How to Cook with Luscious Cherries

One of the highlights of summer is the abundance of cherries.

Not only wonderful to sip, this “cocktail” is delicious poured over vanilla ice cream or pound cake. Get the recipe for Brandied Cherries

This sweet-tart cherry, cilantro, and walnut salad is delicious on its own or as a relish for grilled meats or fish.

Roasting cherries caramelizes their sugars and gives them a deeper flavor; they’re perfect on ice cream, cheesecake, or yogurt, or even mixed into cocktails. Get the recipe for Roasted Cherries »

Cherries and cherry tomatoes bake down together into a savory-sweet layer under a sweet biscuit topping in this recipe from chef Amanda Cohen. Get the recipe for Cherry Tomato and Cherry Cobbler »

Roasted cherries appear in three ways in this twist in an Old Fashioned—in cherry infused-vodka, muddled at the bottom, and thrown on top as a garnish. Get the recipe for Cherry Old Fashioned »

The classic combination of pork and fruit gets the ultimate summer treatment in this dish from John Karangis of Union Square Events. Made tender in an aromatic braise, pork belly gets a quick char on a hot grill before resting atop buttery sweet corn and a relish of sweet and sour cherries tossed with jalepeños and a honey-lime vinaigrette.

Cherry Shandy

An eggy, crêpe-like batter dotted with sweet cherries and baked, clafoutis is an easy breakfast that reads fancy and takes only minutes to whip together. Get the recipe for Cherry Clafoutis

Serve this creamy, sweet baked ricotta dish as an appetizer, as part of a cheese course, or for dessert paired with shortbread cookies. Get the recipe for Baked Ricotta with Orange Blossom-Cherry Sauce

A classic piña colada gets an extra deep flavor with the addition of smoky roasted cherries. Get the recipe for Roasted Cherry Colada »

Sweet and tangy, this Hungarian cake pairs perfectly with coffee. Frozen and thawed cherries can be used whenever fresh sour cherries are not in season.

Savory-sweet ketchup is a great way to use soft, less-than-perfect cherries—it makes a great stand-in for barbecue sauce in just about any application. If their season has already passed, frozen cherries work just as well.