Cherries are one of the most attractive and wonderful fruits to enjoy and the very first look of them on desserts, cakes and pastries is truly a mood enhancer and elevates the senses as well. While the best way to enjoy them is the fresh ones like in season these days, other options for a year-round connect remain the frozen, canned, or tinned options which do an equally good job as well. Let us cherish the cherries !!
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While cherries taste great when had fresh, the cooked and baked versions are interesting in several cuisines, too. While we have seen cherries being used as popular garnishes in cakes like black forest, white forest, etc we do have desserts that use cherries in cooked or stewed form, sauce form, jelly form, compote form, marmalade, and jams as well.
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It is easy to adapt to cherries in our day-to-day cooking and I must confess that working with cherries is truly a pleasure and a great ingredient that refreshes the mind and also detoxifies the system. Cherries are great to add into muffins, cupcakes, sweet variety of bread, adding them to milkshakes, smoothies, parfaits, ice-creams, tarts, and pies is equally appetizing!
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Here are a few Health Benefits of Cherries:
- Cherries are not only delicious but also packed with vitamins, minerals and plant compounds with powerful health benefits.
- Cherries are rich in dietary fiber, a good source of vitamin-c and also potassium which can reduce risk of hypertension etc.
- Cherries have a significant amount of phytochemicals which protect our body against certain enzymes which can lead to inflammation and arthritis pain as well.
- Cherries are high in anthocyanin content which gives them that dark red shade infact they say more sour the cherries more is the content of anthocyanin’s; these powerful anti-oxidants help our body’s cells protect themselves against free radicals.
- Cherries are also a good option to include in our diets to manage and reduce weight as well.
- Cherries are considered heart healthy foods, they also improve the brain function and are good for our bones too.
- Cherries are anti-aging, reduce the risk of gout attacks and also help reduce muscle pains.
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Here are some ways to incorporate Cherries into our Daily Diets:
- Cherries can be enjoyed fresh as a sweet snack, pair dried cherries with chocolate chips, unsweetened coconut flakes, and salted almonds for a delicious homemade trail mix.
- Cherries can be used to prepare a cherry compote out of frozen tart or sweet cherries and spoon on yogurt oatmeal or chia pudding.
- Cherries also go well when added halved, pitted or seeds removed to a fruit salad, incorporate dried cherries into baked goods for a kick of natural sweetness.
- Cherries also add a bit of tart cherry juice to sparkling water and top with a lemon wedge for a fun mocktails and mixed drinks/detox water jars etc.
- Cherries can also be added fresh or cooked cherries to ice cream, pies, crumbles, and other desserts. Make a homemade cherry barbecue sauce to use with meat or poultry dishes.
- Whip up a cherry salsa with diced cherries and fresh herbs like basil to serve alongside savoury meals. Add frozen cherries to your favorite smoothie. The possibilities for using cherries in your kitchen are endless, so don’t be afraid to experiment.
- Cherries can also be adapted into Indian sweets and desserts with a fusion touch to them. Some of the easy ways to use them are to stew the pitted cherries in a little jaggery syrup with a pinch of cinnamon powder and some sliced almonds layer that with a Chawal ki phirni in a clay pot or kullad and garnish with caramelised cherries or a compote of cherries with chopped walnuts or crushed praline in it.
- Cherries cooked in a honey, rum and raisin sauce can also be added to a seviyan kheer layered in shot glasses and garnished with assorted nuts, a cherry shahi tukda or double ka meetha with cherry wali rabdi, also try doing a cherry aur Kaju ka sheera using semolina, coconut milk and a few assorted seeds like chia, flax seeds, sunflower seeds and serve it warm.
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Here are a few easy recipes to prepare using the Seasonal Cherries:
Recipe 1: Fruity Cherry Salad
Recipe 2: Healthy Cherry Shake
Recipe 3: Angels Delight Salad
Recipe 4: Cherry Chia Chocolate Dessert
Recipe 5: Choco-Cherry Fantasy
Recipe 6: Nutty Cherry Humble Bake
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