85 fresh cherry recipes

Peppery arugula leaves frame a mound of juicy tomato wedges tossed in a tangy mustard vinaigrette for a simple, elegant salad ready in minutes.

Chicken and chili stew with browned drumsticks, white beans, cherry tomatoes, and chili powder, finished with fresh cilantro. A make-ahead one-pot stew loaded with garnish options.

Elegant fruit soup with apricot nectar, brandy, honey, and warm allspice. Serve hot or chilled with fresh peaches, papayas, or cherries for brunch or dessert.

Three tomato salad with red, yellow pear, and cherry tomatoes plus mushrooms in a balsamic-mustard vinaigrette with fresh basil. A colorful, low-fat summer side.

Kompot w spirytusie, a traditional Polish 12-fruit compote with dried fruits, fresh apples, cranberries, cherries, and brandy. A Christmas Eve dessert simmered with warm spices.

Big-batch melon and citrus fruit salad with honeydew, cantaloupe, oranges, grapefruit, pineapple, bananas, and cherries in fresh orange juice. Feeds 20 and keeps a week.

Lighter cheesecake made with blended cottage cheese and low-fat sour cream on a graham cracker crust. A slimmed-down dessert topped with cherry pie filling or fresh fruit.

Chowning's Tavern wine cooler with lemonade poured over crushed ice and topped with dry red wine, garnished with fresh mint and a cherry. A two-layer Colonial Williamsburg classic.

Passion fruit mousse blends fresh passion fruit pulp with sweetened condensed milk, served chilled inside the emptied fruit shells with a cherry on top. Two-ingredient tropical dessert.

Cherry wood smoked duck marinated overnight in red wine, fresh ginger, and brown sugar, then grilled to crispy-skinned glory. A showstopper for your next backyard feast.

Vegetarian mincemeat with fresh pears, mixed dried fruit, candied peel, glace cherries, dates, almonds, citrus zest, and whiskey. A meat-free version of the British holiday classic.

Quinoa tabbouleh swaps traditional bulgur for protein-rich quinoa, tossed with cherry tomatoes, fresh parsley, mint, cilantro, pine nuts and a bright lemon-olive oil dressing. A gluten-free Middle Eastern-style salad.

Crisp snow peas, raw zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and toasted pine nuts tossed in a shallot-red wine vinaigrette and served chilled. A fresh, light side dish for two.

Fresh berry tarts: a pair of giant 10x15 inch sheet tarts with vanilla cream over sweet pie crust, one tart piled with glazed cherries, the other with glossy blueberries.

Sweet pickled cherry tomatoes simmered in a thick sugar syrup with fresh ginger, lemon juice, and lemon rind until jewel-like and transparent. Makes 6 pints of gorgeous homemade preserves.

Wild rice and lentil salad with brown rice, tri-color bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and fresh herbs in a fat-free tomato-herb vinaigrette. A colorful, high-fiber grain salad.