Hello friends! Today it’s all about pie and summertime essential. And no, I’m not talking about bathing suits. Even though I should probably be thinking more about bathing suit season and less about pie. But this cherry bourbon pie is one you would not want to miss. 

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Hey there friends. Times are changing which means technology is always evolving and making a lot of the tedious jobs we do daily easier to manage. As a baker, I am truly loving all the new gadgets and gizmos that have been rolling out in the past decade. 

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I have another easy summer recipe for you today in the form of a galette, aka the lazy man’s pie. This rustic cherry galette is the newest addition to my galette collection and I am in love with it. I love cherries and pies, so what is not to love here?

But let me say upfront, if you are not a cherry fan, you can try these alternatives (blueberry galette, raspberry vanilla bean galette or this peach raspberry combo). I say this because my husband is not a cherry fan and was against this galette from the start. However, he somehow ‘tried’ it and said ‘oh, it is actually not bad’. Uhmmm…it’s CHERRIES!! No way it can not be good. But I digress. Let’s talk about the recipe.

Galettes are just topless pies. With the same juicy, warm fruits wrapped inside a flaky, pie crust. Luckily, they are easier than pies and don’t need long hours in the kitchen.

This rustic cherry galette uses sweet seasonal cherries paired with fresh lime juice and a hint of almond extract. It’s simple, flavorful and filled with one of summer’s favorite fruits. Top with vanilla ice cream (I used this blackberry coconut ice cream) and enjoy on a hot summer day.

Hope you can add this to your summer baking list. I know it will be on repeat for me as my husband suddenly doesn’t mind cherries.

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Yield: 1 9-inch galette

Rustic Cherry Galette

This rustic cherry galette uses sweet seasonal cherries paired with fresh lime juice and a hint of almond extract. It's simple, flavorful and perfect. 

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

For the Crust:

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• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 tablespoons shortening, cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup ice water
• 1 large egg, whisked with 2 teaspoons water for egg wash

For the Filling:

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• 2 lbs cherries (fresh or frozen, if frozen thaw completely), pit and halved
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon limezest
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1 tablespoon bourbon
• turbinado or coarse sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions

 

1. In the bowl of the food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse together. Add in the butter, in two additions. Process a few times until butter is about the size of a pea. Drizzle 1/4 cup of ice cold water into mixture and pulse intermittently until dough comes together. Remove dough from bowl and pat down into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lime juice, zest, almond extract and bourbon. Gently mix to combine and let sit for at least 20 minutes.
3. When dough is chilled, roll out into a 12 inch circle on a lightly floured surface. (I rolled mine onto a well floured parchment to make transfer easy). Transfer to a baking sheet.
4. Spoon the fruits into the center of the crust, leaving 2-3 inch borders. Fold up the sides, gently tucking in over the fruit in a folding/pleating pattern. Transfer dough to freezer and let chill for 15 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove galette from freezer and brush dough with egg wash. Sprinkle dough with turbinado sugar. Bake galette for 30-35 minutes until crust is golden and juice from the fruit runs out. Let cool before serving warm, with a dollop of ice cream.

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Summer is here!! The unofficial start of summer is this weekend and I have a refreshing sweet 7UP cherry almond sparkler for you to start your celebrations!

Are you excited for summer? Do you have your summer bucket list yet? I am very excited as we didn’t really have a spring. It’s been cold, rainy and miserable but now we are jumping straight into summer and I am planning activities that I would like us to do. I found this list of outdoor activities to do in Upstate NY that I will be closely following. Lots of hiking, state parks, animal parks and zoo for the family. We are also going camping (well, fancy camping) with my in-laws and I am looking forward to all the grilling, summer desserts and s’mores we will be eating. Of course with all this hustle and bustle, I need to prepare for each outing and I love shopping at Walmart for our summer outdoors necessities.

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Every celebration deserves a signature drink. Whether it’s a cocktail or a refreshing, sparkling lemonade. Or in our case today, a sparkling cherry limeade!! Last summer my signature drink for gatherings was this sparkling strawberry cucumber limeade and everyone loved it! But we are taking things up a notch this year with another fruity limeade with a little dash of almond extract to our cherry.

