Depending on the cherries and mixed berries, I'd either make a berry crisp or a small batch of jam. I've never had frozen mango or pineapple, so I'm not certain what happens to the texture. Mango chutney comes to mind, and a pineapple upside-down cake. :)

I second the jam. I had three huge frozen bags of blueberries, and since we were moving right after Christmas and needed to use them, I thawed them out and made jam. I gave it to my family and friends, nothing is like homemade jam!

Freeze a few berries in ice cubes. Add to drinks.

icecream or Popsicles.

Berry cobbler

blueberry compote: mixed two cups frozen blueberries with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons cornstarch in a saucepan. Cook until berries are thawed/warmed and thickened.

I make mixed fruit crisps all the time - they are delicious! Funny, I just posted about the same thing on the oatmeal thread.

I have another favorite recipe for a fruit & nut 'pudding' cake in which I often use mixed fruits. It's very quick to put together & uses only 1 egg & no shortening - an 'economy' recipe I adapted from a 1947 issue of BH&G magazine. It's more an extremely moist cake than a pudding:

Apple Nut Pudding Cake

1/2 cup white or brown sugar (less if fruit is very sweet - maybe 1/3 cup)

1 beaten egg

1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 - 2 cups finely chopped apple - see note

1/2 cup chopped nuts

1/4 tsp.nutmeg &/or 1/2 tsp.cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla or bourbon - optional

Beat sugar into egg w/ salt & flavorings until dissolved. Add dry ingredients & mix well. Stir in apples, nuts.

Pour into a lavishly buttered 8" pan. (I use a pyrex baking dish)

Bake @ 350F 35-40 minutes.

Serve w/ whipped cream - if desired.

NOTE: Other chopped fruits may be used instead of, or with, the apples, i.e. bananas w/ strawberries, pears, peaches, plums, mixed w/ cranberries, blueberries, etc.

I don't bother to thaw frozen fruits before using, since they can become too watery. I just chop larger pieces while still partially frozen.

Carol: I love this kind of dessert, so I've copied your recipe and will give it a try.

Scones! Every fruit you mention is great in a scone. Here's Annie's recipe for the best scones I've ever eaten with raspberries and chips. Just add the frozen fruit last.

• 2-1/2 cups All Purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar or brown sugar
• 2-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold butter cut into small pieces
• 1 cup heavy cream (or whipping cream)
• 1 cup frozen Raspberries
• 1 cup mini chooclate chips

Mix dry ingredients well. Cut in butter. Mix in cream. When the cream is
almost incorporated, add fruit, berries or nuts. Bake at 425F for 15-18
minutes or until tops are just turning golden and centers are set.

Those recipes sound delish! I never thought of putting mango or pineapple in a scone!

COOL! thank you for the cooking tips! will try!

Ricky (or anyone) - what if you don't like chocolate chips in scones? Leave them out? Replace them with something?

Suzanne - leave them out or substitute something else. I've made them with and without. No problem. I make blueberry scones without them.

Sorbet!

Papaya and pineapple makes a great marinade (natural tenderizers) whizzed up with garlic, ginger, turmeric root, a bit of soy. Maybe some mustard. Some different ones and common in India. Vinegar and water to make a loose paste. Pork, chicken, meat cuts like flank. Flat packed in qrt zip-locks. Less freezer space. Good summer grill marinade.

I also have a ton of berries but don't care for smoothies...too sweet and loaded with calories. We just grab a handful to have with yogurt and granola.

Some fruit in smaller quantities may not be an irritant. I can't have pineapple at all, never could. Big gut irritant. Strawberries are too much for me but love blueberries.

A warm compote, no added sugars, is just right for waffles in place of syrup.

Smoothies using fruit from the freezer is also really cold. That with the acidity of pineapple? Maybe.

(toss your berries in a bit of flour just before adding to muffins, etc. Keeps them from sinking and blooming/staining the final item).

If your cook the berries down to a thick syrup compote...again, less room in the freezer.

One of the few desserts i make is a rustic fruit tart. Mostly blueberries but i add any others i have. Not pineapple, lol.

Wow great ideas. Never thought of a marinade...and I should try the sorbet in my blender. Thanks!

I agree on the scones, and the mango and pineapple would make a nice salsa or sauce for chicken or pork, as well as a marinade. That scone recipe actually belongs to AnnT, but it's a good one and I use it regularly. Now, if you weren't trying to make room in the freezer I'd mention that they freeze well unbaked, then thaw and bake when you need them, very convenient.

The cherries would have to be pie here, I like pie far better than cake, or I'd cook it into a thicker filling and make homemade "pop-tarts" or hand pies. The berries would have to be jam or a syrup/sauce for waffles.

What a nice problem to have...

Annie

carolb_w_fl, thank you for posting that recipe! Since you said that mixed fruits worked well, I went out on a limb and tried it with a combo I'd otherwise not try: banana, sour cherries, and red raspberries. omg, I've eaten half of it warm from the oven already!!! I added just a bit of sugar to the sour cherries & raspberries, omitted the cinnamon and vanilla, made it gluten-free, and sprinkled sliced almonds on top. lol! Great easy recipe!!!

carol_w_fl do you know if the nuts are important to the success of this recipe and if so if there is an acceptable alternative like oatmeal or something? (My son is allergic to all nuts.) Thanks!

You're welcome - happy to share!

I'm thinking rolled oats might make a good sub for the nuts. I wouldn't just leave them out because that would make it too goopy.

I just used up half a bag of frozen cranberries by stirring them into my pumpkin cornbread -- I let them thaw first, but didn't sweeten them since it was already a slightly sweet bread. I would think any fruit would work the same. Also in biscuits, if you don't want to make scones.

My favorite thing to do with frozen fruit (in the summer) is to make "ice cream" with them: pulse the frozen chunks in the food chopper until granulated, then add sugar free, low fat yogurt and blend until smooth. Guilt free dessert!

I have one of those gadgets where you put any frozen fruit in one end and sorbet pops out of the other. Lovely in the summer.

elba1/carolb: I didn't add any nuts to the batter -- I only scattered almond slices on top, for appearance and crunch, and it worked fine for me. My flours are gluten-free, but I don't see why it wouldn't work to omit the nuts.