Cherry Sunday

Cherries are still in season, but barely. I love cherries. I love dressing Evelyn in dresses with cherries on them because we live in Michigan and we proudly grow cherries here.

This year, after years of pitting cherries with, yes, an oddly-shaped paper clip, I finally invested in a cherry pitter. Well, it’s hardly an investment because it cost less than $13.00, but it was totally worth it. I purchased an OXO cherry pitter that can also be used for olives.

Well, after I purchased mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond, we went to a local grocery, Russo’s, and I saw the most adorable cherry pitter.

Isn’t it cute? It’s called the Cherry Chomper, but I haven’t tried it, so I can’t attest to how well it works.

If you make a lot of stuff with cherries, I’d recommend purchasing a pitter. It keeps your hands stain-free. (I’ve had several July days in past years where my hands looked like I’d killed something. I performed in plays with cherry-stained hands. Thankfully, no one said anything.)

Once you pit your cherries, try this recipe for a cherry sundae sauce. It’s good and keeps well in the refrigerator.

Cherry Sundae

1/2 C. sugar

1 C. water

2 T. lemon juice

3 C. pitted Bing cherries

1 T. cornstarch

2 T. kirsch or sherry (I used sherry.)

vanilla ice cream

Combine sugar, water and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Add cherries and simmer for 10 minutes or until soft.

Remove half the cherries and set aside. Puree the remaining cherries in a blender or use an immersion blender. (Wear an apron if you have on a light color.)

Return the puree to pot. Combine 2 T. of the puree with the cornstarch. Stir back into pot and bring to a boil, stirring. Add remaining whole cherries and kirsch or sherry.

Serve over ice cream, garnished with whipped cream and another cherry, if you so desire.

This makes enough sauce for about 6 sundaes.

Easy Fudge Pudding Cake

I keep finding variations of this recipe; it’s an old standby for many people, but if you’ve never made it, I’d certainly recommend it. My brother made it and he said that his housemates, who eschew leftovers, ate it up the next day. You’ll see that, for some of the ingredients, you can choose how much to add. If you like less sweet desserts, add less sugar. If you like a lot of chocolate, add more cocoa powder.

1 C. all-purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
½ t. salt
½-3/4 C. sugar
5 ½-6 T. cocoa powder
½ C. milk
2 T. oil or melted butter
½-1 C. chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, or almonds)
¾ -1 C. brown sugar
1 ¼-1 ¾ C. hot water (If you use the least amount of brown sugar, use the least amount of water. It’s the brown sugar and water that make the pudding, so the more water/brown sugar, the more pudding.)

With a whisk, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and 1 ½-2 T. cocoa. Add milk, butter or oil, and nuts. Spread into a greased 8” square pan, or one small round cake pan.

Combine remaining cocoa and brown sugar and sprinkle over the top. Pour hot water over the top. Bake 45 minutes at 350°. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream, or not. I don’t really recommend using Cool Whip on anything, but I’m not going to stop you, either.