I love adding almond extract to my cakes and pies but I love it in drinks too. Remember when these mango margaritas? We had a secret ingredient in it and we using the same here too. Almond brings out the flavor in a lot of fruits, especially cherries. I used Nielsen-Massey’s Pure Almond Extract in these cherry limeades! I also added a little bit of dark rum I had left over and it was a delicious addition. So if you are making this for an adult gathering, be sure to add a little bit of rum or vodka.

Now, I’m hoping all goes well with my final exam on Wednesday so I can celebrate  with this cherry limeade. It will be perfect to relax with on a hot summer day or to bring along to a picnic at the park.

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Yield: 1 liter

Cherry Limeade

A refreshing sparkling cherry limeade with hints of almond. Perfect for any summer BBQ.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh cherries, pits removed
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup simple syrup, or more to taste
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 teaspoon Nielsen Massey Pure Almond Extract
• Sparkling water or club soda
• (Optional: a dash of rum or vodka)
• Garnish: lime wedges, fresh mint and cherries

Instructions

In a blender, blend the fresh cherries until smooth. Pass the puree through a fine sieve and collect cherry liquid into a medium bowl.

In a large pitcher, whisk together the cherry juice with the simple syrup, lime juice and almond extract.

When ready to serve, add ice to the pitcher and fill with about a liter of sparkling water or club soda.

Mix well and add sweetener to taste.

Serve with garnishes and enjoy immediately.

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Happy Monday everyone!! I hope you had a lovely summer holiday weekend (US folks). It was very exciting in our next of the woods with multiple parties, a trip to the zoo, one too many ice cream cones and fireworks at the end of it all. Summer weekends are truly the best; lots of family time, outdoor activities and fresh fruits and produce.

I’ve reached the point where I need to eat more than berries and embrace the rest of the fruits in season like cherries and peaches. I love the sweet cherries that are in peak season right now but man, can they get pricy when you want a few pounds for a pie or to snack on.

I needed a few pounds of cherries last weekend so I hit my local ALDI grocery market where I know I can get fresh fruits and produce for a great price. After eating almost a pound of the cherries, I decided I should bake something. These cherry lime cheesecake bars were the resulting culprits. I love cheesecake bars as they are miniature cheesecake slices in your hand but take less the time and effort to put together.

These bars start with a classic graham cracker crust, that’s pre-baked and topped with a sweet lime cheesecake filling and finally topped with a swirl of cherry lime topping. It’s three layers of complete bliss; a crunchy crust, a sweet cheesecake filling and a tart cherry lime topping.

Absolutely what you want to be indulging on this summer!

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Yield: ~12 bars

Cherry Lime Cheesecake Bars

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

For Crust:

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• 10 whole graham crackers
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• a pinch of salt

For Cherry Swirl

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• 1 ½ cup cherries, pitted and chopped
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• zest of 1 lime
• juice of ½ a lime

For Filling:

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• 2 8-ounce cream cheese packages, softened at room temperature
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• a pinch of salt
• juice of half a lime
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Instructions

For Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 8-inch square pan and line with parchment paper with overhang.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until processed. Add in the melted butter and pulse until combined.
3. Press the graham cracker mixture to the bottom of the prepared pan and distribute evenly. Bake crust for 10 minutes and let cool completely.

For Cherry Swirl:

1. Meanwhile in a small saucepan combine the cherries, sugar, zest and lime juice along with a ¼ cup water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes, until cherries are soft and mixture starts to thicken.
2. Transfer the cherry mixture to a food processor or blender and pulse briefly to break up the cherries.You don't want it smooth. Transfer cherry compote to a small bowl and set aside to cool.

For Filling:

1. In the large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and salt until combined and smooth. Add in the lime juice and mix until combined. Add in eggs, vanilla extract and all-purpose flour. Mix until just combined and mixture is smooth.
2. Pour the cream cheese filling into the cooled crust and smooth with a spatula to evenly distribute. Dollop the cherry compote over the filling one tablespoon at a time. Using a small knife or skewer, swirl the cherry compote.
3. Bake cheesecake for about 25-30 minutes or until the edges are set and lightly brown. The middle will be slightly jiggly. Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack to set. Chill cheesecake for at two hours to set.
4. When ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the pan using the overhangs. Cut into squares.

Making this Recipe?

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I’m sharing this recipe in partnership with ALDI. As always all opinions are 100% mine. Thank you for supporting the companies that make it possible for me to continue to create great recipes for you. For more information and recipe ideas, visit ALDI on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

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