Menu

Well, since this is a celebration of cherries, that’s what we base our menu on. Cherries go very well with both sweet and salty dishes, so get down to your local grocery store and buy all the cherries you can carry for an unusually sweet evening.

Grilled goat cheese with cherry salad

This is basically a Chevre chaud but with a twist.

Cooking instructions GENERAL

Quarter the cherries and let them soak in a bowl together with the oil and vinegar, crush the cherries slightly with a wooden spatula and set aside. Pre-heat the oven in grill mode to 275⁰C, toast the bread and place the cheese on top. Cut away any bread sticking out from under the cheese, place on the top rack in the oven and grill until the cheese starts to colour. Meanwhile, toss the salad in the dressing and divide onto four plates. Place the cheese and bread on top of the salad and swirl some honey on top of the cheese. Serve immediately.

Roast duck with cherry chutney

You can’t go wrong with roast duck, and with this cherry chutney, it’s especially delicious.

Cooking instructions GENERAL

To make the chutney: Combine all the ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a glass jar and cool. To make the duck: Season the duck with salt and pepper and place on a roasting pan. Season the potatoes and place around the duck.

Cooking instructions INSPIRO

Set the oven for; Auto cooking, Oven Dishes, Fish/Poultry, Duck Whole; enter the weight and cook.

Cooking instructions REGULAR

Heat the oven to 175°C. Bake until the juices coming out from the duck run almost clear, about 90 minutes depending on the size of the bird.

Cooking instructions FINAL

Let the duck rest for 15 minutes before cutting. Serve with cherry chutney and roast potatoes.

Cherry strudel

Cherry strudel is served on the final day of the festival so it’s appropriate to finish off your meal with one.

Cooking instructions GENERAL

Knead flour, salt, oil and water into medium-firm dough. Brush the dough with butter and heat a bowl with hot water and place on top of the dough and let rest for 1 hour. Mix the cherries with the sugar and the rum, sprinkle over the potato starch and mix again. Roll the dough with a rolling pin, then stretch rolled dough on a dusted strudel sheet or tablecloth. With the backs of your hands, stretch little by little until the dough is very thin. Brush the dough with butter and sprinkle breadcrumbs and almonds over it. Form the filling into a loaf at one end of the dough. Cut away the edges and shape strudel into roll by lifting the strudel sheet. Place the strudel on a buttered baking sheet and brush with melted butter.

Cooking instructions INSPIRO

Set the oven to: Auto cooking, Baking, Strudel.

Cooking instructions REGULAR

Pre-heat the oven to 175°C and bake for 70 minutes or until golden.

Cooking instructions FINAL

Remove from the oven and let cool. Serve warm with whipped cream

Drinks

Croatia has some really nice wines and for this event you should naturally explore them. For the starter try a Krauthaker sauvignon, for the main course a Bibich riserva, and finally for the dessert go for a Prošek, which is a wonderful, sweet wine made from dried wine grapes. For the welcome drink, make a cherry punch in a large bowl and for the kids go for cherry Coke. Recipe for cherry punch:

Cooking instructions GENERAL

Mix all alcohols and cherries in a large punch bowl; add the ice and top off with the Sprite.

Music

Were here to celebrate the cherries so that’s what the music is all about.

Neneh Cherry

Raw like sushi

Wild Cherry

Play that funky music

Amy Winehouse

Cherry

Garden croquet

A nice game of croquet accompanied by some lovely, ice-cold cherry punch is the perfect way to start off your party in the late afternoon. All you need is a croquet set and a somewhat flat lawn. If you have many quests, why not arrange a small croquet tournament? The winner gets a nice basket full of cherries with a red silk ribbon wrapped around it.

Learn the rules of croquet

http://www.wcfcroquet.org/Rules/The_WCF_Rules_of_Garden_Croquet.pdf

Decorations

For the Lovran cherry days, we are looking for a rustic, warm, and friendly atmosphere. Place a big table outside in your garden and place a red and white checked tablecloth on it. Get a large earthenware bowl for the centre of the table and fill it with cherries. Place simple vases with mixed wild flowers and leaves on the table and prepare lots of candles for when the night falls. Bring out a few blankets for later if the evening gets chilly. For a special glittery, romantic scene, hang strings of Christmas lights in and between the trees.

Dress code

It is a summer party so a nice floral pattern summer dress for the ladies would be perfect. If you want to top it off with a chic sun hat, that’s even better. For the gentlemen, we suggest light chinos and a sweater or shirt. Bring comfy shoes and maybe a cardigan for later.

Drinks

Croatia has some really nice wines and for this event you should naturally explore them. For the starter try a Krauthaker sauvignon, for the main course a Bibich riserva, and finally for the dessert go for a Prošek, which is a wonderful, sweet wine made from dried wine grapes. For the welcome drink, make a cherry punch in a large bowl and for the kids go for cherry Coke.

Cherry punch

Cooking instructions GENERAL

Mix all alcohols and cherries in a large punch bowl; add the ice and top off with the Sprite.