A cherries jubilee

Life is, as they say, a bowl of cherries.

That’s the optimist’s view, of course, the idea being that there’s nothing better, nothing more appealing, nothing, well, happier than a generous -- and in the most optimistic view, bottomless -- bowl of big, red, juicy, bursting-with-flavor cherries.

Implicit in the wonder of that bowl, at this point in the season, is the promise of the simple, exuberant pleasure of the coming parade of stone fruit. That, to a food lover, is the best thing about summer.

Lucky for us, most of the country’s sweet cherries are grown in the West. At my house, we can’t wait until the big, voluptuous berries of late May and early June appear, so we snatch up the smaller, tangy early varieties, such as Brooks, that are available early on. They’re hastily washed and thrown into a bowl on the kitchen counter. Within hours, a cool couple of pounds are greedily devoured as family members grab handfuls each time they pass.

Soon, and with a giddy sense of decadence, I pay luxury-tax prices for the first creamy yellow Rainiers. No regrets -- each cherry is a satisfying mini-mouthful of firm, tart-sweet fruit.

Although no farmers market has them all, several cherry varieties grown by Fresno-area producers appear throughout the season, from large, succulent, maroon Garnets, which show up in mid-May, to blushing Rainiers by the end of May to deep burgundy Bings during California’s peak-season month of June. For you-pick fans, cherry farmers in Leona Valley near Palmdale open their orchards beginning June 4 for harvesting of varieties including Bing, Rainier, Tartarian, Burlap, Stella, Van and others (call [661] 266-7116 for information).

As the local season wanes, Bings and Lamberts from Oregon and Washington will be in the supermarkets into July and even August.

After a few weeks, the first headlong rush to simply gobble up fruit subsides and I remember that other juicy stone-fruit delights await -- apricots, peaches, plums. So maybe I can slow down and set aside a few cherries to cook with. Properly set off with sugar and a little judicious pastry-making, cherries can not only retain flavor and shape but also deepen in intensity, mellowing and softening.

These three simple recipes preserve the integrity of the fresh fruit while offering adventures in texture and flavor combinations.

Pastry chef Kim Boyce’s quick cherry preserves are made in small amounts -- one-half pound of cherries to yield one-half cup preserves -- for spooning over ice cream or a piece of cheesecake. Her method keeps cherry halves intact in a reduced syrup with a bright cherry taste, and the small-quantity recipe means you’ll spend only a few minutes pitting and preparing the fruit.

The preserves are also an ingredient in Boyce’s cherry thumbprint cookies, soft and golden, each with a generous dollop of cherry in the middle.

Cherries are the traditional fruit used in clafouti, the French country dessert originally from the Limousin region. Easier to make and less fussy than a pie or tart, the clafouti is made by pouring batter over fresh fruit and baking. It’s served hot from the oven, or at least warm, as a sweet finish to a family dinner. Variations are made using other fruits, such as plum or blackberry, but cherry clafouti is the classic. We turned to Julia Child for her wonderfully simple recipe.

If you still have a few cherries left at the end of the season -- after eating so many out of hand that you’re ready for apricots or peaches -- you might do as Boyce does and make a cherry cordial. She fills a sterilized jar with about one-half pound (1 1/4 cups) cherries, pours in enough amaretto to cover the fruit and adds up to 1 tablespoon sugar. Then she covers the cordial and stores it in a dark place for at least three months, preferably a year.

By which time cherries will be back in season again.

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Quick cherry preserves

Total time: 35 minutes

Servings: Makes 1/2 cup

Note: From Kim Boyce. Sour cherry syrup by Zergut is found in Middle Eastern markets.

1/4cup sugar

1/2 pound firm cherries, stemmed, pitted and halved (about 1 1/4 cups)

2 tablespoons sour cherry syrup

1 tablespoon butter

1. Place a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the sugar over the bottom of the pan. Once the sugar begins to melt, sprinkle a second tablespoon over the bottom of the pan. Swirl the pan to ensure even melting and take care that the sugar does not get any darker than a light golden brown. Continue with the remaining sugar and keep swirling until all the sugar is melted. This will take about 8 minutes. (Note: Don’t try adding all the sugar to the pot at once -- it will seize into clumps, and by the time the clumps melt, the sugar will be too dark.)

2. Add the cherries and sour cherry syrup. The sugar will seize. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the sugar melts, about 5 minutes. Add the butter.

3. Raise the heat to medium-high and stir gently. (Stirring is important as it allows steam to escape, which enables the preserves to cook faster so the fresh cherry taste is not lost.) Be careful not to smash the cherry halves. Continue to cook until the liquid has reduced and thickened and the pot starts hissing at you. This will take 5 to 6 minutes.

4. Immediately pour the preserves into a shallow glass dish and place in the freezer to cool. Stir every 5 minutes. Remove after 15 minutes. Serve immediately or store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Each tablespoon: 71 calories; 0 protein; 15 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 2 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 4 mg. cholesterol;

3 mg. sodium.

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Clafouti

Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Servings: 6 to 8

Note: From “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck

1 1/4 cups milk

2/3 cup sugar, divided

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup flour

3 cups pitted cherries

Powdered sugar

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the milk, one-third cup sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour in the blender jar in that order. Cover and blend at top speed for 1 minute.

2. Pour a one-fourth-inch layer of batter in a lightly buttered, fireproof 7- to 8-cup baking dish or a 1 1/2-inch deep Pyrex pie plate. Set it over moderate heat until a film of batter has set in the bottom of the dish, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Spread the cherries over the batter and sprinkle on the remaining sugar. Pour on the rest of the batter and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon.

4. Bake until puffed and brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Sprinkle the top of the clafouti with powdered sugar just before bringing it to the table. (The clafouti need not be served hot, but it should still be warm. It will sink slightly as it cools.)

Each of 8 servings: 190 calories; 5 grams protein; 34 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 4 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 85 mg. cholesterol; 70 mg. sodium.

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Cherry thumbprints

Total time: 1 hour

Servings: Makes 18 cookies

Note: From Kim Boyce

1/2 cup (1 stick) European-style unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour, sifted

1 batch cherry preserves

1. Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugars, baking powder, baking soda and salt on high speed for 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

2. Add the egg and beat for 1 minute. The mixture will be broken at first but will come together during creaming.

3. Add the cream and vanilla extract. Mix to combine. Add the flour all at once and mix until combined.

4. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

5. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Separate the dough into 18 pieces. Shape into balls. Space the balls on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets and make a thumbprint in the center of each ball. Bake for 8 minutes.

6. Remove the pans from the oven. Gently press down the center of each cookie again. Place a generous teaspoon of jam in the center of each cookie. Bake for 8 more minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.

Each cookie: 139 calories; 2 grams protein; 19 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 7 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 29 mg. cholesterol; 67 mg. sodium.