VANCOUVER — Now is one of my favourite times for food in British Columbia. There are so many things popping out - fava beans, green peas, squash blossoms, as well as strawberries, peaches, apricots and, of course, cherries. Cherries are one of my favourite fruits - not only because of their versatility and incomparable sweet flavour, but because of the history they represent for me and my family.
My mother was born in Kelowna and my aunt lived in Penticton. Right in her backyard were 5.5 acres of cherry trees to be ravaged. Since I was two years old, every summer my mother and father would take me and my brothers and sister to the Okanagan Valley for our holidays. We would stop along the way in Keremeos, where fruit stands line the highway, to pick up our first batch of Okanagan cherries.
We would then continue on to Osoyoos, where we would start our vacation at the Desert Motor Inn. Two weeks into our holiday, we'd head to Penticton to visit Aunty Gene and Uncle Bill and their unbelievable orchard. My lucky brother David would work a few weeks in the orchard. His job was to pick cherries, and my job was to eat them.
On our way back home to Vancouver, we would load up our Chevy Impala with countless fruits in season. For weeks we would feast on the goods, while Mom prepared canned fruits to enjoy throughout the year - including canned cherries from the orchard.
Lemon and buttermilk pannacotta with a cherry compote (Rafal Gerszak for The Globe and Mail)
As a child, my favourite thing to do was to open up a can of cherries, lightly warm them, drop a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream right in the middle and dig in.
The recipe that follows, lemon and buttermilk pannacotta with a cherry compote, is sublime. It's a very simple recipe to make, and the cherry compote can be used on its own with ice cream, sorbet, crème fraîche or whipped cream.
LEMON AND BUTTERMILK
PANNACOTTA WITH A CHERRY COMPOTE
What you need
Lemon layer:
2 tablespoons gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons
simple syrup (a sugar and
water solution)
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons
lemon juice
Buttermilk layer:
1 tablespoon gelatin
1/3 cup cold water
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
11/2 cups buttermilk
Cherry compote:
1/3 cup simple syrup//
11/2 cups fresh pitted cherries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Candied zest:
Zest of 1/2 lemon, cut in thin strips
Zest of 1/2 lime, cut in thin strips
1/4 cup water
1/8 cup sugarWHAT YOU DO
To prepare lemon layer:
Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water and let gelatin absorb all the water, one to two minutes. Place gelatin and simple syrup in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until the gelatin is dissolved. Pour lemon juice into a small bowl. Add dissolved gelatin and stir well to mix. Pour into 1/2-cup ramekins and refrigerate until set.
Buttermilk layer:
Sprinkle the gelatin over 1/3 cup cold water. Let the gelatin absorb all the water. Place gelatin, cream and sugar in a saucepan over low heat and stir until gelatin and sugar have dissolved. Stir in buttermilk. Pour into the ramekins over the lemon gelatin and refrigerate until set.
Cherry compote:
In a saucepan over medium heat, warm up syrup. Remove from heat and stir in a cup of the cherries. Allow to sit for two to three minutes. Transfer mixture to a blender, process and strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Add lemon juice and the remaining cherries to the cherry sauce.
Candied zest:
Cover zest strips with cold water in a small pot. Bring to a boil and drain. Repeat two more times. Add 1/4 cup water and sugar. Boil gently until the zest is opaque and most of the syrup is absorbed. Transfer to a plate to cool.
To assemble:
Run a knife around panna cottas and press lightly on the surface. This will break the seal and make it easier to unmould onto a serving plate. Spoon some of the compote around each pannacotta and top with candied zest. Serve immediately.
Serves 6 to 8
Rob Feenie is co-owner and chef at Vancouver's Lumière and Feenie's, a cookbook author and an Iron Chef America champion.
Beppi's wine matches
Sweet cherries, especially with a tart accompaniment such as this pannacotta, are a fine match for icewine or a late-harvest dessert wine.
If the berries are from British Columbia, you might as well stick with the theme and choose a western wine, such as Inniskillin Okanagan Dark Horse Riesling Icewine ($60 for 350 ml) or the top-notch Mission Hill SLC Riesling Icewine ($80 for 37 ml).
Another fun option is a berry-flavoured beer, particularly a Lambic style from Belgium. Good Canadian alternatives include Quelque Chose, a cherry ale (about $8 for 50 ml), and Amsterdam Framboise from Ontario (about $12 for a four pack).
