Recipe – Orange soaked cherries with Anzac biscuit crumble and mascarpone

Soaking cherries in orange juice and zest will soften and flavour them, and the cinnamon adds a subtle spice.(ABC Everyday: Hetty McKinnon)

Serves 4-5.

Cooking time: 30 minutes, plus an hour to soak the cherries.

Ingredients

Orange-soaked cherries

• 450g cherries, pits removed (don’t fuss too much about keeping the cherries intact)
• Zest of ½ orange
• Juice of 1 small orange (about 2 Tbsp)
• 3 tsp caster sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Anzac biscuit crumble

• 110g (¾ cup) plain flour
• 80g (⅓ cup) brown sugar
• 70g (¾ cup) rolled oats
• 50g desiccated or shredded coconut
• 1 tsp salt
• 80g butter, coarsely chopped
• 2 Tbsp golden syrup
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ¼ cup shaved almonds

Whipped mascarpone

• 200g mascarpone (or ricotta cheese)
• 100g Greek yoghurt
• 1 Tbsp caster sugar
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Prepare the cherries by placing them in a small bowl. Add the orange zest, juice, sugar and cinnamon. Stir and allow to macerate for 1 hour. They can also be left to soften overnight in the fridge.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
3. Combine the flour, sugar, oats, coconut and salt together in a bowl. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Once melted, add the golden syrup and bicarbonate of soda — be careful as the mixture will foam — then add this to the dry ingredients and mix well to combine.
4. Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking tray, scatter over the almonds, and using your fingers, press some of the batter down so it is flat and leave other bits chunky. You want to create different textures, like granola clusters. Bake in the oven for about 6-8 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. While still warm, break up the larger chunks a bit more, until you get the crumble texture you like. Leave to cool completely. This crumble will keep in an airtight container for several weeks.
5. Combine the mascarpone, yoghurt, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and whisk together for about 2-3 minutes until thick.
6. To serve, place a dollop of mascarpone on a plate, top with a few spoonfuls of the soaked cherries, a touch of the soaking juice and top with the Anzac crumble. Serve immediately.