Pittwater LIfe December 2019 Issue

Food Life
In Season
Cherries
Food Life
Aussie Cherries are
available late November
through to the end of
February and are the
quintessential summer fruit.
Plus, what’s a Christmas feast
without the vibrant colour of
cherries, so much a part of
the traditional red, white and
green trio?
Buying
If you possibly can, taste
cherries before you buy them.
Always look for shiny, firm,
plump cherries with fresh
green stems. Avoid bruised or
marked/blemished fruit.
Storage
Keep cherries, unwashed
and stems attached, in a
container, loosely covered for
up to 5 days in the coldest
part of fridge. Rinse in a bowl
of iced cold water before
serving. They freeze well, too.
Rinse, pat dry, and freeze
them in airtight plastic bags.
You can do this keeping the
stems and pits intact, or
pitted.
Nutrition
Fresh cherries are a rich
source of antioxidants.
Also In Season
December
This month, look out for an
abundance of great fresh
fruit including Apricots;
Raspberries, Blueberries,
Blackberries, Strawberries;
Cherries; Lychees; Mangoes;
Watermelon; Peaches,
Nectarines and Pineapple.
Vegetables in excellent
quality
And quantity include Hass
Avocadoes; Beetroot, Green
& butter Beans; red, yellow
and orange Capsicum; Mini
Qukes & Cucumber; Radish;
Corn and Tomatoes.
Janelle’s Tips:
#1 – You can
replace the
water in the
compote with
raspberry vodka
for adult version!
#2 – You
can make the
compote 3 days
ahead; keep in a
jar in the fridge.
Summer berry cherry cheesecake jars
Makes 8
200g white chocolate,
chopped
½ cup pouring cream
375g block cream cheese,
chopped, at room
temperature
1/3 cup caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
300ml sour cream
250g plain biscuits
100g butter, melted
Cherries, to serve
Berry compote
500g mixed berries
250g cherries, halved, pitted
3 tbs icing sugar
1. For the berry compote,
combine berries, cherries,
sugar and 2 tablespoons
water in a saucepan.
Bring to simmer over
medium-low heat, stirring
occasionally. Simmer gently
10 minutes until berries
soften and syrup thickens
slightly. Pour into a bowl,
refrigerate until cold.
2. Combine white chocolate
and cream in small
saucepan. Stir over low
heat until smooth. Beat
cream cheese, sugar and
vanilla with an electric
mixer until smooth. Stir in
sour cream, then fold in
white chocolate mixture.
3. Combine the biscuits
and butter in a bowl,
mix. Spoon a heaped
tablespoon into the base 8
jars. Spoon over the cream
cheese mixture (using onethird).
Top with a one-third
of berry compote. Repeat
layers twice finishing with
a sprinkling of biscuit
mixture. Secure lids and
refrigerate 4-6 hours. Serve
with extra fresh cherries.
66 DECEMBER 2019
The Local Voice Since 1991