Tart Cherry Recipes

Montmorency is our variety of tart cherry. It is the world’s best variety of pie cherry. Cherries will keep longer if picked with the stems on. For faster picking and for immediate use, pick without stems. refrigerate soon after picking. One quart of fresh cherries equals 3 cups of pitted cherries.

FREEZING CHERRIES: Cherries can be frozen with or without sugar. For a better color, freeze with sugar. Add 1/2 cup sugar per 4 cups cherries. Any of the recipes can be made with frozen cherries. Adjust the sugar in the recipe with pre-sweetened cherries.

Cherry Crisp
Mix the following together and let stand for 10-15 minutes:
3 1/2 cups pitted tart cherries
1/4 cups cherry juice
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. tapioca
1/2 cup sugar

With a pastry blender, mix the following:
1 cup quick rolled oats
1/3 cup butter/margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour

Place cherry mixture in the bottom of a greased 8" x 8" baking pan. Spread rolled oat mixture over the cherries. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until cherries are really bubbling.

Tart Cherry Jam
(seven 8-oz. jars)
2 lbs., 5 oz. pitted cut up tart cherries
1 box sure jell fruit pectin
2 lbs., 2 oz. sugar

Using an eight quart preserving kettle, mix the cherries and the pectin. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring well. Remove from heat & quickly stir in sugar. Return to heat & bring to a hard boil and boil for one minute. Remove from heat and pour into sterilized jars, following proper canning procedures. Process for 5 minutes in water bath, remove jars and let cool.

Tart Cherry Sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 cups pitted tart cherries
2 tbsp. margarine

Mix sugar and cornstarch. Stir in pitted cherries. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Remove from heat & add margarine. Stir well. Serve over ice cream, cake or cheese cake. Keep refrigerated.

Homemade Cherry Pie Filling
4 cups pitted tart cherries
3-4 tbsp. cornstarch
3/4 to 1 cup cherry juice
1/2 tsp. almond extract (optional)
1 cup sugar

If frozen cherries are used, heat in saucepan until juice flows as cherries thaw. Drain before cherries are warm. If cherries are sugared, reduce sugar in recipe. Stir sugar & cornstarch together. Add small amounts of juice to make a paste. Stir into remaining juice, cook, stirring until sauce thickens. Stir in drained cherries and almond extract. Cool.

For pie:
Put cherry pie filling in pastry-lined pie pan. Put top crust on. Bake at 425° for 40-50 minutes, until pie is bubbling and brown.

This recipe may be used in place of canned pie filling for the following recipes.

Cherry Cheese Pie
1 graham cracker crust
1 8 oz. cream cheese
14 oz. sweetend condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
cherry pie filling (see recipe above)

Mix cream cheese, milk, and lemon juice until fluffy. Pour into baked graham cracker pie shell. Chill until set. Top with cherry pie filling. (Will not need all of the above recipe, only about 2-3 cups of it.)

Cherry Cheesecake
Combine
1 pkg. graham crackers
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick margarine

Press into 9" x 12" pan. In blender mix the following:
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs

Pour the above into pan with pie crust. Bake at 350° for 20 Minutes.

Top with above cherry pie filling (see recipe above)

Cherry Banana Bread
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 stick margarine
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cup mashed bananas
1 cup drained, pitted & cut up sour cherries
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda

Cream sugar & margarine. Add eggs, cherries & bananas. Mix dry ingredients together and add to first mixture. Bake in two 9" x 4" greased bread pans at 350° for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean

Cherry Cobbler
2/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup water
3 cups pitted tart cherries

Mix sugar, cornstarch, and water. Cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and add cherries. Pour into greased 9" x 9" baking pan.

Topping:
1 cup flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. margarine
1/2 cup milk

Cut margarine into dry ingredients and add milk. Mix well and drop by teaspoons on top of the hot fruit mixture. Bake at 375° for about 25-30 minutes. Serve warm.