Make this black cherry tart recipe and relish in the absolute holiness of the ruby red fruit and her best accomplice: chocolate.

My love for cherries runs deep. And whenever I can feature them in my desserts, I jump at the chance. This chocolate black cherry tart recipe is dense in flavor and strikes the perfect balance between the flavors.

Growing up, I spent my summers on the Black Sea coast of Turkey, where my aunt lived, and every morning we’d stuff a bunch of local cherries into flimsy plastic bags and schlep them to the beach. For six to eight hours every day, in between throwing my body against the waves of the Karadeniz, prancing around with my shovels, backgammon racket, buckets, and other seaside accessories flailing left and right, and chasing whatever friend or dog crossed as far as the outermost spectrum of my peripheral vision, I fueled my abundant energy exclusively with cherries. I must have gone through several pounds of the plump crimson jewels each and every day.

Today, whenever I cross a cherry, I equate it with exuberance and joy. Sure, my associations are nostalgic in nature, but there’s a lot to be said of the fruit’s ability to rejuvenate the body (nutritious AF) and soul (better sleep!).

Chocolate Cherry Tart Recipe: Nutritional Breakdown

A traditional tart recipe involves a white flour and butter-based crust as well as a white sugar-based fruit filling. Even though fresh fruit is often featured in traditional tart filing, the presence of white sugar can override any expected nutritional benefits. This tart recipe, however, doesn’t take away from the cherries’ health perks. Instead, it magnifies them!

Cherries are nutrition powerhouses and are particularly praised for their high antioxidant content. And while cherries may indeed live up to their free-radical-damage-reversing reputation, they offer so much more than that! One cup of fresh cherries contains 51 calories, 1.6 grams of dietary fiber, 1 gram of protein, 180 milligrams of potassium, 26% of the RDA of vitamin A, and 17% of the RDA of vitamin C. Cherries are rich in anthocyanins, quercetin, hydroxycinnamates (phenolic compounds), potassium, fiber, vitamin C, carotenoids, and melatonin (phytochemical). They may also help to prevent cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, inflammation, and Alzheimer’s.

Cherries have a high antioxidant activity, induce a low-glycemic response, inhibit COX 1 and 2 enzymes (these guys cause an inflammatory response in the body), and bear other anti-carcinogenic effects.

According to 2012 study published in the European Journal of Nutrition, cherry juice “provides an increase in exogenous melatonin that is beneficial in improving sleep duration and quality in healthy men and women and might be of benefit in managing disturbed sleep.”

To keep up to par with cherries’ inherent glory, this tart recipe takes every opportunity to be as clean, nourishing, and healthy as possible. The crust is made with coconut oil, lower-glycemic maple syrup, applesauce, coconut flour, tapioca starch, and cocoa powder. The filling is then a simple mixture of black cherries, coconut oil, cocoa powder, vanilla, and maple syrup. All of these ingredients are a few body-nurturing notches above white flour, white sugar, eggs, and butter.

The result is a tart that is animal friendly, gluten-free, and super yummy. Indulge!

Cherries: Which Ones To Choose

There are more than 50 varieties of sweet cherries, the most popular being the Bing, Chelan, Lapins, Rainier, and Tulare varieties. Sweet cherries are often enjoyed raw or used in baking, such as in this cherry chocolate tart. Darker sweet cherries tend to have a deeper, more intense flavor. Then there are sour cherry varieties, which are more commonly consumed dried, frozen, or blended with other fruit juices.

Sweet cherries are available from May to August, while sour cherries are usually only found for a week or two in the middle of June in warmer areas or as late as July or August in colder regions.

When shopping for this recipe, look for “black” cherries, or sweet cherries that are deeper in color – more vivid red – than the others. To measure freshness, look for shiny and plump cherries that feel heavy for their size, have fresh-looking stems, and show no soft or browning spots. Before using them, be sure to rinse them thoroughly and pat them dry.

Chocolate Black Cherry Tart Recipe

Serves six to eight

Ingredients

For the crust

• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cardamom
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup almond milk

For the filling

• 2 cups black cherries, pitted and sliced in half
• 1 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Use coconut oil to grease a tart pan.

For the crust, combine all of the ingredients into a food processor and pulse them together until well combined and starting to hold together. Remove the mixture from the food processor and use clean hands to press it into the bottom and slightly up the side of the tart pan. Pierce across the bottom of the crust with a fork. Place the rust in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.

For the filling, in a small bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, cocoa powder, male syrup, and salt. Arrange the cherries evenly across the tart and pour the chocolate mixture over the cherries.

Place the tart into the refrigerator to set. After an hour or two, garnish the tart with a sprinkle of coconut flakes. Let the tart sit for 15 to 20 minutes to soften slightly before serving.

Related on EcoSalon
15 Weird and Unexpected Uses for Chocolate
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Sunday Recipe: Salted Cherry Cardamom Chocolate Bark

The post Vegan, Gluten-Free Chocolate Black Cherry Tart appeared first on EcoSalon.

