Celebrating Cherries: Two Fresh Recipes

Inside the Ingredients

Taking the afternoon to pit cherries may not be on your summer to-do list, but here are two recipes to show you why it should be. (And don’t forget, you can snack on as many as you’d like, and the end results are well worth the effort.)

With so many vendors to pick from, I like to shop for cherries at the Sara Hardy Farmers Market in Traverse City (Saturday mornings 7:30am to noon). You can also find accoutrements for the new Cherry Crackers and Cheese Board you are about to make, such as the deliciously spiced Cherry Pepper Jelly from the Cherry Stop and delightful Pickled Cherries from Miss Juni. For all the adventure seekers out there, if you want to pick your own cherries, I recommend Third Coast Fruit Co.

Cherry Crackers

These crackers are dressed to impress: crunchy, nutty, chewy, and sweet. They are the perfect cracker to celebrate cherries.

Cracker Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup unsalted pistachios
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 teaspoon dried rosemary (crushed if you can find it)

Cheese Board Ingredients
Miss Juni Pickled Cherries
Cherry Stop Cherry Pepper Jelly
Fresh Cherries
2 Cheeses of your choice (one semi-hard, one soft)

To make the crackers: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line three 3x7-inch small bread tins with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the buttermilk, brown sugar, and honey and stir a few strokes. Add the cherries, pistachios, sesame seeds, and rosemary. Stir just until combined—do not over-mix.

Pour the batter into the loaf pans. Bake for 35 minutes, rotating after 20 minutes, until golden and spring back when touched. Remove the loaves from the pans and let cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap and freeze for at least two hours to firm up. Slice as thinly as you can. Place slices in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 25-30 minutes, flipping at the 15 minute mark, until nicely golden and crisp. Crackers will continue to crisp as they cool.

Makes around 100 crackers. Arrange on a board with cherries, jelly, and cheese, and enjoy!

Sweet Cherry Skewers

Sometimes a great dessert doesn’t need a plate and a fork, just a skewer to hold.

Vanilla Cherries Ingredients
3 cups pitted cherries
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
4 tablespoons water

Brown Sugar Pound Cake Ingredients
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Generous 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature

Skewer Ingredients
1/3 cup dark chocolate
Fresh mint (chocolate mint if you can find it)

To make the cherries: Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium low heat, stirring frequently. Once the mixture comes to a boil, boil for five minutes, only coming back to stir once or twice. Pour into a heatproof container. Chill until ready to use. (You will not use the syrup in this recipe. However, it makes great cherry soda if you add a few tablespoons to club soda and serve over ice.)

To make the cake: Line a small loaf pan (4.5x8.5-inch is perfect) with parchment. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about five minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, waiting to add the next one until the previous one is completely incorporated. Beat in the vanilla. Gently fold in half of the flour. Then, fold in the sour cream. Gently fold in the remaining flour until everything is incorporated.

Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 70-80 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove to cool completely on a wire rack.

To assemble: Cut the pound cake into thick slices, then into small cubes. Pop under a broiler for 2-3 minutes until toasted—watch carefully, as it burns quickly. Alternate adding a cherry and pound cake cube to each skewer. Once you have assembled as many as you’d like to make, melt the chocolate and drizzle over top. Garnish with fresh mint.

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