Glace'/ candied cherries

[lipstick]

Hi, just moved to the Bay Area from the UK. I'm trying to bake a few cakes but having some problems with the different terminology!

Specifically I'm looking for what I call glace cherries but I think you guys call candied or crystallized cherries, to go in a cake. The guy in Whole Foods didn't know what I meant but I saw an old post on Chow that said WF wouldn't sell them as they had artifical dye in.

Can anyone advise me where I could buy such things? I've checked Safeways online store and no go.

I'm also having a problem finding bread that isn't sweet or sour, but that's a whole other story.... :)

[lipstick]

Found some glacee cherries today at Calmart on California, between Spruce and Locust Sts. Full of HFCS and you can even get the bright green ones :) PLUS Ambrosia devon custard for $3-something a tin rather than $6-something.

[ed251137]

Hi Lipstick. I live in France and have found glace cherries are an exhorbitant price here so have started making my own for baking. It's very easy and much cheaper even if you have to buy the cherries - I got lucky because I've neighbours who give them to me so am making a big supply to see me through the year. here is a link for the recipe. http://hubpages.com/hub/Candied-Fruit

[Robert Lauriston]

The Pasta Shop has the best quality locally. The supermarket stuff is gross.

kingarthurflour.com sells candied fruit without coloring.

[bgbc]

Second this suggestion. The Pasta Shop also have (in the past had) candied angelica, mixed peel, etc. A bit expensive but much better quality than supermarkets. As Commonwealth ex-pat this was a treat to find :)

For UK supermarket foods in general try Andronico's, Berkeley Bowl and Piedmont Grocery. Probably more options in SF, too.

On a baking translation note, it also took me too long to realize sultanas were "golden raisins" here.

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Berkeley Bowl
2020 Oregon St, Berkeley, CA 94703

[Robert Lauriston]

And there is no substitute for Lyle's Golden Syrup, which I've bought at the Pasta Shop and Rainbow Grocery, among other places.

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Rainbow Grocery
1745 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94103

[lipstick]

Thanks all. Tried four stores yesterday including Rainbow, couldn't find them but ta for the other suggestions. Also going to try substituting (washed & dry) maraschino cherries just because I bought some out of desperation and love the flavour. The internet says I shouldn't, but the internet's not the boss of me....

Mollie Stones has the odd shelf of UK food as well, I am ashamed to say I paid around $6 for a tin of ambrosia custard the other day :)

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Mollie Stone's
851 Cherry Ave # 22, San Bruno, CA

[celeryroot]

What are you asking for ?? You should be asking where the candied fruit is.

[lipstick]

Yeah I'm asking for candied cherries, explaining what they are. Rainbow has a big candied/crystallised fruit section, just not cherries. I'll look in Berkeley Bowl next time I'm in the east bay.

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Berkeley Bowl
2020 Oregon St, Berkeley, CA 94703

[celeryroot]

if in east bay might also try Montery Market

[Cicely]

If it comes to that, I think you'd be better off with a different kind of candied fruit than the maraschino cherries. Of course, if you just want to try them because you love them, that's cool.

[Ruth Lafler]

One place to look for stuff like that, that won't cost you an arm and a leg is an Indian market (India having been colonized by the Brits and all that). Some large Asian markets (ditto for Hong Kong) as well.

[Ruth Lafler]

Berkeley Bowl definitely has a selection of candied/glaceed fruits. They're in the area around the organic produce/bulk foods weigh station. I bought a couple of different kinds there when I made mincemeat. At Berkeley Bowl, if you're having trouble finding something, don't ask a random employee, ask at the customer service desk by the entrance -- they have a product list and can look it up for you if they don't know off the top of their heads.

I'm a little unsure of what you mean by not find bread that isn't sweet or sour. There are sweet breads (breads with fruits, nuts, etc.) but when referring to "regular" bread, "sweet" (i.e., "sweet baguette") simply means "not sour" which it sounds like what you're looking for.

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Berkeley Bowl
2020 Oregon St, Berkeley, CA 94703

[celeryroot]

Starting in october they will be all over the place.

[Ruth Lafler]

What will be all over the place?

[celeryroot]

sorry dont know why my post here replying to your's . I meant candied cherries.

[bgbc]

I think I can answer this -- regular wholewheat bread (for example) in the US is simply sweeter than its counterparts in the UK, as the bread has additional sugar. I noticed it too when I first moved here. Not sure why though -- do "honey" wheat breads actually have (more) honey?

[Robert Lauriston]

Yeah, I presumed that was it as well. Rainbo, for instance, contains at least 2% high-fructose corn syrup,

I don't think "honey wheat" has to have any particular amount of honey.

Nor does "wheat" mean whole-wheat. Industrial bakeries just add caramel color and maybe some bran.

[Ruth Lafler]

Well, I was assuming (perhaps mistakenly) that she meant real bread, not industrial crap -- my great-grandfather, who was a traditional German baker, worked alongside Langendorf at some point, and reportedly would shake his head at how successful Langendorf had become considering he was a "lousy baker."

I think sugar and HFCS are used in breads not so much to make them sweet as the help keep them from drying out.

[lipstick]

Quite simply most breads I have tried that aren't "specialty" (I have found some great rosemary bread) or sourdough have been sweeter than UK bread (and usually a lot drier). Burger buns, pre-packaged bread or straight from the bakery. I asked in one of the posher bakeries about this and they said compared to English bread, I would find theirs slightly sweet. Other UK ex-pats have said the same. I guess if you've grown up with it you don't notice but I have noticed there is a sweetness that creeps into many US foods.

I am longing for a nice moist nutty granary that costs no more than $3, with decent sized slices that aren't filled with air bubbles. I took it for granted back home :))

That said, I'm aware there are lots of loaves I haven't tried, but I am fed up of spending $5 on a loaf and being disappointed. Don't want to derail the thread either....

[celeryroot]

My Safeway stlll has them,. You find candied cherries all over the place arnd Thanksgiving an Xmas. After they go on sale for half price. Stock up after holidays. You should be able to find at Safeway or Rainbow but you will pay full price.

[lipstick]

Thanks, I'll get off my backside and give them both a try...

[celeryroot]

Actually the more I think about it , you should be able to find at many local neighborhood
groceries . Just ask for "candied cherries". They are in a plastic cantainer, like a sour cream or cottage cheese, with transparent top and come in red and green.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=?ie=UTF8&...

[saffrongold]

If you want some very good quality candied fruit, not bright red, in the natural dark red, you can order online from Kalustyans in New York.