Cherry marzipan scones

These are rather posh scones and are a little more fiddly than usual but are ideal for a treat or of course for tea on the verandah with Hugh Grant and Colin Firth ….

This recipe is from a food blog called the Bonjon Gourmet and I’ve been waiting impatiently for cherry season to try it out.  I love the almondy flavour of the scone dough and the cherry sandwich layer becomes quite oozy and jammy.  You could probably use tinned cherries, but you’d need to squish quite a lot of the liquid out of them first.

Cherry Marzipan scones

Ingredients

1/2 cup fresh marzipan, crumbled
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, in 1/2″ cubes
3/4 cup plain greek yoghurt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cups fresh sweet cherries, pitted and quartered:
1-2 tablespoons milk
a small handful of sliced almonds (preferably unblanched)
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Using a food processor, combine the marzipan, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Pulse to combine and break up the almond paste. Add the butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles sand. Add the yoghurt and the almond extract, and pulse just until the mixture begins to form a ball.

Put the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, dust the top lightly with flour, and roll into a 12 by 8″ rectangle, turning and flipping the dough, dusting with flour as needed to prevent sticking.

Lay the prepared cherries over half the dough. Fold the other half of the dough over the cherries, and press down gently but firmly (this will help the cherries stay in place when you slice and move the scones). Freeze the whole thing until fairly firm, but not frozen, 20 minutes.

Put a rack towards the top of the oven and preheat to 210ºC. Line a heavy baking tray with parchment paper, and stack it on top of a second heavy baking sheet (this helps to stop the scones from burning on the bottom).

Trim away the outer 1/4″ from each side of the scone, then cut into 12 squares. Brush the tops with milk, sprinkle with the almonds, pressing them lightly into the scones, then sprinkle with the coarse sugar.

Transfer the scones to the baking tray, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Bake the scones until they are golden brown on top, 18-20 minutes.  Serve warm with cream or creme fraiche.

Port-poached cherry and chèvre cream chocolate tarts

I've adapted this recipe from one I found on Pinterest from a blog called The Bonjon Gourmet - it looked delicious and it actually tastes even more delicious than it looks.  I was a bit unsure about using the goat's cheese in a sweet dish but when combined with the cream and a little sugar it really complements the sweet port-poached cherries, with almost a cheesecakey taste.  I think this recipe would actually work really well with a biscuit crumb (see my cheesecake recipes) instead of the pastry, so I'll try that next time.   In fact, just the cherries and the chèvre cream would be great on their own if you want to simplify things.

Port-poached cherry and chèvre cream chocolate tarts

Makes six small tarts, or 1 large tart

Port-Poached Cherries :

1 1/2 pounds fresh cherries, stemmed and pitted
1 1/4 cups ruby port
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped
6 tbsp sugar

Chocolate pastry :

1 cup plain flour
3 tbsp Dutch or dark cocoa powder
¼ cup icing sugar
120g chilled butter, chopped into cubes
1-2 tbsp iced water

Chèvre Cream :

3/4 cup crumbled, soft, fresh goat cheese
3/4 cup fresh cream
1 tbsp sugar
seeds from 1/2 a vanilla bean

Combine the pitted cherries, port, vanilla pod and scrapings, and sugar in a large stainless steel frying pan.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, swirling the pan occasionally, until the cherries are just tender (about 10 mins).

Strain the cherries into a heat-proof bowl.  Return the juices to the pan and simmer gently until they are thick, and syrupy for about 5 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally.  Let the cherries and the syrup cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge for an hour.  (You can keep the cherries in their syrup for a couple of weeks in the fridge).

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place six 3 small tart pans (the kind with removable bottoms) on a baking sheet. 

Put the flour, cocoa, sugar and butter in a food processor and whiz until it forms a breadcrumb consistency. Add the water and pulse until the mixture starts to form clumps. Tip it out onto a cool bench top and squash together then pat into a round. Refrigerate for 15 minutes then roll out between two sheets of baking paper.  Cut out rounds to fit the tart shells and press into the shells. Freeze the shells until they are firm, at least 15 minutes.

Line the shells wiht baking paper and baking weights or uncooked rice and bake until they are dry and fairly firm to the touch, for about 15 minutes. Let the tart shells cool completely. Store them in their rings for protection until ready to serve.

In a bowl, mix together the goat's cheese, cream vanilla seeds and sugar until stiff peaks form (don't over whisk it - if it starts to turn grainy add some more cream).

Put a spoonful of the chèvre cream each tart shell, top with the cherries and pour over a little juice.  Serve immediately. 

PS Pitting cherries is very messy - wear a black shirt!  Cherry/olive pitters are cheap and simple to use and save lots of hassle.