Fast French Cherry Pie

Fast French Cherry Pie

by | Jul 13, 2019

Fast French Cherry Pie

The great thing about July is that it’s still cherry season! And with warm nights, a small bite or two of dessert quickly satisfies our sweet tooth. Enjoy your summer nights with this Fast Frech Cherry Pie.

As a food writer and chef for The French Magnolia Cooks, I am always developing dishes that are seasonal and simple, but rich in flavor. For instance, Fast French Cherry Pie.

First of all, cherries usher in the perfect Provence flavor profile. Second, cherries are both tart and sweet with earthy undertones. Third, this tiny little pie is fast, easy and not too sugary. 

Fun French       Food Facts

Fast French Cherry Pie

In case you missed last weeks blog on cherries….

Cherries (cerises) are simply miam miam (which is French for yum yum). Cherries are a paramount in French culture and cuisine. After all, French culture is joie de vrivre. And as we know, life’s a bowl of cherries. Yep, I had to say it.

The first Sunday of June begins the cherry season in France. For that reason cherries say ‘summer’!

Particularly, Languedoc, Roussillon, a major player in the French cherry market. Languedoc is a vertical shaped region in the middle of the South of France between Toulouse and Marseille. Most noteworthy, towns like Nimes and Montpellier. In addition, Languedoc is home to dozens of small, romantic towns like Ceret and Mons-La-Trivalle who celebrate with annual cherry festivals.

Furthermore, some of the world’s most celebrated wines come from Languedoc, Roussillon. So, it’s only natural that the wines have cherry undertones. In other words, you can’t throw a quarter in Languedoc without hitting a cherry tree. Another major cherry player is the Loire Valley, also in the South. Cherries grown in this region are primarily used for Guignolet, a French cherry liqueur. 

Finally, cherries are packed with tons of antioxidants and vitamins, especially vitamin C. In short, eat up!

Fast French Cherry Pie

Fast French Cherry Pie

YIELDS: 6 generous portions

TIME: prep: 10 minutes. Cook: 20 minutes. Cherry mixture can be made 3 days ahead and then re-warmed. 

NEED: cherry pitter (see photo); found easily in most kitchen wares departments. 

KNOW: when dealing with pepperidge farm pastry cups. they can go straight from freezer into oven. As a side note, when dealing with pepperidge farm pastry sheets, they need to thaw for 40 minutes before dealing with them. 

FAST FRENCH CHERRY PIE

Ingredients

  • (1) pepperidge farm pastry cups
  • pull 6 / box back in freeser
  • 1 cup fresh pitted cherries
  • 4 tblsp real butter
  • 1/2 tbsp cracked black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
  • 5 tbsp of sugar
  • 2 tbsp of port (not fancy port)
  • 1 lemon (zested)
  • the juice from that lemon
  • 6-8 basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup French chevre goat cheese
Fast French Cherry Pie

Fast French Cherry Pie

3 Steps!

Fast French Cherry Pie
Step 1

DO AHEAD OF TIME. If you are making this dish all in one day, go ahead and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. De-pit and wash cherries. Be sure to double check each one. You could seriously injure a guest’s tooth if you aren’t careful. 

Fast French Cherry Pie
Step 2

In a cooking pot, add cherries, add a generous 4 tbsp of real butter, 2 tbsp of port, 1 generous tbsp of cracked pepper, 5 tbsp of sugar, the zest of one whole lemon and the juice of whole lemon. While you are bringing mixture to a boil, pop the pastry cups in oven on a dry cookie sheet. Be sure to take the little circle caps out of the middle. Set timer for 20 minutes.  Keep cherry mixture on a heavy simmer. Reduce for 20 minutes. 

Fast French Cherry Pie
Step 3

Stuff cups with 2-3 cherries. Be as generous as possible without making a mess. Sprinkle generously with French Chèvre goat cheese.  Stack basil leaves and roll and chiffonade cut. Sprinkle with fresh basil. Basil and cherry together are fabulous!  Serve immediately. 

Fast French Cherry Pie
Chef Missy, The French Magnolia Cooks

I Appreciate Your Thoughts!

Please leave a comment because I want to hear from you!

Also, please share on your favorite social media.

Remember to get your FREE eBook, The NO DIETING Survival Guide to Health & Joie de Vivre: 7 easy habits to adopt.  CLICK BOX BELOW.

Thank You & Cheers!

Chef Missy

Country French Pork with Cherries

Country French Pork with Cherries

by | Jun 29, 2019

Country French Pork with Cherries

Tis the cherry season! Yippee! The tart, sweet, earthy perfection of fresh cherries. Enjoy your summer nights with this make-ahead recipe of Country French Pork with Cherries.

