Cherry ripe
T last, a bit of rain to cool things down and send a blush of green across the Colne Valley. Much as the endless hot days have been welcome, the moors and meadows had started to look more than a little sad, with their scorched brown shades and almost audible dryness. Even some of the bigger trees have decided to give up the ghost and start dropping their wizened leaves. So it’s been lovely to see my garden spring back with a burst of colour after a day or so’s rain. Hopefully this will continue occasionally, but still allow us, especially now the schools are out, many days of warm, sunny weather.
Food-wise, we’re in luck. We’re pretty much into full fruity season in the UK right now. From our own bushes, trees and hedgerows sprout forth all manner of berries, fruits and currants, ready to be transformed into dish after brilliant dish.
Now’s definitely the time to make that summer pudding you’ve been hankering after making, as the bushes hang low with their payload of deep, dark fruit. Some of us prefer to defer the pleasure and make a pot or two of jam, to remind us of the past summer as we munch our toast and gaze out at a winter scene.
This week, then, an unusual pairing for me, given my ongoing vendetta against the combination of fruit and chocolate. Regular readers of this column will know that I can be terribly fussy about fruit and chocolate in combination – I generally feel the two do absolutely nothing for each other, with a couple of notable exceptions. Bananas, for instance, are terrific with all three shades of chocolate, and oranges, too, can adapt to most chocolate recipes with terrific results. But I will still never be convinced about dark chocolate and any kind of berry or currant. Offer me a chocolatedipped strawberry and I’m afraid I will wrinkle my nose and politely decline.
However, with white chocolate, it’s a different game. The creamier, more monochrome flavour of white chocolate is a great foil for plenty of fruits, from pineapple to peach, blueberry to rhubarb, and can be used in dozens of different recipes from ice-creams and parfaits to tarts, cakes and puddings.
I’d seen a dark chocolate version of this recipe somewhere on my travels and before dismissing the idea out of hand immediately, I thought of switching the chocolate to make it more my style. And it’s a hit – the smooth, elegant white chocolate custard works really well with the beautifully tart ripe cherries, along with the crunch of crisp, buttery pastry. You could make individual tartlets for a fancy dinner party, but the effect of the large tart is really quite spectacular. So, hurry now, because those of us with cherry trees know that at this time of the year it’s always a race for the fruit with the local bird population. Get picking, and make the most of the wonderful British cherry while it’s with us. Don’t let the birds win.