Bleak Season

Stone fruit will be arriving late this spring, thanks to the same merciless rain that held our strawberries captive. In better years, bins of cherries, apricots, early plums and nectarines cheerfully wink hello by mid-May, tempting consumers with sweet promise as we approach the J months. This year, we need to finesse that sweetness.

Saturday I witnessed my first cherries of the season; baskets of Brooks sat roadside, prettily braving a brief snowfall. Craving sunshine (did I mention it was snowing?) I bought a pound knowing that heat+sugar would coax candy from stone.

A tip o' the pin and a prayer for produce perfection seekers- it's gonna be a tuff few weeks. For the impatient, a recipe:

Roasted Cherry Compote

1  lb cherries, pitted 

1/4 c sugar

1/2 cinnamon stick 

1/4 c Merlot 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Combine all the ingredients and roast until fruit is tender, about 15 minutes

Serve over ice cream, crepes, pound cake, panna cotta...

Comments

[Mitzy]

i hope the fruit rebounds and becomes sweet again.

[Ivonne]

Maura,

You make me weep ... in a good way. Of all the stone fruits, cherry are my favourite. Growing up we had a beautiful cherry tree in our backyard that would yield bushels of cherries. It was incredible! Unfortunately it became sick and while my father tried his best to save the tree, eventually it had to be cut down.

I have put this recipe aside and will be trying it once cherry season arrives here. We don't start enjoying locally grown stone fruits until late June/July as a result of our long, cold winters.

Thank you for the lovely recipe!

[Ashlee Simpson]

It sound so lovely.

BTW I saw Miss Thang and her ill fitting hat. A fashion statement I fail to understand.

[Regina]

Oh a glass of Merlot would be bodacious right about now. Let's celebrate the Summer Solstice and eat our fruit later!