Sour cherry desserts -deserturi cu visine

I missed sour cherries for 6 years, since I left home. I looked for them, and some friends told me they went to a farm to pick their own a couple of years ago, some others found in little Armenian shops, but I wasn't that lucky.
Until 2 days ago, when I found them in a Jewish store and bought 3 pounds, then rushed back home to see what I should do with them. I started looking online for recipes, but sometimes, that isn't so convincing for me, so I started looking for photoss of desserts made with cherries, because pictures of sour cherry desserts are not so many out there. I don't know if you are like me, but I am a visual eater. A beautiful picture could make me dream of something and determine me to make it more than a recipe alone.
That's how I found this blog, this photo and recipe and I knew this is it.

But because I bought a little bit too many, I made two recipes. And I already knew which was to be the second one, because it stayed with me since I saw it here, on Irina's blog. Her recipe was made with apricots, but I saw no problem in using sour cherries instead of apricots.

So, I got everything out of the fridge and pantry, baked my desserts and half of them disappeared last night. They were as good as I remembered them to be. And I just hope I'll find them again so I could put some in the freezer, because waiting 6 years for them it is toooooo much.

The first recipe belongs to Mandy and the second one to Irina. I made a couple of changes to both.

For the first one, I used less milk because I made clafoutis before and I know it is a little bit custardy. Which I like very much, but this time I wanted it a little bit more set, so the recipe written below has less milk than Mandy's. I used one full teaspoon vanilla and used slivered almonds instead of pistachios.

To Irina's recipe I added 2 tablespoons of oil, because I thought it missed the fat, and added 2 more tablespoons milk. I don't know if I was right or not, but it came out good. And I added slivered almond to this one too.

I made the clafoutis in little tart pans and Irina's recipe I made it in regular muffin tins, mini muffin tins and a mini cake.

Sour Cherry Clafoutis (Mandy's recipe)

3 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted (60 (57) g)

1 cup all purpose flour (125 g)

2/3 cup milk + one tablespoon (175 ml)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups of sour cherries

slivered almons for topping

Preheat the oven to 400 F (200C).

Beat the sugar and eggs in a mixing bowl, until they turn lighter in color. Gradually add in the melted butter. Add the flour all at once and mix until the batter is a homogeneous mixture. Slowly pour in the milk and vanilla, whisking to combine.

The batter should be very smooth and shiny. Distribute the cherries in your buttered baking dishes (I used 8 little tart pans). Pour the batter over the fruit and sprinkle some almonds on top.

Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes (longer if you can using a bigger pan, shorter for smaller pans - mine took 17 minutes), until golden brown. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold.
It made 8 small tarts - 4"(10 cm) wide.

Sour cherry muffins and mini cake (Irina's fruit cake recipe)

6 eggs

2 cups flour (250g)

1 cup+ 2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla or one packet vanilla sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

8 tablespoons luke warm milk

2 tablespoons oil

1 pound fruits, washed, pitted/stoned, cut in small pieces

Preheat oven at 325F (160C).

Separate de egg whites and the yolks. Beat the egg whites until stiff in a bowl. In another bowl beat the yolks, sugar and oil together until pale yellow. If you are using vanilla, add it now. Add the flour and the baking powder, then the milk and mix until well combined. Incorporate the egg whites, mixing with a spatula/spoon, upside down, slowly.

Pour the batter in your baking pan/ muffin pan or any baking dish you like (coated with oil and flour or baking spray) and then add the fruits. If you want you could also add some chopped almonds, walnuts or pistachios. Bake for about 35-40 minutes for a large pan, about 20-25 minutes for muffins.

