Cherry-vanilla bread a sweet reminder of favorite ice cream
Do you remember cherry-vanilla ice cream? The kind with dark, sour cherries and just a hint of vanilla in the sweet, thick cream? It seems that this old-fashioned combo is nowhere to be found among the ice cream flavors in my little town.
But there's absolutely no reason we can't enjoy those same dramatic flavors in an easy quick bread. Today's recipe is part-quick bread and part-buttery poundcake studded with dark, rich, tart cherries. I first started thinking about the delicious possibilities when I came across a large bag of Montmorency cherries at my local club store. I grabbed a bag, thinking they'd be a great winter addition to my morning oatmeal. Then I started snacking on the intense little gems when I remembered my favorite ice cream flavor as a child — cherry-vanilla.
Yes, they are wonderful when stirred into a steaming bowl of oatmeal. But you're going to love the result of this quick bread. After several loaves, I've finally given up on the hope of having leftovers long enough to make French toast. It seems that when a loaf is in the house, it never stays until the next day. If you can, give the French toast a try with day-old or two-day-old bread and let me know how it turns out. In the meantime, enjoy the sweet goodness of cherries and vanilla again.
• Alicia Ross can be contact at Kitchen Scoop, c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106, or send email to tellus@kitchenscoop.com.