As a food writer and chef for The French Magnolia Cooks, I am always developing dishes that are seasonal and simple, but rich in flavor. For instance, Country French Pork with Cherries. 

First of all, cherries usher in the perfect Provence flavor profile. Second, pork tenderloin, a non-fatty protein (perfect for warmer nights) with earthy herbs and spices. Third, sweet caramelized shallots. Finally, the bright not-too-tart fresh cherrie embodies acid undertones. In addition, balance the plate with crunchy roasted potatoes and a big glass of red wine!  

Fun French       Food Facts

Country French Pork with Cherries

Cherries (cerises) are simply miam miam (which is French for yum yum). Cherries are a paramount in French culture and cuisine. After all, French culture is joie de vrivre. And as we know, life’s a bowl of cherries. Yep, I had to say it.

The first Sunday of June begins the cherry season in France. For that reason cherries say ‘summer’!

Particularly, Languedoc, Roussillon, a major player in the French cherry market. Languedoc is a vertical shaped region in the middle of the South of France between Toulouse and Marseille. Most noteworthy, towns like Nimes and Montpellier. In addition, Languedoc is home to dozens of small, romantic towns like Ceret and Mons-La-Trivalle who celebrate with annual cherry festivals.

Furthermore, some of the world’s most celebrated wines come from Languedoc, Roussillon. So, it’s only natural that the wines have cherry undertones. In other words, you can’t throw a quarter in Languedoc without hitting a cherry tree. Another major cherry player is the Loire Valley, also in the South. Cherries grown in this region are primarily used for Guignolet, a French cherry liqueur. 

Finally, cherries are packed with tons of antioxidants and vitamins, especially vitamin C. In short, eat up!

Country French Pork with Cherries

Country French Pork with Cherries

YIELDS: 2 generous portions; 4 moderate portions.  

TIME: prep: 30-40 minutes prep. Cook: 15-20 minutes. Cherries can be made 3 days ahead. Entire dish can be prepped for oven 1 day ahead.   

QUICK NOTE: Take advantage of this make ahead recipe. Easy and elegant for a busy people who love to entertain. Bring dish to room temperature before cooking. 

NEED: cherry pitter (see photo); found easily in most kitchen wares kitchen departments. Also, wax paper, cassoulet or glass pyrex and skillet.  

KNOW: when cooking meat, resting time is most important. To clarify, your meat will continue to cook as it rests. Do not slice meat until fully rested (15 min).   

Country French Pork with Cherries –

SIMPLE MENU SUGGESTIONS

Menu #1

Braised rainbow chard in garlicky bacon bits and roasted micro potato. Country French Pork with Cherries. Small cheese platter with nuts for dessert.

Menu #2

Steamed artichoke with lemon butter for a starter. Steemed haricot vert (baby French green beans) and Country French Pork with Cherries. Small cheese platter with nuts for dessert.

Country French Pork with Cherries

Ingredients

  • (1) 1.25 lb or 1.5 lb pork tenderloin
  • 2-4 shallots (1 shallot per person)
  • 4 cups fresh pitted cherries
  • 3 tbsp French Dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp good salt
  • 2 tbsp cracked black pepper
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp Herbs de Provence
  • 2 tbsp of sugar
  • 2 tbsp of port (not fancy port)
  • 4-6 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 lemon (zested)
  • 3 tbsp fresh thyme
Country French Pork with Cherries

Country French Pork with Cherries and Shallots

Step-by-Step!

Organization Leads to Simplicity

This dish will be even better if you can make the first two steps 2 or 3 days ahead. The entire dish can be prepped, assembled and put in fridge a day ahead of time.

Country French Pork with Cherries
Step 1

DO AHEAD OF TIME. De-pit and wash cherries. Be sure to double check each one. You could seriously injure a guest’s tooth if you aren’t careful. If you are making this dish all in one day, go ahead and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

Country French Pork with Cherries
Step 2

DO AHEAD OF TIME. In a bowl or directly in a cooking pot, add 4 tbsp of real butter, 2 tbsp of port, 1 generous tbsp of cracked pepper, 2 tbsp of sugar, and the zest of one whole lemon. Bring it to a quick boil. Then, turn down heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside. Hold in fridge for 3 days.

Country French Pork with Cherries
Step 3

Pre-heat oven to 400, if you havent already. Rinse tenderloin and pat super dry with paper towels. Certianly, trim fat. On a piece of wax paper, liberally coat all sides and ends of pork tenderloin with French dijon mustard. Don’t bother with a brush. Just use clean hands. 

