CHERRY RIPE

There’s more to the little red fruit than a forgotten bowl in the middle of a summer table. Sunday’s resident chef, Sam Mannering, insists it is time to get inventive with cherries.

CUMIN ROASTED SALMON WITH CHERRY, RED ONION AND MINT SALSA

We tend to prefer our cherries just as is, down here in Aotearoa. The Russians cook them into plenty of dishes, sweet and savoury, as do the Americans. But aside from the annual cherry binge starting around Christmas time through to the season end – the kind that leaves your lips looking like those of a French aristocrat – we don’t tend to include them much in recipes. Bit of a shame really, because our cherries are bloody gorgeous, and they’re much too versatile to be always relegating them to just a bowl on the table. Now I know New Zealanders can also get a bit iffy about fruit in a savoury context. Be not afraid. This is an absolute cracker. It is almost better served cold or at room temperature. If it’s easier, put it all together, with the salsa over the top of the salmon, then cover and chill for a few hours. It is absolutely my new “big impact, low effort” dish for 2023 (or, for as long as the cherries remain).

PREP TIME: 25 MINUTES COOK TIME: 20 MINUTES SERVES: 4-6

• 1 side of salmon, 1.1-1.5kg in weight, pin boned

• Olive oil

• Half a lemon

• Sea salt and black pepper

• 2 tbsp cumin seeds

Salsa

• 150-200g cherries, pitted and roughly chopped

• 1 red onion, finely sliced

• Large handful each of mint and parsley leaves, roughly chopped

• 2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted

• Another lemon

Preheat the oven to 220°C on fan bake.

1. Line a large oven tray with baking paper and lay the salmon out flat, skin side down. Drizzle generously with olive oil, squeeze over a bit of lemon, and season well with salt and pepper. Evenly distribute the cumin seeds over the top.

2. Pop into the preheated oven to roast for about 20-25 minutes. Send a sharp knife into the thickest end of the salmon and hold it there for five seconds – if it is hot, the salmon is done. Nothing worse than overcooked salmon. Remove and allow to rest for at least five minutes.

3. In the meantime, combine the cherries, red onion, mint, parsley and pine nuts together in a mixing bowl. Dress with a little olive oil, the zest and juice from the lemon, and a bit of salt and pepper to taste.

4. Once the salmon is cooked and rested, transfer to a serving dish, or, just leave on the baking tray (nothing wrong with rustic). Spoon the cherry salsa over the salmon and dress with a little more olive oil before serving.

CHERRY CLAFOUTIS

This was difficult to photograph; we kept trying to eat it. Need any more persuading? Cla-foo-tee, is one of those puds that you’ll find yourself frequently going back to with whatever fruit happens to be in season – a real up-the-sleever. Some versions are more successful than others (and there are some clangers) – but this is the best recipe I have come across, to date.

PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES COOK TIME: 25 MINUTES SERVES: 4-6

• 1 tbsp butter

• About 300g cherries

• 80g ground almonds

• 20g plain flour

• 140g caster sugar

• Pinch of salt

• 3 egg yolks

• 3 eggs

• 375ml cream

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a ceramic baking dish with butter.

1. Pit and halve the cherries and set aside a moment.

2. Combine the almonds, flour, sugar and salt together in a bowl.

3. In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and eggs, and then whisk in the cream. Whisk in the dry ingredients to form a smooth batter.

4. Pour the batter into the greased dish and scatter over the cherries. Pop into the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on how fierce your oven is. Start peeping after 15 minutes – once it is golden brown on top and the mixture is set, it’s done. Allow to cool a little before dusting with icing sugar and serving with runny cream.