With A Cherry On Top

      Northwest cherries are spilling over buckets and barrels these days. I have been eating them by giant bowlfuls and pulling out two, three, or seven every time I go by the fridge.  Considering there is some ungraceful sucking and spitting involved with eating them right off the stem, I’m not sure how they disappear so fast.  But maybe that’s part of the reason I like them so much…a little work for my food…a little accidental cherry stain here and there. 

Cherries make me think of my Papa and his cherry trees in the backyard.  I used to wait anxiously all year for the day the cherries were ready to be picked.  I’m across the country from those trees now, and I still get excited when I know it’s that time back home.  I loved finding all the best cherries, the pretty clusters buried further back in the branches, climbing a ladder to snatch the brightest, shiniest one.  Popping them in my mouth as we gathered our treasures on a sunny day. 

I loved heading inside where my Grammy covered me in aprons and old shirts against the threat of splattering juice stains.  We sat around the kitchen table pitting until we’d measured out enough cups for plenty of fresh cherry pies.  And then those pies…whether created by the expert hands of my mother or grandmother, other pies are never quite the same.  Watching them make the dough, waiting for it to rest, watching them roll the crust, fill the pie, and crimp the edges, waiting for the pie to bake and cool- well, many distractions are required for small children involved in pie-making.  But that moment when the pie is just cool enough to set up, yet still warm enough to melt homemade ice cream plopped on top into a pool of rich cream …is so completely worth the wait.  I crave the ping-pong bites of sweet and tart cherries, the bottom crust that softens as it soaks up the thickened filling, and the perfectly crunchy, buttery top crust to balance the soft fruit. 

This is not the project I took on this week; I fear not meeting my own expectations.  However, I did grab a half flat from the farmer’s market to make a spicy cherry pickle and I tried the Ad Hoc recipe for sweet potted cherries.  The pickle has a lot of fresh ginger and habanero pepper in the mix.  I can’t wait to try this one; I think they might be just right with a creamy baked cheese or mashed a bit in a grilled cheese sandwich.  The potted cherries require steeping the pits in balsamic vinegar, straining the liquid, and combining it with tarragon and black pepper.  I’d like to try these with a meat dish, but my first project will be to spin the sweet cherries into ice cream with a bit of very dark chocolate.  

My cherry adventures so far this year haven’t involved a perfect pie, but I did enjoy making the pickle with my boyfriend.  Plus, the half dozen jars of cherries I have will last much longer than any fresh cherry pie would in my kitchen.