Our Montmorency cherry tree is having its annual 15-minutes of fame. Loaded with bright pink and golden cherries, it glows festively and looks like it’s been decorated with a string of lights. Cherries are enticing and children sometimes find their hot pinkness irresistible, grab a couple and pop them straight into their mouths, then right back out again. They may be pretty, but they’re sour as can be. Come to think of it, I know someone exactly like that. The first few years we had a productive yield we covered and then later uncovered the entire tree with a light net, trying to protect the fruit from critters. What a hassle. We then discovered that creatures weren’t so enamored with a sour cherry either, at least not until the peak moment of ripeness when they become only slightly sweeter. We nab them right then, and there are more every year. Some go straight into a pie or fritter, some into the freezer. And Montmorency cherries are courteous about shedding their seed: when the cherry is ripe it turns bright pink and with a tiny squeeze slips right off its own pit, leaving it there on the tree along with the stem.

Mouths watering, pie making begins. We had cherry pie on the 4th – what a way to celebrate Independence Day. Cherries are as American as apple pie, almost as patriotic, and they have serious attitude. I hope they vote.

Here’s the scoop on the pie making:

Make your favorite pie dough. I used Alice Waters’ recipe from the Art of Simple Food: 12 T cold butter cut into small pieces (1½ cubes), 2 cups of flour, a pinch of salt and ½ cup, or less, of ice water. In a food processor, process butter, flour and salt until it’s crumbly. Add ice water a little at a time just until the dough comes together. Treat pastry dough gently – don’t overwork it. Pat it into two round discs and refrigerate for an hour and it’s ready to use. By hand in a bowl, same process just takes a little longer.

Combine six cups of pitted cherries with 1 1/3 cups sugar, 3 tablespoons cornstarch and a pinch of salt. Joy of Cooking suggested adding a little water, lemon juice, and almond extract. I knew I would have a flavorful and juicy enough pie without those ingredients and besides I didn’t happen to have a lemon. Stir it all together and pour into the pie shell, dot with a few pieces of butter. Finish with a lattice top, a classic cherry pie treatment, or a regular top crust. I usually brush the top crust lightly with cream or half & half and then sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 425º, for 25 minutes on a low rack, reduce heat to 350º and cook approximately 30 minutes more. Crust becomes golden brown, you can see the juices bubbling and the aroma exudes essence of cherry pie. Let it bubble away for a few more minutes and then remove carefully from the oven. If you have the patience, let it cool a while. And I’m in favor of checking the pie from time to time, just to make sure it’s cooling properly. (heh-heh)

May not be the prettiest pie on the block, but it was tasty and kid-friendly. Alice’s flaky crust and just the right amount of sugar, a good way to tame a bowl of sour cherries.

It didn’t last long. Montmorencies, a local sour cherry, are ripe right now and won’t last long either. Check neighborhood Farmers Markets and Pike Place Market.

There’s definitely life beyond pie for these guys: juice, a cocktail, dried cherries, chutney, salsa, preserves, cherries jubilee (with ice cream). Audrey at Eat Local Northwest blog recently introduced a Maraschino cherry recipe which sounds fantastic, a surprise since I’ve always hated the retail variety. Intended to be made with sweet, not sour cherries, but I wonder . . . I might have to give it a try using a sour cherry.

Pacific Northwest Magazine published a piece on Montmorency cherries a year ago with a couple of good recipe ideas. And there seems to be a lot of buzz about the medicinal benefit of Montmorency juice for joint pain/disease. Not exactly endorsed by the FDA, yet, but worth checking out if you find the idea interesting

The Joy of Cooking provided direction for my cherry pie making. It’s a great cookbook to have around.