Sweet cherries making their way to Farmers Market
CONCORD, CA — More than 40,000 acres of cherry orchards from Brentwood to Stockton and down through the Central Valley are transforming their lovely pink blossoms into plump sweet cherries.
This wonderful seasonal fruit is a highly anticipated treat every year and can be enjoyed May and June at farmers markets.
The most common type of sweet cherry grown in California is the Bing, followed by the Lambert and Rainier varieties. They’re large and sweet, best eaten fresh and great for eating out of hand.
Gotelli Farms of Acampo brings several varieties of sweet cherries to the Concord Farmers Market. Bing, Burlat, Coral, Lapin and Brooks are some of them.
The family emigrated to the United States in the early 1900s from Italy and settled along the Calaveras River in San Joaquin County to start their orchards. The business is family owned and operated and represents three generations of experience in California, with specialization in sweet cherries, blueberries and apricots.
The Gotelli family now offers 10 cherry varieties that are all well-adapted to the hot climate of the San Joaquin Valley. Cherries have a very short season, usually May and June. Once this delicate crop is ready, the family moves quickly to get these cherries out to local farmers market.
Stop by and get them while you can. You won’t find better quality, freshness and variety.
Gluten-Free Cherry Apricot Financier Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes.
Financiers are small, buttery almond cakes commonly found in French patisserie.
- 10 T butter
- 1¾ c. plus 1 T almond flour
- ¾ c. plus 2.5 T sugar
- 6 T cornstarch
- Pinch of salt
- 4 egg whites separated from 4 large eggs (6 fluid ounces)
- 2 oz. honey
- 6 apricots, pitted and halved
- 6 cherries, pitted and halved
Take butter out of the refrigerator 20-30 minutes before starting. Brown the butter by cutting it into equal pieces so it cooks evenly. If the butter is frozen or too cold, it will splatter and easily burn. Use a light-colored pan so you can see when the butter has browned.
Brown over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, silicone whisk or rubber spatula as it melts. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam and sizzle around the edges. Keep stirring until butter turns golden brown, about 5 minutes. The foam will slightly subside and the milk solids on the bottom of the pan will toast. It will smell intensely buttery, nutty and rich.
There are only a few seconds between brown butter and burnt butter, so keep your eye on the stove the entire time. Don’t walk away and don’t stop stirring. Once some foam begins to dissolve and you notice the specks on the bottom of the pan have browned, immediately remove the pan from heat and pour the butter into a heat-proof bowl to stop the cooking process. If left in the hot pan, the butter will burn.
Set the butter aside to cool. Preheat oven to 375.
With an electric mixer, mix the dry ingredients together. Add the egg whites, half at a time, and mix to combine. Add the honey and mix, scraping sides of the bowl to ensure everything is combined. While mixing, slowly add the brown butter until everything is incorporated.
Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Fill ¾ full and place ½ an apricot and ½ a cherry on the top of each cupcake in a pretty design. Bake for 15 minutes, turn pan around in oven and bake until a knife comes out clean, 15-20 minutes total.
The Concord Farmers Market is in Todos Santos Plaza in downtown Concord, CA, every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.