Freshly-picked cherries are one of the highlights of the English summer – lusciously juicy and full of flavour. Cherries have flourished in Britain for centuries, but are now sadly in decline, mainly due to competition from imported fruit. Our home-grown cherries have a fairly short season so it’s good to enjoy them while we can, like in this recipe supplied by Tomasz Kulawczyk, the new head chef at Botley Hill Farmhouse.
Tomasz explains, “Our menu is all about celebrating the seasons, taking fresh ingredients and making wonderful dishes with them. Cherries are so versatile and can be used in both sweet and savoury recipes, so we’re really relishing them right now.”
This lovely summer baked cheesecake provides a great showcase for English cherries as they sit atop a mascarpone, lemon and frangipane base. It was made by Botley Hill Farmhouse’s dessert chef, Cosmin Prisecaru, who reveals, “It’s important for the pastry to be light and to achieve this you need to treat it gently. Also make sure your finger tips are cold before you start rubbing in the fat – running your hands under the cold tap does the trick.”
Ingredients:
Pastry
225g plain flour
110g cold butter cut into cubes
80g caster sugar
1 egg, beaten
Small amount of milk
Frangipane mix
100g softened unsalted butter
100g ground almonds
1 egg
100g caster sugar
Topping
500g mascarpone
1 lemon zest & juice
140g icing sugar
700g fresh de-stoned cherries
1 vanilla pod
Method