juice,stir, then remove from the heat. Divide the cherries among 6 shallow dishes, and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Steps:

• Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add couscous. Toast couscous, shaking pan or stirring often, until it colors very lightly and smells aromatic and toasty, a bit like popcorn. Immediately add 2 quarts water and salt to taste (be generous, as if you are cooking pasta) and boil 10 minutes, until couscous is al dente; it should not be mushy, and there should still be plenty of water in the pot. Drain through a strainer and rinse with cold water. Tap strainer against sink to drain well, then return couscous to the pot, cover pot with a kitchen towel, and return lid. Let sit for 10 minutes while you make the sauce.
• In a wide, heavy skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and add garlic. As soon as it begins to sizzle and smell fragrant, usually in about 30 seconds, add cherry tomatoes and turn heat up to medium-high. Add sugar, salt and basil sprig and cook, stirring often, until tomatoes collapse and skins shrivel. Some of the tomato pulp will be in the pan, and should thicken and caramelize slightly, but there should still be pulp inside the skins. This should only take about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and remove basil sprig. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add a little fresh pepper if desired.
• Add couscous to the pan along with slivered basil, stir together, and serve.