Cherries just say summer to me and are perfect for this Red, White, & Blue holiday weekend. Cherry pie, cherry cocktails, cherry salad – I WANT IT ALL!
The only other challenge to cooking with cherries is pitting them. If you are pitting a lot of cherries, it’s best to get a large plunger pitter. I like the kind that clamps onto the side of a picnic table – the outdoors are the ideal place to do this messy chore.
Stem the cherries, then load up the hopper and start punching the plunger down. The only hitch is that, by the time you are finished, you are usually freckled with pink dots! So wear an old shirt—cherry stains are hard to get out, and this can sometimes be the pits!
For quick pitting projects, you can also use a wooden chopstick to poke out the pits.
This weekend try layering fresh pitted cherries with pieces of shortcake, whipped cream and some blueberries in little half pint jars for a d’lish Red, White, & Blue Cherry-Berry Shortcake! –Kathy
Photo by Kathy Casey Food Studios®.
Red, White, & Blue Cherry-Berry Shortcake
This recipe is super-cute layered in wide-mouth half pint canning jars for a country picnic theme. The recipe is best made up a couple of hours in advance and refrigerated. Top with whipped cream right before serving.
Makes 8 servings
2 cups fresh cherries, pitted
1/3 cup cherry or strawberry jam
8 shortcakes, torn into pieces OR 1 purchased pound cake, about 10.75 oz, cut into 1” cubes (about 5 cups)
1 pint fresh blueberries
3 cups lightly sweetened whipped cream
8 fresh cherries for garnish – or maraschino cherries
Pit the cherries, and cut them in half. Toss with the jam and let sit for 20 minutes.
Divide the cake between eight 10-oz glasses or wide mouth half-pint canning jars. Evenly distribute the cherries over the cake then scatter with the blueberries. Top each serving with whipped topping and garnish with a cherry.
Recipe by Kathy Casey Food Studios® – www.KathyCasey.com
