When Little Quail Ridge Orchard’s reefer truck rolled into the Saskatoon farmers’ market parking lot with this summer’s first Okanagan fruit delivery, I quickly joined the queue that formed. I applauded when the staff unpacked case after case of sweet cherries, the first of the season, and my all-time favourite fruit.
In 2024, the orchard, located at Oliver, B.C., had suffered a January snowfall and temperature drop, a rare winter storm that damaged all the peach and apricot trees in the Okanagan. The market’s tables had looked sparse all that summer without baskets and boxes of peaches and apricots. Like the orchardists, this past winter I offered prayers to the weather goddess that no winterkill would further damage the trees. Seeing the cherries being unpacked — and learning from the staff that the peach and apricot trees are safe and sound — was a magical moment. I celebrated by buying 10 pounds of the gleaming red globes.
When I got home, Dave looked at me like I was mad. “Where are we going to keep them?” he asked. “The fridge is jammed with those garlic scapes and the leftover lasagna and your sourdough mother and yogurt and kombucha and …”
Read Also
Accelerate milk replacer programs for higher heifer gains
Milk replacer is expensive, but feeding more still makes sense to grow larger, healthier heifers
While he enumerated the current contents of our fridge, I ate cherries. Gotta admit, I barely put a dent in that 10-pound box. When I’d eaten my fill, I grinned, and said, “Cherry sauce for ice cream sundaes, pancakes, waffles, crepes, pavlova … cherry cobbler, cherry muffins, cherry rumtopf, cherries in vodka, pickled cherries, cherry crisp, cherry jam, cherry clafoutis, chocolate-dipped cherries, cherry tarts, deconstructed mascarpone cheesecake with cherries, cherry ice cream, cherry smoothies …”
“Okay,” Dave said. “I know you’ll use them all. Stash them in the backup fridge in the meantime. But wait a minute… what’s a clafoutis?” A moment later, he added, “And how do you deconstruct a cheesecake?”
I handed him a handful of cherries. “Maybe I’ll bake a clafoutis for breakfast. It’s a French dessert, a cross between a baked pancake batter and a custard.”
But when breakfast rolled around, I didn’t bake the clafoutis. I’ve never been fond of its slightly spongy texture, even when loaded with cherries in the French tradition. Instead, I roasted some cherries and spooned them over homemade yogurt cheese. “For our wedding anniversary, I’ll make the mascarpone version,” I promised Dave.
So here’s a re-imagined take on cheesecake I served at a summer wedding back in my catering days. First we eat, then we weigh the merits of cherries eaten out of hand versus cherries cooked into something more formal.
Deconstructed roasted cherry cheesecake with housemade mascarpone or yogurt cream
This dessert, more fruit than cheese, is a genuine showstopper. It showcases cherries in all their glory. All steps can be done in advance, making it ideal for any hot day or fancy party. Or make a smaller amount to serve at breakfast or lunch for just the two of you. For crunchy contrast, top with toasted coconut, really good granola or shards of nut praline. Serves 6.
Yoghurt cream
• 2 cups Greek yoghurt
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• the zest of 1 lemon
• ½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger root, optional
‘Mascarpone’
• ¾ lb. good cream cheese
• ¼ lb. ricotta
• 2 Tbsp. whipping cream
• Finely grated zest and juice of ½ lemon
• 1 Tbsp. sugar or liquid honey
Roasted cherry topping
• 4 cups pitted cherries
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
Combine yogurt, maple syrup, lemon zest, nutmeg and ginger. Cover and chill.
Alternatively, blend mascarpone ingredients in a food processor or mixer. Cover and chill.
Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Combine cherries, vinegar, honey and lemon juice. Spread on the sheet and bake for 30 minutes, or until cherries are soft and juicy. (Twenty minutes in an air fryer will do the job if you are roasting a smaller amount.) Use warm or chilled.
To serve, spoon yogurt cream or mascarpone into parfait glasses or champagne coupes. Top generously with cherries and serve with a spoon.