Nu am mai mancat visine de 6 ani si mi-au lipsit tare mult. Prajitura cu visine e una din preferatele mele. Am intrebat pe aici in stanga si in dreapta, si unii mi-au spus ca au fost la cules la niste ferme in urma cu cativa ani, altii ca au gasit la magazinele armenesti, numai eu nu am gasit pe nici unde. Insa norocul mi-a zambit in urma cu doua zile, cand am gasit in sfarsit la un magazin evreiesc de unde cumpar legumele si fructele, si a luat un kilogram jumatate sa-mi astampar pofta. Stiu ca trebuia sa fii luat mai mult si sa le pun la congelator, dar frigiderul/congelatorul meu e atata de mic si asa de plin.... sper sa mai gasesc acum ca am facut loc pentru ele, incat sa nu astept inca 6 ani pana mai mananc o data.

Asa ca imediat ce am ajuns acasa am inceput cautarea pe net de retete pentru prajituri, dupa care am inceput sa caut poze cu deserturi cu cirese ( cele cu visine nu sunt chiar asa multe). Nu stiu daca voi sutneti la fel, dar pe mine de mult eori o poza ma convinge mult mai mult decat doar o reteta.

Asa am gasit reteta si poza aceasta, si blogul acesta minunat, si am stiut ca am gasit ce cautam.

Si pentru am cumparat prea multe, am decis ca trebuie sa incerc si reteta Irinei pentru prajitura de fructe, la care mi-a ramas gandul in urma cu cateva saptamani.

Prima reteta este a lui Mandy si a doua a Irinei, cu cateva mici modificari facute amandurora.

La prima prajitura am folosit mai putin lapte decat cere reteta originala, pentru ca am mai facut clafoutis inainte si stiu ca are o textura de budinca. Si desi de obicei imi place mult, am vrut de data asta un desert cu un aluat mai dens putin, asa ca reteta scrisa mai jos are mai putin lapte decat 225 ml cat a folosit Mandy. Am pus o lingurita intreaga de esenta de vanilie si migdale in loc de fistic.
La a doua prajitura am adaugat 2 linguri de ulei pentru ca am crezut ca ii lipseste grasimea, si inca 2 linguri de lapte in plus. Nu cred ca am facut rau pentru ca a iesit tare buna. Si am pus migdale pe deasupra si la prajitura asta.

Pentru prima reteta am folosit 8 forme de tarte (diametru de 10cm), iar reteta Irinei am facut-o in forme de muffins, mici si mari si o forma mica de tort (diametru de 10 cm).

Clafoutis de visine (reteta lui Mandy)

3 oua
100 g
60 (57) g unt topit
125 g faina
175 ml lapte
1 linguritza esenta de vanilie
2 cani cu visine
migdale

Preincalziti cuptorul la 400 F (200C).
Amestecati cu mxierul zaharul si ouale, pana cand se dubleaza in volum si sunt galben pal. Adaugati treptat untul topit, apoi toata faina dintr-o data si amestecati pana e incorporata. Se toarna laptele incet si vanilia si se amesteca. Aluatul trebuie sa fie foarte lucios si cremos.

Ungeti forma de copt cu unt si puneti visinele pe fundul formei, apoi turnati aluatul peste fructe si presarati migdalele deasupra.

Coaceti aproximativ 20-25 minutes (mai mult pentru o tava mai mare, si mai putin pentru niste forme mai mici, mie mi-a luat 17 minute), pana sunt aurii. Se servesc fie calde, fie la temperatura camerei sau reci.

Muffins cu visine ( reteta Irinei pentru prajitura cu fructe)

6 oua

250 g de faina

230 g de zahar

1 plic de zahar vanilat

1 plic de praf de copt

8 linguri de lapte caldut

2 linguri ulei

800 g de fructe

Preincalziti cuptorul la 160°C.

Separati galbenusurile de albusuri. Bateti albusurile spuma. Amestecati galbenusurile, zaharul si uleiul, bateti amestecul foarte bine pana e un galben mai deschis. Adaugati zaharul vanilat, faina si praful de copt. Adaugati laptele si albusurile. Amestecati usor, de jos in sus si tot timpul in acelasi sens. Puneti aluatul intr-o tava de prajituri si adaugati fructele. Coaceti prajitura timp de 45 de minute - pentru o tava mai mare, in forma de muffins mie mi-a luat numai 20-25 minute.