Country French Pork with Cherries and Shallots
Step 4 

Still on the wax paper. Liberally coat pork tenderloin with herb/spice mixture. Salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika and Herbs de Provence. 

Country French Pork with Cherries
Step 5

Cut shallots length wise. 1 whole shallot per person.  NOTE: If the cherries have been in the fridge, pull them and warm them slightly in a small pot (2 minutes).

Country French Pork with Cherries
Step 6 

Get skillet very hot at a low temperature and put shallots face down in skillet with a little butter. Maybe 5 minutes. Flip and simmer another 5 minutes.

Country French Pork with Cherries
Step 7

Place tenderloin in cassoulet or glass pyrex and arrange shallots around outside.

Country French Pork with Cherries
Step 8

Spoon cherries and juices around the sides.  Spoon a little juice over pork.

Finally, cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes for 1.25 lb. Cook for 20 minutes for a 1.5 -1.9 lb.  REST for solid 15 minutes.

To sum up, slice thin and arrange on platter. Sprinkle with 2-3 tbsp of fresh chopped thyme. Serve cherry broth on side in a little pitcher or with a small ladle.

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Country French Pork with Cherries
Chef Missy, The French Magnolia Cooks

I Appreciate Your Thoughts!

Please leave a comment because I want to hear from you!

Also, please share on your favorite social media.

Remeber to get your FREE eBook, The NO Dieting Survival Guide to Health & Joie de Vivre: 7 easy habots to adopt.  CLICK BOX BELOW.

Thank You & Cheers!

Chef Missy

NO Cooking French Meal with Chef Tips

NO Cooking French Meal with Chef Tips

by | May 18, 2019

Thinking of an afternoon picnic in Paris? Me too, always! The NO Cooking French Meal with Chef Tips at home can temporality fill the void.

The lovely, dainty morsel called the French hors d’oeuvre is a true Frenchism adapted and consequently, abused by American food culture. That is to say, the French hors d’oeuvre literally means ‘outside the work’ and is a singular word.

What Is an Hors d’oeuvre?

To clarify, the hors d’oeuvre is designed to whet the appetite offering a salty food as a stimulant. A typical French hors d’oeuvre is a small salty bite. For example, a slurp of caviar, olives, salty nuts, a few bites of cured (salted) meat and pickled veggies like celery, cucumber or radishes. 

Fun French Food Facts
In the late 1600’s wealthy Frenchmen picked at ‘hors d’eouvre’ before and throughout the entire meal. Little plates of salty bites included briny oysters, clams, stuffed eggs and cured beef tongue or braised quail.

Sometime around the late 1800’s, a more complicated hors d’oeuvre appeared on the scene called “dainty dishes”. These small plates presented a more substantial delight, possibly caviar or a small pastry case filled with bits of mushroom in a creme sauce. Subsequently, they were soon served as separate courses, many times after the soup course.

By the early 1850’s Americans had moved to a multi-course meal. After that, the term ‘appetizer’ appeared in England (then almost simultaneously in America) to provide the Anglophone with the equivalent of the French hors d’oeuvre.

 

The 'NO Cooking' French Meal with Chef Tips
About this Recipe
YIELDS: 2 to 4 people

TIME: 15 minutes total time

After a long day of cooking, my go-to is the NO cooking French Pu-Pu Platter for dinner. During my childhood in the late 60’s and early 70’s, a surge of Chinese restaurants opened in Atlanta and were all the rage.

The 'NO Cooking' French Meal with Chef Tips
As a young girl (and world adventurer in my own mind) I thought it was cool eating food from another country. I was introduced to the classic Chinese PuPu Platter, which is a tray of American-Chinese foods including egg rolls, spare ribs, chicken wings, fried wontons, and crab rangoon. I have always loved love Pu-Pu platters. So, I invented the French Pu-Pu Platter as a culinary staple in my home. As a result, I get to say, ‘pu-pu’. Yay!

Ingredients
  • 1 sourdough baguette or rustic bread
  • 1 unpasterized cheese or triple creme
  • chicken liver pate or truffle duck pate
  • sliced salami, chorizo or summer sausage
  • cornichon, olives & pickled veggies
  • cucumber, radish, asparagus, endive
  • canned fatty-fish
  • hard-boiled egg
  • good french sea salt, fleur de sel
  • fresh cracked pepper
  • extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
  • fresh herbs, thyme, rosemary or other
  • little knives, forks and a platter or board
The 'NO Cooking' French Meal with Chef Tips

NO Cooking French Meal – Chef Tips!

