Cherries (B)
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La Belle Cuisine - More Chocolate Treats

   Fine Cuisine with Art Infusion

"To cook is to create. And to create well...is an act of integrity, and faith."

Charlie Trotter's Chocolate-Bing Cherry Cake
with Bing Cherry Sauce

 "There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with CHOCOLATE."
Linda Grayson, "The Pickwick Papers"

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Chocolate-Bing Cherry Cake with Bing Cherry Sauce


Charlie Trotter's Desserts
by Charlie Trotter & Michelle Gayer, 1998, Ten Speed Press

“Of all the fruits that can be successfully paired with chocolate, cherries may be the best match. Their sweet flavor melds perfectly into the pungent, heady flavor of the chocolate. Cherries also have just enough acid to barely cut the fat of the chocolate. Here, the dried, chewy, slightly tart cherries are incorporated into the body of the cake, while the plump, sweet, ganache-filled poached Bing cherries are served
under it, or on the side. This cake can be made in advance and served either hot
or cold. Bing cherry or chocolate ice cream could be served on the side for the
ultimate indulgence.”

Serves 12

3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup dried cherries
1 cup Sauternes
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cinnamon sticks
3 star anise
48 Bing cherries, pitted
Chocolate-Earl Grey Tea Ganache (recipe follows)
White Chocolate Sauce (recipe follows)
Cherry Tuiles (recipe follows)

Method
To make the cake:  Beat the eggs until they are tripled in volume. Add the buttermilk and sour cream and mix well. Sift together the sugar, cocoa, flours, baking soda, and baking powder, add to the batter, and mix well. Stir in the melted butter and fold in the dried cherries. Pour the batter into a buttered, floured, parchment-lined 9- by 13-inch pan. Bake in a water bath at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center. Cool slightly, invert onto a sheet pan, and invert again onto a cutting board. Let cool and cut into triangles.
To make the Bing Cherry Sauce:  Bring the Sauternes, water, lemon juice, cinnamon, and star anise to a boil over medium heat. Add the whole cherries and return the mixture to a boil. Remove the cherries from the liquid and set aside. Return the pan to medium heat and continue cooking for 15 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to about 2/3 cup. Add 12 cherries to the liquid, purée for 1 minute, and strain through a fine-mesh sieve.
To prepare the cherries:  Fill the remaining 36 cherries with the Chocolate-Earl Grey Tea Ganache.
Assembly:  Spoon a ring of White Chocolate Sauce around the plate. Spoon the Bing cherry sauce in the center of the chocolate sauce ring and place 3 filled cherries in the center of the sauce. Top with a Cherry Tuile. Place a cake triangle on each tuile.

Chocolate-Earl Grey Tea Ganache

Yield: approximately 1 cup

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Earl Grey tea
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Method
Bring the cream and tea to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover, and steep
for 30 minutes. Return to a boil and then strain the liquid over the chocolate and butter. Whisk until smooth and refrigerate until stiff enough to pipe into the cherries.

White Chocolate Sauce

Yield: approximately 1/3 cup
3 ounces white chocolate, melted
1 to 2 tablespoons water

Method
Whisk together the chocolate and enough water to create a sauce consistency. Keep in a warm location until ready to use.

Cherry Tuiles

Yield: 1 cup batter

1 cup pitted Bing cherries
1/4 cup water
1 egg white

Method
Cook the cherries in the water for 5 minutes and let cool. Purée the mixture for 1 minute, add the egg white, and purée for 2 more minutes. Spoon 1 to
1 1/2 teaspoons of the batter onto a Silpat-lined or nonstick sheet pan and spread into a 3-inch circle. Repeat to form at least 12 tuiles (make extra to allow for breakage). Bake at 225 degrees for 40 minutes, or until the tuiles are dry enough to remove from the pan. Carefully lift the tuiles using a small offset spatula and place on a countertop or other flat surface to cool.

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