Staying In No. 53: Cherry Edition

What to make with cherries (+ my new favorite smoothie)

Welcome to Riley’s Recs! A place for people who love to talk about what they eat, cook, and do in Portland, Oregon. This is “Staying In,” a Sunday newsletter with recipe ideas for your week ahead. Every other Thursday I also publish a “Going Out” edition where I review a restaurant, bar, or activity here in Portland. Want even more recommendations? Check out pdxrecs.com and follow RR on Instagram at @rileysrecs. Enjoy!

---

I’ve been picking a lot of clover. I look ridiculous doing it — sitting crisscross in my front yard, ripping weeds out of my lawn one-by-one. But Headspace’s got nothing on the meditative power of weeding. Not to mention the absolute thrill of finding the epicenter of the weed root and pulling all of the tentacles of clover out at once.

It reminds me of a scene in Call Me By Your Name where Timmy and Armie approach an elderly woman shelling peas to ask for a cup of water. She’s sitting in a chair, overlooking her property, and shelling pea pods into a bowl. It’s methodical and repetitive and idyllic.

With the sun setting at 9 pm, I have more daylight hours to do things I might not normally do: pick clover, pickle things, read the New Yorker. Summer is lazy like that.

This week’s Staying In is dedicated to one of these methodical tasks— pitting cherries. They’re a fruit that requires work and time. But I highly recommend buying yourself a cherry pitter, putting on a podcast, and letting the calm that comes with monotony wash over you.

I’m doing something new with cherries this year: pickling them. Turns out they’re incredibly easy to make, last in your fridge for a couple of months, and can be added to so many dishes (mostly salads).

So get to pittin’, friends. It’s cherry season.

Riley

P.S. If you’re looking for a spot to U-Pick, here’s one in Hood River and one near Salem.

✨ Inspo ingredients for the week: cherries ✨

DINNERS

• Sugar Snap Peas with Pickled Cherries and Peanuts

• Frisée With Pickled Cherries, Pistachios and Brie

• Macerated Cherries With Marcona Almonds, Mint, and Ricotta on Toast

BREAKFAST

• Cherry Blueberry Smoothie

DESSERT

• Cherry Clafoutis

Notes:

• For the smoothie: blend cherries, frozen banana, blueberries, a squeeze of honey, and a cup of almond/whole milk. Note: I had one this morning and it might be the best smoothie I’ve ever made.

• You’ll notice that these are mostly salad recipes. I don’t know what I’m going to pair with them yet, but probably sausages from Scratch Meats, grilled steak, or skewers from New Seasons.

• Some of you might be thinking “This is too much cherry content!” But I think adding to salads isn’t overkill, and you’ll find you actually can’t get enough.

Pickled Cherries

Joshua McFadden | Six Seasons

When I first made these, I did not own a cherry pitter. I just cut around the stem. It’s pretty wasteful, but if you don’t have a pitter it’s no big deal. Do what you gotta do.

You’ll want to use a sweet cherry, like Bing, for pickling. Recipe yields about 3 pints of pickles.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup Rice Vinegar

• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

• 1/5 cups hot water

• 5 tablespoons sugar

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• About a pound of cherries

• A few sprigs of thyme

DIRECTIONS

1. Put everything in a big pitcher or measuring cup and stir until the sugar and salt disappear.

2. Fill a clean mason jar with pitted, washed cherries. Cover with the brine, cap, and refrigerate up to two months.

Sugar Snap Peas with Pickled Cherries and Peanuts

Joshua McFadden | Six Seasons

This salad could not be easier to make. And it uses two ingredients in season right now: cherries and snap peas. Put them together, and the result is a delightfully crunchy salad with a great balance of acidity and sweetness. This makes a nice weekday lunch because it’s easy to prep ahead of time and assemble day of in a flash.

Note: peanuts and scallions are totally optional. They add a nice crunch, but I don’t miss them without.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound sugar snap peas

• 1 cup pickled cherries

• 1 cup redskin peanuts

• 1 bunch scallions, trimmed, sliced and soaked in ice water for 20 minutes

• 1/4 cup cherry pickling liquid

• 1 handful basil

• 1 teaspoon dried chili flake

• Salt and pepper

• Olive oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Toss everything but the olive oil together and season with salt and pepper.

2. Add 1/4 cup olive oil and toss again.

Frisée With Pickled Cherries, Pistachios and Brie

Mark Bittman | New York Times

Somehow this salad is even easier than the last. And it showcases how pickling brine makes the perfect salad vinaigrette. To make: whisk together olive oil, cherry brine, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Toss the frisée with the vinaigrette and scatter cherries, brie, and pistachios on top. Are you sold on pickled cherries yet?!?

Macerated Cherries With Marcona Almonds, Mint, and Ricotta

Daniel Gritzer | Serious Eats

This recipe from Serious Eats calls for macerating cherries with a bit of sugar. Because the cherries are sweetened, this makes for a nice dessert. But I’m going to swap for pickled cherries (can’t stop, won’t stop) and eat on top of toast. You’ll want to buy high-quality ricotta like Calabro or make your own.

Cherry Clafoutis

David Lebovitz

I couldn’t do a cherry post without a dessert! Not quite custard, not quite flan, not quite cake: a clafoutis is a classic French dessert that defies definition. Although you’ll have to run your oven for a good 45 minutes, prepping the batter itself takes no time at all.

To make, you line a baking dish with cherries, top with batter, and bake. I’ll top with powdered sugar and a dollop of whipped cream and eat any leftovers for breakfast the next day.

1. Staying In No. 52: A Meal Inspired by Coquine

2. Mini Itini No. 4: Columbia River Gorge

3. Going Out No. 27: Coquine and Katy Jane’s

If you liked reading this, click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Substack!