Let’s Eat: A salute to George Washington on Presidents’ Day
By Heidi Sutton
What better way to celebrate Presidents’ Day on Feb. 17 than with delicious cherry-inspired recipes in salute of George Washington’s birthday!
Martha Washington’s Cherry Bread and Butter Pudding
Recipe courtesy of Martha Washington
YIELD: Makes 6 servings
INGREDIENTS:
12 slices white bread (Pepperidge Farm or similar works best)
Butter or margarine
Cinnamon
10-oz. cherry preserves
4 eggs
2 and 2/3 cups milk
2 tablespoons of sugar
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray an 8 x 8 x 2-in pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cut crusts from 12 slices white bread or leave crusts on, depending on your preference. Spread butter on one side of each slice. Arrange 4 slices bread in bottom of dish and sprinkle each lightly with cinnamon. Spread a spoonful of cherry preserves on each slice. Repeat, making two more layers. Beat eggs in a medium mixing bowl. Add milk and sugar and stir until well mixed. Pour over bread and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until top is golden brown and the custard is set. Serve warm from the oven or serve cold.
Cherry Filled Crepes
Recipe courtesy of Milk Means More
YIELD: Makes 8 crepes
INGREDIENTS:
For the Cherry Sauce:
16-ounce bag frozen unsweetened tart cherries
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup water, divided
2 tablespoons cornstarch
For the Crepes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
4 eggs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Powdered sugar, for dusting
DIRECTIONS:
To make the cherry sauce, bring the cherries, sugar, and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup of water and cornstarch and a small bowl until smooth and add to the boiling cherries. Return the mixture to a boil, stirring often, and cook until thickened. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
To make the crepes, add all of the ingredients to a blender and puree until the mixture is smooth. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes at room temperature.
Heat a crepe pan or 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and lightly coat with butter. Using a 1/3 cup measure, add batter to the pan and quickly swirl it around to completely cover the bottom of the pan evenly. Cook until the underside of the crepe is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Loosen an edge of the crepe with a rubber spatula, then using the spatula and your fingertips, quickly flip. Cook another minute more. Slide the crepe out of the pan and repeat with the remaining batter, coating the pan with more butter as needed.
To serve, lay two crepes open on a plate. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of the cherry sauce into the center of each crepe. Fold over each side to close the crepes. Add a little more cherry sauce to the top, then sprinkle with powdered sugar.
