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By Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD

Fresh cherry season can be fleeting. You may not think beyond eating as many fresh cherries as you can get your hands on. But, just in case, we are including some ideas of enjoying both sweet and tart cherries throughout this summer season.

If you plan on cooking with fresh cherries, you may want to invest in a cherry pitter. Basic cherry pitters may be found online, selling for about $10. If you have real patience, and if the cherries are fairly ripe, you may be able to pit cherries with a metal straw, a chopstick, or even a small cake decorating tip.

Preparing Cherry Dishes and Beverages

For sweet or tart cherries, consider a cherry salsa. Combine pitted cherries with diced, seeded chilies (heat of your choice), chopped sweet onion, fresh cilantro (leaves only), and a splash of lime juice. Cherry salsa combined with hummus makes a colorful, flavorful dip or sandwich ingredient.

You can also top a toasted baguette or flat bread with a thin layer of vegan cream cheese, diced fresh cherries, and shredded fresh mint. Pitted, diced fresh cherries can be tossed into pancake, muffin, or cornbread batter. If you have a bit of time, and patience, pit and dry cherries, place them on a skewer, dip in melted chocolate and freeze. Quickly cook or microwave (to soften) pitted, halved cherries, combined with a splash of maple syrup and water. Combine with silken tofu or vegan yogurt and create a parfait with the cherry mixture, granola, and dried fruit.

For a decadent beverage, blend fresh, pitted cherries with lime juice and ice; if you would like, add a splash of rum for an adult slushy. If you have some kombucha available, add in blenderized fresh, pitted cherries and fresh basil to create a naturally bubbly and flavorful beverage.

Cherries Jubilee

Cherries were popularized on the menu, in the form of Cherries Jubilee, by the classic French chef August Escoffier. Escoffier created this soon-to-be classic in 1897 for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Although served with ice cream nowadays, the original recipe called for only poached cherries. Of course, the small bowls of cherries were set aflame, at the table, for a dramatic presentation. You can create your own version of Cherries Jubilee, flame optional, with pitted fresh cherries or whole, frozen cherries. Escoffier used tart cherries, because, either that was the cherry crop available at the time or he wanted to really ramp up the syrup component. Sweet cherries work just fine for our seasonal treat. As a side note, if a batch of cut-up or cooked cherries are too sweet, a splash of vinegar helps to balance the flavor.

Fresh cherries have their flavor and juiciness locked inside, so, when using fresh cherries for any type of dessert, you’ll want to steam them, covered, to release the flavor and retain the juice. To prepare Cherries Jubilee for about six people, combine ½ cup dry vegan sweetener with ¼ cup orange, ¼ cup water, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract in a medium pot and heat, stirring, until sweetener is dissolved. Add 4 cups of fresh, pitted cherries with ½ teaspoon of orange or lime zest, cover, and cook until cherries are softened (what is termed “fork tender”), about 5 minutes, depending on the ripeness of your cherries. Uncover pot and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until cherries are very soft, and the sauce has begun to thicken. Traditionally, about 3 Tablespoons of cherry liqueur, brandy, or kirsch is added at this time to help thicken the sauce, but maple syrup can be used as well. Continue to cook until the sauce is the thickness you like. And there you have your Cherries Jubilee! If you are going to serve over sorbet or other frozen vegan desserts, allow to cool, so the ice cream doesn’t melt. If you would like to flame your cherries… there are helpful tutorials online.