Short and Sweet - Savory Sweet Cherry Recipes

Cherry season is short and sweet.

The majority of the seventy pounds of cherries we picked are now stored in jars as brandied cherries, two kinds of cherry jam, frozen pie filling or simply pitted, bagged and frozen. 

There are still plenty of cherries for Sylvan and Ivory to open the fridge door and pull out dark red cherries by the handful.  

"Next week will be the last for cherries," the woman tells me at the farmers market info booth.

Short and Sweet.

I thank her and peruse the market booths. I am here for cucumbers - dark green and crisp cucumbers. Cucumbers that will be paired with cherries. 

Savory and Sweet.  

Sweet and Savory.  

Straight from the garden mint, thyme, onions, peppers, lettuce...  

and cherries.  

Cherry and Cucumber Crostini 

1 cup pitted and halved cherries

1/2 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 handful of mint leaves, finely chopped 

1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 red jalepeno pepper, finely chopped

salt and pepper 

1/3 cup feta cheese

1/3 cup cream cheese

1/2 baguette, sliced and toasted (optional)

• combine the cherries, cucumber, onion mint, balsamic vinegar, jalepeno and salt and pepper in a bowl and let sit for a little wile
• mix the feta and cream cheese, add a little oil if it needs to be more spreadable
• spread the feta mixture on the baguette slices and top each piece with the cherry mixture
• serve on platter - perfect for summer potlucks 

Sweet Cherries and Brie

1 cup pitted and chopped cherries

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1 wheel of brie 

1/2 baguette, sliced and toasted (optional)

• combine cherries, sugar, salt and thyme in a bowl and allow flavors to blend while baking the brie
• bake the brie at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, flip and bake 10 minutes more
• top with the cherries and place under the broiler for a few minutes - until a few golden areas appear on the edges of the brie 
• serve with slices of baguette or crackers

Grilled Pork Roast with Cherry Salsa 

1 cup pitted and halved cherries 

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon oil 

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 large handful of mint 

1/2 red jalepeno 

• combine cherries, lemon juice, oil, onion, mint and jalepeno in a small bowl, cover and let sit overnight 

1 large handful of mint

1 small onion

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 pound pork roast 

• combine mint, onion, lemon juice and marinate pork roast overnight
• sear the roast on the grill and then cook until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit and allow the meat to rest 5 minutes before slicing and serving
• slice the pork and serve it smothered in the cherry salsa (the salsa is great on a salad with cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and goat cheese as well) 
• best if eaten outside  

Recipes Inspired by:

Cherry Goat Cheese Crostini

Grilled Cheese with Fresh Cherries

Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Cherry and Chili Salsa

• the changes I made to these recipes are based on the vegetables and herbs available in my garden or at the farmer's market