Cooking wih cherries

Sweet, sour and duke cherries... there are many varieties to choose from and they all have their own flavours, so try before you buy! The stones of cherries are full of flavour, which produces a dilemma when making desserts like cherry clafoutis: to leave or not to leave the stone? It might be a bit messier to leave them in, but they release more flavour into the dessert and save you time on the preparation.

> How to choose cherries
Penny cherries are large and deep red in colour. Sweetheart cherries are firm, dark and very round and they're the latest British cherries, extending the season until August. Sweet cherries such as Napolean can be used for making glacé cherries, while sour cherries such as Morello work well in cooking.

> Cherries go well with:
All things Italian: mozzarella, mascarpone, almonds, amaretto, maraschino, ice-cream, polenta and Arborio rice (in rice pudding).
Sweet foods: chocolate, sweet pastry, whipped cream, cinnamon and brown sugar.
Meat and fish: duck, trout and scallops.

Also, keep the stones and stems of dried cherries to use as detox tea!

> Recipes
Cherry and almond cake
Cherry verrines with mascarpone and cinnamon