It is well established that the beginning of summer is grilling season. Fortunately for all of us, it is also cherry season. Today I’m going to bring these two seasonal dynamos together for your enjoyment. The delightful yet elusive Rainier cherries are not always the easiest to find (my local Costco has them right now, but that usually only lasts a couple weeks), but bing cherries are everywhere right now. So what’s the best way to eat cherries? How do you remove that pit without chipping a tooth or owning a cherry pitter? Do you always have to eat your cherries with something involving sugar, chocolate, or something sweet? Let’s discuss (after you take a look at these glorious Rainier cherries!)...
Yes, cherries are definitely a healthy natural treat and I know the urge to plop them into your mouth and spit out the pit is strong (possibly instinctual) within most of you...and hey, I’m on board with this. Just keep in mind, as you’re tossing another cherry into your mouth, that they can be used in so many different applications...sauces, pies, cobblers, or in any number of desserts. A couple months ago I had “cherry mostarda” at a local restaurant. It was served as part of a charcuterie platter (cured meats and pickled vegetables with bread). It was awesome, and it was savory. That experience inspired me to create a savory sauce recipe which incorporates cherries, mustard, something creamy (half and half, which pairs spectacularly with both cherries and mustard), and fresh garlic/black pepper. Simple, right?
What may not seem as simple to you is removing the pits from a bunch of cherries to make a sauce. Lucky for you, I’ve got an inexpensive life hack for that. Watch and be amazed!
What may not seem as simple to you is removing the pits from a bunch of cherries to make a sauce. Lucky for you, I’ve got an inexpensive life hack for that. Watch and be amazed!
You’re probably wondering how I discovered this hack, huh? Well, as I was rooting around for a pie pan one day (to make cherry pie, of course), I happened upon my funnel which, up until then, had been used as a funnel. Go figure. It was sitting on the counter and a light bulb came on. I grabbed a cherry, flipped the funnel upside down, and boom...cherry pitter extraordinaire! You can even do this one-handed...which I may or may not have done while making this dish. I was on the phone...it happens. Just saying, it's easy.
That sauce/pie/preserves route which involves pitting is now seeming more appealing, isn’t it? I know, you still want to just toss them in your mouth and eat them because they’re just that good. But hey, at least you know that if you are so inclined, it isn’t as difficult as you may have originally thought, right?
Anyhow, cherries are great with duck, pork, and game meats. Pork chops, which are great grilled(in addition to being lean and readily available at stores everywhere) were my choice for this recipe. With the cherries pitted, I tossed them into a saucepan and let them cook down a bit. They release all that juice and it starts to caramelize a bit and become a little syrupy. At that point you hit them with a few grinds of black pepper, some Dijon mustard, and a couple minced garlic cloves. Stir that together and finish with a couple tablespoons of half and half or fat free half and half if you are worried about the 1.5 grams of extra fat per serving. With Rainier cherries (which are mostly yellow, not red, your concoction should look something like this:
Give it a taste and if you think it needs salt, then go ahead and add some. There was no salt (beside what is natural and in the mustard) added to my version. You may elect to add a couple more grinds of black pepper as well. It’s a personal preference thing, mostly. The idea is that while you’re preparing the sauce, you’re grilling the pork chops also. They’ll take about 8-10 minutes (4-5 minutes per side) on a grill at 550-600 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow for that and then 5 more minutes of resting before you slice into them. Slicing them too early can result in a dry pork chop, and nobody likes a dry pork chop.
To make it look pretty, you can sprinkle some parsley on top (it adds a nice herbal note) or lay a couple cherry quarters/halves or wholes on the plate, if you really can’t resist that urge.
The recipe is on my recipe page (linked here) and a printable version is available from that page or if you just click right here, a printable PDF file will open for you. Clicking on any of the above images will also pull up the printable PDF. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I hope you give this savory sauce a try!
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