Our Cherry Picks: 2000s Recipes + Menus : gourmet.com

Cherry Pie

Too tart to eat raw, sour cherries were born to be baked into a pie—this all-American version gets added sophistication from a gorgeously flaky crust and a filling, enhanced with an unexpected hint of cinnamon, that is not overly sweet.

Photograph by Mikkel Vang

Cherry Chocolate Chippers

“I was 11 years old when I started receiving Gourmet magazine,” says Kristi Tursi of Essex Junction, Vermont. “I am now 15, and I’m happy to say that I’ve tried at least one recipe from each issue. I love to experiment with new combinations of unusual foods. Maybe that is because I enjoy science and chemistry, or perhaps I just love eating delicious yummies! But this year, on my mom’s birthday, I tried something cool: cherry chocolate chippers. These cookies are not as dramatic as my chicken mango tango, but they’re quite a treat. Everyone at the party liked them so much that I spent part of the evening jotting down the recipe. So I decided to share it with everyone…by way of Gourmet.”

Photograph by Romulo Yanes

Brandied Sour Cherry and Pear Tartlets

These irresistible pear and sour cherry tartlets have the most tender crusts you’ll ever encounter.

Photograph by Sang An

Cherry Bounce

A version of this cordial must have come to America with the Pilgrims. There are countless references to it in Colonial writings, and Martha Washington recorded a recipe for it in one of her notebooks. Cherry Bounce was called “an old popular drink” in The Imperial Dictionary of The English Language, published in 1883. All of which makes it really old now, though admittedly not widely popular (despite having a scenic drive named for it).

Photograph by Romulo Yanes

Sour Cherry Strudels

It’s cherry season, and those sweet-tart little fruits are so alluring. But if the notion of baking a pie seems like too much work, consider these simple strudels, which offer the pleasure of pie with a lot less effort. The dough comes straight from the freezer and there’s no sticky pie plate to clean up since the crumbled phyllo absorbs any excess juices. And if time is really of the essence, you can even eat these little morsels with your fingers.

Photograph by Romulo Yanes

Chocolate Cherry Bombe

With its mischievous cherry-stem fuse and sleek chocolate shell, this ice cream bombe should definitely get the fireworks started at your Fourth of July cookout. Cut into the bombe and you’ll see cherry ice cream dotted with crisp chocolate wafer cookies and toasty walnuts. Look even further and you’ll find the gunpowder—er, a center of chocolate ice cream.

Photograph by Stephanie Foley

Cherry-Apricot Yogurt Sundaes

Though you could certainly use regular red cherries in this recipe, we prefer yellow cherries such as Royal Ann or Rainier, available in supermarkets, for their lovely yellow color, as well as their bright flavor and mild sweetness.

Photograph by John Kernick

Sweet Cherry Cobbler

Although fresh dark sweet cherries are available in June, we believe they’re best eaten out of hand. This cobbler makes great use of frozen cherries.

Photograph by Romulo Yanes

Chocolate Cherry Charlottes

You might wonder why we freeze the chocolate filling for these charlottes before baking them. The coldness prevents the chocolate from overcooking in the oven.

Photograph by Mikkel Vang

Duck Breast with Sweet Cherry Sauce

The bright flavor of cherries gives duck breast seasonal flair.

Photograph by Romulo Yanes

Cherry Double-Chocolate Cookies

They look like the loaded chocolate-nut cookies of your youth, but a bite will reveal their luxurious upgrades: chewy sour cherries that play off the crunch of chopped pecans and the creamy sweetness of milk chocolate chunks. Your adult palate will appreciate the complexity.

Photograph by Ditte Isager