Learn The Secret To Simple French Mirepoix, Chef Missy
Chef Tip 1

Establish a budget.

The 'NO Cooking' French Meal with Chef Tips
Chef Tip 2

Pick one cheese. To clarify, I do not serve cheese before a meal. It destroys the palate. Therefore, the appetite. But for pu-pu platter, I pick one cheese. I like unpasterized & aged cheeses myself. Subsequently,  I go for Gruyere or Comte, which are Alpine cheeses. Sometimes, a triple creme cheese, which means that the cheese has a higher percentage of milk fat.

The 'NO Cooking' French meal with Chef Tips
Chef Tip 3

One long skinny, French baguette or slices of rustic bread. Slice and sprinkle with evoo and fresh thyme. Gluten-free crackers for those who need or choose.

Choosing Meats, The NO Cooking French Meal with Chef Tips
Chef Tip 4

Choosing meats. As a Chef, I make homemade chicken liver pate and truffle duck pate, but you can buy pate at nicer grocery stores. In addition, I welcome salami, chorizo sausage or Southern summer sausage.

french provencal vegetable casserole, The French Magnolia Cooks
Chef Tip 5

Choosing a brine. Try cornichons (tiny French pickles) and briney pitted olives. In addition, pickled veggies, which are now are available in grocery stores. My personal favorite, pickled okra.

Hard Boiled Egg, The NO Cooking French Meal with Chef Tips
Chef Tip 6

Choosing vegetables. Obviously, if you have left-over blanched or steamed veggies in the fridge, use them. After that, peel and slice English seedless cucumbers, salted radishes, endive lettuce, and celery all work nicely. Most importantly, de-string the celery. Yellow peppers are sweet and are wonderful with goat cheese

french provencal vegetable casserole, The French Magnolia Cooks
Chef Tip 7

Choosing canned fish. In short, the fattier, the better. Try wild-caught boneless sardines, smokes oysters, mackerel, pickled or smoked herring. As a Chef, I prefer both wild-caught and boneless of whatever I am buying. Above all, always keep canned fish on hand because they make an excellent quick meal or beach-hiking snack.

Hard Boiled Egg, The NO Cooking French Meal with Chef Tips
Chef Tip 8

Hard boiled egg wedges with evoo & fleur de sel. Certainly, left-over cold chicken too, with salt and pepper.

Other Chef Tips 

Cans, Jars or Packages

  • classic/grain Dijon mustard
  • caviar
  • potato belinis
  • artichoke hearts
  • hearts of palm
  • artichoke bottoms
  • smoked salmon
  • smoked trout
  • pickled beets

Fresh Produce or To Make

  • fresh figs
  • oysters on the half-shell
  • chilled peel & eat shrimp
  • raw or roasted salty nuts
  • avocado (w/lemon)
  • sliced apple (w/ lemon)
  • dried fruit
  • scallions
  • asparagus
  • heirloom grape tomatoes
  • homemade hummus

Sommelier Wine Suggestions

Learn The Secret of Simple French Mirepoix, Chef Missy
White Bordeaux; Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion varietals. Sauvignon Blanc is the most readily available style of White Bordeaux. In short, expect big flavors and aromas predominantly of citrus, grapefruit, lemon and gooseberry.

Semillion offers a much richer profile than Sauvignon Blanc. In short, they express flavors of baked apples and pears, crème brûlée, carmelized grapefruit, orange zest, ginger, figs, lemon butter and even chamomile. Some of the better Sauvignon Blanc wines are blended with Semillion to provide a great balance and expression of the region.

Choosing Wines, The NO Cooking French Meal with Chef Tips
Red Burgundy; pinot noir grape. Lean in texture with complex flavors, these wines are dry with medium acidity. In addition, light old world overtones of cherry making this varietal a versatile choice for pairing with food.

Merlot is typically a dry, medium- to full-bodied wine with moderate acidity and soft but present tannins. The best Merlots have flavor notes ranging from graphite, herbs and blackberries, to black cherries, plums, and cocoa. Certainly, notes of clove, vanilla, and cedar when aged in oak.

Rhône Region wines; Northern Rhône reds made with Syrah are big, bold, spicy wines with a firm tannic structure in their youth. Southern Rhône red blends are based mainly on Grenache and have rounded, warm, red fruit flavors. Most importantly  they tend to have elevated alcohol levels and beautiful ripe fruit.

The 'NO Cooking' French Meal with Chef Tips