‘Cherrific’ recipes the whole family will love

2019-06-27 - By Emily Ryan

Sixty-six. That’s how many freshly picked cherries one boy ate “without getting tired of them” last year. This season, “I’m going for 100,” he predicted. “They just taste good.” Three cheers for cherries! “It’s the first tree fruit that ripens. For us, it’s always really exciting,” described Ed Weaver of Weaver’s Orchard in Morgantown. “It’s a nice crop.”

He grows 1 acre of tart cherries (aka sour or pie cherries) and 6 acres of sweet cherries with names like Black Pearl, Regina and Rainier, a yellow cherry with “a blush or a red cheek.”

“Having the varieties helps spread out our season,” Weaver said. “Everybody wants a big cherry, and they want a cherry that’s nice and crisp.”

Speaking of crisp, cherry crisp’s always tasty. So are cobbler and pie. But for something different, try Cherry, Goat Cheese and Arugula Pizza (yes, pizza!) or Cherry Mascarpone “Tiramisu.” Another favorite: Warmed Cherry Vinaigrette with Wilted Spinach Salad from Wolff’s Apple House, a farm market and garden center in Media.

“I recommend this salad quite highly. I prefer fresh cherries to the dried, but both are delicious,” noted Andi Wolff, who shared the recipe. “Be careful not to add too much warmed dressing to the spinach leaves; you want them just wilted, not soaked.”

Back at Weaver’s Orchard, soaking rains and even hail didn’t damage the harvest.

“Most of our sweet cherries we now have covered with high tunnel structures,” Weaver explained. “It’s expensive to have them, but it protects our crops and gives the customer a better experience.”

One young customer in particular can’t wait to return. At age 8, life’s truly a bowl of cherries.

“I think they’re fun to eat, especially when you spit out the pits,” the boy said with a huge grin.

Cherry, Goat Cheese & Arugula Pizza

Ingredients

1 recipe pizza dough 1 cup pitted sweet cherries, cut in half (frozen or fresh)

1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese

4 ounces goat cheese 1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced

1 handful arugula, rinsed and dried

Salt, pepper or olive oil to taste

Balsamic glaze Instructions

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. If using a pizza stone, make sure the stone is in the oven while it heats up. Spread pizza dough out on

an aerated pizza pan. Poke with a fork or pizza docker. Precook the dough about 6 to 8 minutes until it’s no longer doughy, but not to the point where it gets browned or crispy. (I cook mine on an aerated pan directly on top of the preheated pizza stone.) Add the cheeses, red onion and cherries. Return to oven about 5 to 7 minutes until dough gets crispy and the cheese is melted. If desired, toss the arugula in olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread on top of pizza just before serving and drizzle with balsamic glaze.

RECIPE COURTESY OF WEAVER’S ORCHARD

Cherry Mascarpone “Tiramisu”

Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon powdered vanilla beans

1 1/2 cups mascarpone cheese 1 1/2 cups sweet cherries (fresh or frozen), pitted

6 amaretto biscotti, ginger snaps, cinnamon graham crackers or Lotus Biscoff cookies, crumbled

3/4 cup strong decaf coffee, cooled

Shaved dark chocolate or cocoa powder Instructions

Add cold heavy cream, sugar and vanilla to a stand mixer or food processor. Beat until stiff peaks form. Add the mascarpone and mix until well combined and no longer lumpy. Crush the cookies and arrange half of them in four small glass jars or juice glasses. Spoon some decaf coffee on top of them. Add a layer of the mascarpone mixture. Next, add a layer of cherries. Repeat one more time with remaining ingredients, finishing with the mascarpone mixture. Dust some cocoa powder or shaved chocolate on top. Garnish with a few remaining cherries. Serve and enjoy! Serves 4.

RECIPE COURTESY OF WEAVER’S ORCHARD

Warmed Cherry Vinaigrette with Wilted Spinach Salad

Ingredients

1/2 cup dried cherries or 1 cup fresh cherries, pitted

3 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon fresh ground ginger

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Salt and fresh black pepper to taste

1 bag fresh spinach Instructions

Rinse spinach and remove stems. Spin dry and put in a large salad bowl. In a skillet over medium heat, sauté cherries, 3 tablespoons vinegar and 1 tablespoon oil until softened. Add brown sugar and ginger and stir over low heat until thickened. Transfer mixture to a food processor or blender. Add 1/4 cup red wine vinegar and lemon juice. With machine running, gradually add 1/2 cup olive oil and process until well mixed. Season with salt and pepper. Return to pan and reheat. Pour over spinach and toss until well coated. Spinach will wilt with the heat of the dressing. Serve immediately.

RECIPE COURTESY OF ANDI WOLFF, WOLFF’S APPLE HOUSE

Take your pick!

U-pick cherries? You betcha. Stop by these spots to pick your own:

Frecon Farms

501 S. Reading Ave., Boyertown

(610) 367-6200 www.freconfarms.com

Highland Orchards

1000 Marshallton-Thorndale Rd., West Chester

(610) 269-3494 www. highlandorchards.net

Linvilla Orchards

137 W. Knowlton Rd., Media

(610) 876-7116 www.linvilla.com