I recently received a bumper crop of cherries from Northwest Cherry Growers. What’s a gal to do with a box full of cherries you ask? Dig in and eat ’em by the handful. Cherries from this region are the best… and these cherries did not disappoint. There is an old saying, “The darker the cherry, the sweeter the juice.” All I can say is TRUTH!

While snacking on cherries, I grabbed a cookbook and looked for a couple of recipes to showcase these babies! I started with Smitten Kitchen’s Cherry Brown Butter Bars. The bars were delicious. The cherries were nestled in a filling of sugar, butter, eggs and flour which was then poured over a buttery crust. I paired my bar with cold glass of milk.

Next up was a cherry clafoutis. Having no idea what a clafoutis was, I checked with Wikipedia. I learned a clafoutis (pronounced klafuti) is a French dessert made with cherries. The cherries are arranged in a buttered dish, then a batter is poured over the cherries and baked in an oven. This recipe was so easy! I didn’t have the almond extract on hand. I substituted vanilla extract with no problem at all. The key here is to let it cool for at least 15 minutes. This really gives the clafoutis time to settle and the flavors to deepen. A sprinkle of powdered sugar and it was ready to eat. I devoured every bite. 

Cherries don’t just taste good; they are good for you too! Cherries are low on the glycemic index compared to other fruits. They are also considered a superfruit because they prevent chronic inflammatory diseases (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis and cancer). Cherries contain melatonin, which helps you get a good night’s rest.

Remember that the cherry season is a short one, so get out there and get you some before they are gone.

Until next time…just eat it up!