Confessions

Here I have been touting the benefits of apricots when the reality is that in private, I’ve been glutting myself on another. Yes, that’s right, step aside apricot there is another superstar on the block who has wooed me…whose succulent sweetness is even more delicious and coveted; whose decadent charm cannot be denied; a fruit who has captivated our imaginations for centuries; and who has enriched the English language by lending itself to numerous expressions. You guessed it; I’m talking about the cherry. Isn’t life just a “bowl of cherries?” When we really want something, don’t we say, “pretty please with a cherry on top?” And haven’t we all at one point or another been guilty of “cherry picking?’

Well, the cherry and I have a long history. Cherries bring back a myriad of childhood memories. What little girl hasn’t hung a pair of cherries over her ears, creating beautifully round crimson earrings and being instantly transformed into a princess? And show me someone who doesn’t glean great delight from grabbing a handful of cherries from a bowl, sucking out all of their sweet goodness and then spitting out the pit.

But seriously, cherries are today’s hottest “super fruit.” Science is now revealing that cherries have among the highest levels of disease fighting antioxidants of all fruits. They have a rich supply of anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are more effective than vitamin C and four times more potent as an antioxidant than vitamin E. It has been compared to ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen for their anti-inflammatory action. Have gout, arthritis or even a headache? Perhaps you should be eating cherries.

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Michigan Integrative Medicine Program found that a cherry-enriched diet helped reduce risk factors for heart disease and metabolic syndrome, also known as insulin resistance syndrome or pre-diabetes. And…cherries are one of the few food sources of melatonin. According to Dr Russel Reiter, a nutrition researcher and one of the world’s authorities on melatonin, eating cherries might possibly be a way to boost the body’s melatonin levels to hasten sleep and fight jet lag

Back to my story: initially, I had a whole box of cherries. I had great plans of drying some and making brandied cherries with the rest (a great winter treat). But those plans were quickly left by the wayside as I started in on the box content to eat until my tongue turned purple. At the tail end, I remembered an intriguing recipe posted over at La Tartine Gourmande: Chocolate Clafoutis! Now how could one go wrong with what amounts to cherries cooked in chocolate pudding? Delicious! Now if I get another box, perhaps I'll share my easy, easy recipe for no fail Black Forest Cake.