Cherry recipes you won’t tire of…ever.

For most locations, cherry season is in full swing from late spring to early summer, or roughly May through July. Of course, this depends your local growing season (and then any variations to the season as a result of changes in the weather year to year). No matter where you live, cherries are often available for you-pick, meaning the limit to how much you can enjoy cherries is proportional to how much you can pick from a farm! And while we all love to eat sweet cherries right out of the basket (after washing them thoroughly), you just may want to make one or more of these cherry recipes with your haul once you get it home.

So far, I haven’t yet seen cherries at my local farmers market, but I am planning on checking out the local orchard just down the street. And this year, I have a plan to use up all the juicy, sweet (or sour) cherries instead of just popping them into my mouth one after the other after the other…

Cherry Recipes to Savor the Cherry Goodness

1. Maraschino Cherries – Homemade maraschino cherries beat out the store bought versions hands down and make for a real showstopper in homemade cocktails or topping homemade  desserts. They are made with sour cherries, so be on the lookout for those.

2. Cherry Barbecue Sauce – Sweet cherries make for a wonderful addition to barbecue sauce. The sweetness of the cherries can add another layer of flavor and help temper the heat from any peppers or spices you add.

3. Cherry Hand Pies – Hand pies are way easier to make than regular pies–and they are just as tasty. No need to worry about making things look pretty. Hand pies are also way more portable, which makes them ideal for picnics and cookouts.

4. Cherry Galette – A galette is another pie alternative. A gallate is nothing more than a more rustic and less fussy pie. A serving also works as a wonderful vehicle for a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

5. Cherry Sangria – This sangria recipe calls for sweet cherries and Cherry Herring, which is a super sweet cherry-flavored liqueur. You could even add peaches for a super summery treat.

6. Roasted Cherry Coconut Ice Cream – Just when you though cherry ice cream couldn’t get any better. This recipe, which incorporates both coconut and fresh roasted cherries, is simply divine.

7. Cherry Preserves – Finally, to make your cherries last past the season consider making cherry preserves. Not only can you use it on toast but it works well on top of oatmeal, yogurt, and ice cream.

Related on EcoSalon

Sunday Recipe: Salted Cherry Cardamom Chocolate Bark
20 Foods to Help You Sleep Better
DIY Red Summer Sangria Recipe

Jar of Fresh Cherries, Cherry Hand Pie, Cherry Juice, and Cherry Jam  Images via Shutterstock

The post 7 Sensational Cherry Recipes for all the (Remaining) Days of Summer appeared first on EcoSalon.

“When I sound the fairy call, gather here in silent meeting. Chin to knee on the orchard wall, cooled with dew and cherries eating. Merry, merry, take a cherry, mine are sounder, mine are rounder. Mine are sweeter for the eater, when the dews fall, and you’ll be fairies all”

Emily Dickinson

Cherries. Their season is so fleeting, which makes them all the more special and worthy of poetry. In honor of cherries – soon to disappear from the markets near here – I offer a trio of cherry recipes to be sure you eat your fill.

Cherry Clafoutis is a classic cake-custard hybrid that can be made with any fruit, but cherries are classic. This one from The Dinner Files looks like a winner.

The Food Gal cooks up a savory-sweet cherry, rosemary focaccia.

And from David Lebovitz we’ve got a no recipe cherry jam recipe to help you stretch the harvest.

Image: bensonkua

The post Cherry Fest: 3 Cherry Recipes to Try This Week appeared first on EcoSalon.

I’m not usually a big eater of carrots for the sake of eating carrots. Normally I put them in soups and stews but rarely do I make a carrot dish. Not sure why.

Don’t me wrong, I like them, especially when they are fresh and sweet and flavorful as they are when pulled out of the ground. They just never seem terribly exciting compared to the usual bounty we get around here.

Last week, the carrots at the farmers’ market looked so inviting that I had to pick up a bunch. Then, my roommate’s CSA box came with even more gorgeous carrots. Suddenly I found myself with quite a lot of carrots to prepare. Luckily I found this carrot salad with harissa, feta, and mint on Smitten Kitchen. It sounds utterly addictive. I can think of about a million ways to eat it – on a picnic, tucked into a sandwich on a roll, alongside lamb burgers, or over a bed of greens.

Remember last week, I mentioned I was going to save my duck fat for roasting potatoes? Well I did render and save about 1/3 of a cup of duck fat from the duck I cooked over the weekend. This recipe for Spanish Roasted Potato Salad from Food 52 seems like another perfect excuse to use it. Easy and impressive sounding. This one calls for olive oil, but duck fat can never hurt.

The cherries have been great this year and I’ve eaten so many that I’m now ready to actually consider doing something with them – other than popping one after another in my mouth. Here’s a savory take on cherry compote from Simply Recipes to try.

Happy Cooking!

Image: Stevendepolo

The post 3 Scrumptious Recipes to Try This Weekend appeared first on EcoSalon.