Cherries in wine with cardamom cream and rose pistachio shortbread
1 HOUR 10 MINUTES + CHILLING | SERVES 6 | EASY
Make this the day before and serve it chilled. The cherries can be pitted or unpitted – unpitted looks better (and is less hassle for the cook) but pitted is easier to eat.
CHERRIES
granulated sugar 250g valpolicella, pinot noir or other
cherryish red wine 600ml
lemon zest 2 strips
cherries 900g kirsch
3 tbsp (optional)
lemon juice a squeeze (optional)
SHORTBREAD
unsalted butter 185g, slightly softened icing sugar 75g, plus extra to serve and extra for the cream
lemon 1, zested
plain flour 175g, plus extra for dusting cornflour 75g
rose water 1 tsp
egg 1, lightly beaten shelled unsalted pistachios 50g, chopped candied rose petals (optional)
CREAM
green cardamom seeds from 4 pods whipping cream 300ml
• Put the sugar for the cherries into a large pan with the wine, 200ml of water and the strips of lemon zest. Bring to the boil, stirring to help the sugar dissolve, then simmer for 8 minutes. Reduce the heat, add the cherries and simmer for 4 minutes. Lift the cherries out with a slotted spoon onto a tray or rimmed baking sheet, making sure they’re not touching each other.
• Leave the syrup to cool, then taste and add a slug of kirsch or a good squeeze of lemon juice, if you like – sometimes the syrup needs this to cut the sugar a bit, it depends how sweet the cherries are. Put the cherries in a bowl and pour over the red-wine syrup. Chill.
• To make the biscuits, beat the butter and icing sugar until creamy, then add the lemon zest and a pinch of salt. With the mixer on a low speed, add the flour, cornflour and rose water, and beat together. Take the dough out of the mixer and, on a lightly floured worksurface, shape it into a log about 6cm in diameter. Brush with beaten egg, then roll it in the pistachios. Carefully wrap in foil and chill for 1 hour.
• Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Cut the log into 3-4mm-thick biscuits and lay them 21/2cm apart on baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes – they will just turn a little golden round the edges – then leave to cool for 10 minutes, before carefully lifting onto a wire rack to cool completely
• Before serving, sift a little icing sugar over the top and sprinkle on some candied rose petals, if you like.
• Grind the cardamom seeds with a pestle and mortar, or in a heavy bowl with the end of a rolling pin. Put the cream in a bowl, add the cardamom, then whip the cream until it’s holding its shape, adding icing sugar to taste.
• Serve the cherries with the shortbread and cardamom cream.
PER SERVING 1,003 KCALS | FAT 50.7G SATURATES 29.5G | CARBS 107.2G | SUGARS 72.9G FIBRE 4.1G | PROTEIN 8.5G | SALT 0.1G