When I posted the recipe for cherry cheesecake mousse a few weeks ago, I mentioned on Facebook that I hoped you had all stocked up on cherries, because there would be a few more cherry recipes headed your way. Well, I’d like to modify and/or rescind that statement, because there will not be as many recipes as I’d anticipated. As it turned out, the cherries we bought—they were so cheap!—were…not the best. They weren’t particularly sweet or even flavorful, and while they weren’t exactly mealy, their texture still left something to be desired. There are few things in life (okay, I exaggerate: few things within the food realm) that make me sadder than bad fruit does, and these cherries made me very sad. But throwing away food also makes me sad, so I decided to power through.
I had already been thinking about creating a caprese cornbread appetizer, to be filled with a mixture of fresh tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar, but when I found myself stuck with mediocre cherries, I remembered these fruity caprese-inspired bites and decided to try using cherries in place of tomatoes in the sliders.
The good news about these cherry caprese cornbread sliders is that it does not matter whether the cherries you have are the best of the season or just meh. Mixed together with a little splash of balsamic vinegar, even lackluster cherries provide enough sweetness and juiciness to make a complex and satisfying filling for these little sliders. Add in some creamy mozzarella and a pop of spicy-sweet basil and voilà! An elegant and wonderfully seasonal little appetizer! And since these sliders are total finger food, they can easily be served in a variety of contexts: from dinner parties and cocktail parties to grill-outs and picnics, these are sure to impress, no matter the occasion!
And in case you’re still looking for more cherry recipes, might I suggest some cherry cornmeal buckle? Or some cherry chipotle salsa? Or some cherry poppy seed chicken salad? And of course, there’s always classic tart cherry pie.
What are your favorite cherry recipes? Do you have any tricks for using up suboptimal fruit?
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted and cooled slightly
- 3/4 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup milk (I use skim milk)
- vegetable oil spray
- 3/4 cup fresh sweet cherries, pitted
- 3 tablespoons dried cherries
- 3/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella or burrata
- 36 small basil leaves, rinsed and patted dry
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a mini-muffin pan with vegetable oil spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Add in the melted butter or margarine, Greek yogurt, and milk, and mix until smooth.
- Gently fold the egg mixture into the dry ingredients, being careful not to overmix.
- Portion the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling the cups about 2/3 full. Bake until the tops are lightly golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 13 minutes.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- Chop both the fresh and dried cherries. In a small bowl, combine the chopped cherries with the balsamic vinegar.
- Cut the corn muffins in half, horizontally. Fill each muffin with about 1 teaspoon of the cherry mixture, a basil leaf, and about 1 teaspoon of mozzarella or burrata.
- The sliders pictured contain burrata (this was actually my first time trying it) and it worked all right, but I think that using fresh mozzarella would be easier and less messy, especially in a finger food situation.
- Corn muffin recipe adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
These are adorable! I love how you turned cornbread into sliders. Sorry your cherries didn’t keep as long as you had hoped, but at least something good came out of them! Kudos to not wasting food 😀
Thanks, Patty! I was glad not to let them go to waste. These sliders and a few cherry smoothies took care of everything 🙂
You are so amazingly creative!
Aw, thanks! I’m blushing.
These sound amazing! What a flavor packed fun idea!
Yes, these are nothing if not packed with flavor! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Wow, cherries and balsamic vinegar–sound great! I often make a fruit salad with a balsamic mint reduction dressing. Cherries would be great with that I bet!
That sounds like a tasty fruit salad! Thanks for stopping by!
cherries and balsamic vinegar … and cornbread. These sound delicious.
Thanks, I’m glad you think so!
These are adorable! Must try them!
Thanks! I hope you get a chance to.
What fun!!!
Thanks! Finger food is always fun, right?!
How creative! I can’t wait to give these a try!
Thanks! Let me know what you think if you make them!
Pure. Dead. Brilliant. -Kat
I’m so flattered that you think so! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
These are just too cute! I love anything mini 🙂
Thanks BreAnna! I’m glad they caught your eye.
These are adorable! Great idea, perfect party finger food!
Thanks! Gotta love finger food 🙂
I love how you mix the savory cheese with the sweet ingredients- the perfect combo! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Kim | http://peeledwellness.com
I love pairing sweet and savory. Thanks, and thank you (as always) for hosting such a lovely link-up party!
This is genius! I too hate wasting food. Had some super mealy peaches the other week which I turned into jam 🙂
Ooh, good call on the jam! I’ll have to keep that one in mind the next time I’ve got mealy peaches (the worst!).
Oh these are so much fun! Savory + Sweet and use cherries. My husband is on the fence about cherries, but I think this might convince him!
Thanks! I’ve only met a few people who are iffy about or dislike cherries…it baffles me! Let me know what you think if you try these 🙂
These are adorable and so creative, I love it! 🙂
I’m glad you think so! Thanks for stopping by!
Totally love this dish 🙂
Thanks! I hope you get a chance to try it.
Oh! These sliders sound so interesting to me. I just love it. Happy FF! 🙂
I’m glad to hear it! Thanks 🙂
Perfect cherries or not, these sliders look delicious and adorable, perfect for any party!
Agreed! I’ve got the appetizers covered, now I just need to host a party!
What a perfect presentation! I wish I could try it right now! 😀 Looks soooooo good!
Thanks! I’m glad these caught your eye!
This is brilliant! I managed to get 1 bag of cherries which were really nice, and everything since then has been expensive AND terrible (in quality!). I was so upset about that!
But these Caprese is so creative! I love that you paired the cherries with such classic flavours.
Thank you! I wasn’t sure how the flavors would work together at first but it turned out really well. That’s a major bummer about the bad, expensive cherries!
These look so adorable and love the idea of cornbread as sliders.
I’m glad you think so! Thanks 🙂
Oh yes I love this sweeter version of caprese! And the corn bread!
Thanks! I love cornmeal/cornbread with fruit so much that I couldn’t resist giving it a try with these.