There was no written recipe, nor
did Mom make it again! Now I know why. I bought two pounds of fresh Bing
cherries recently from a corner stand and decided to try a simple cherry filling experiment
with the flavor and texture I carried in my head. First step, pit all the
cherries. Eureka! All the more appreciation for that one-time cherry cake. Next
step, put cherries in large saucepan, add some natural fruit juice, just enough
to allow cherries to simmer, and add honey to taste (I don’t like using sugar).
Simmer about 6-10 minutes. With heat off, add arrowroot (natural thickener),
not more than 1 Tbsp., a bit at a time and stir all the while until syrupy or to
desired thickness. Then add what is for me the kicker: a half tsp. of almond
extract. Let totally cool, transfer to small mason jars, and refrigerate.
Delectable on vanilla ice cream, cheesecake, waffles, pancakes, or whatever
pleases you. (Without the almond extract it would serve as an exotic
duck sauce.) This experiment has yielded a cherry sauce that meets the memory
of that long ago cherry cake filling.
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