The gardens at Kasbah Tamadot are looking beautiful this month and if you look closely you can spot the colourful apricots and cherries hanging from the fruit trees like jewels in a crown.
There are 10 apricot trees and 4 cherry trees in the gardens, and during the harvest season (taking place around mid-June to early-July) each tree produces between 80kg to 120kg of fruit which is collected and used in the kitchen. To ensure the richest flavours, our chefs prefer to leave the apricots a few more weeks until they are completely ripened on the tree before they are picked.
Executive Chef Yassine is passionate about using Moroccan ingredients in each of the dishes served; “our guests can enjoy the finest home-grown and seasonal produce in our menus, whether it’s apricot jams at breakfast or our delicious cherry tagine”.
Not only are apricots and cherries part of an authentic Moroccan cuisine, they are also packed full of important vitamins which can strengthen the immune system as well as help to maintain beautiful skin and hair.
So, when you’re next staying with us, make sure you try our chicken and apricot tagine or follow the recipe below to make our cherry tagine at home!
Cherry Tagine
INGREDIENTS (serves 4)
500g Fresh cherries
500g Brown sugar
1 litre Water
100g Cinnamon
100g Fresh ginger
200g Cinnamon sorbet
1 piece Star anise
5 pieces Cloves
2 pieces Cardamom
A few leaves of Verbena
METHOD
• Wash and pit the cherries and cut them in half
• Pour the water and brown sugar into a saucepan, add the cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, fresh ginger, and cloves. Bring to the boil for 10 minutes
• In a tagine, place the cherries, add the syrup and cook for 15 minutes in the oven at 180°C
• Finish with a ball of cinnamon sorbet on top of the cherries
• Decorate with small verbena leaves and the cinnamon
Serve it in the tagine pot or if cooked in a pan, serve on a plate. Et voila!