Cherry Sauce

 

Walking through cherry orchards with trees laden with beautiful, red, ripe cherries is a sight to behold. Being able to pick your own cherries is one of life's simple joys. Last week up in Michigan I was fortunate enough to experience both. After decades of going up to Pentwater over the Fourth of July holiday, I discovered (for the first time in decades) that there were cherry orchards open to the public. How I never knew this before is rather surprising. As luck would have it, cherry picking season started the week I had arrived! Having never harvested cherries before I wondered whether it would be as easy as apple picking or as tedious but as rewarding as raspberry picking. It couldn't have been easier. Had I known just how easy it was I might have picked more than two quarts of cherries. Not only to eat but to make more than one jar of this divinely delicious Cherry Sauce.

Whether it was because the cherries were freshly picked or that it was because I hand-picked them, these sweet red cherries were the best I have ever tasted. Before I ate more than my share fair of them, I made this beautiful, sweet, thick, glossy cherry sauce. The kind of sauce you could easily just eat off of spoon, but when served over vanilla ice cream, yogurt, panna cotta, poundcake, scones, Angel Food Cake, Dutch pancakes, waffles, crepes, and/or cheesecake it's a game-changer. When compared to a store-bought cherry sauce, a homemade cherry sauce will win every time.

July in the Midwest is the height of cherry season. So now would be the most optimal time to make this luscious Cherry Sauce. However, it can be made with frozen cherries (thawed) year-round. The important thing to remember when using frozen cherries is that they hold more water than fresh cherries, so the amount of water you use to make the sauce needs to be adjusted. Cutting the amount of water used when cooking the cherries (e.g., 2 versus 4 Tablespoons) with the sugar is recommended.

A jar of freshly made Cherry Sauce brimming with a thick, glossy sauce and whole (pitted) cherries can be made in no time at all. Turning this seasonal bounty into a rich, luscious, fruity, sweet/tart sauce is something you absolutely must do! And if you have never gone cherry picking before, you should! If there isn't a cherry orchard near you, then run to your Farmer's Markets and/or your grocery stores to buy the seasonal fresh cherries. Make certain you buy more than enough to eat and to make this Chef's kiss Cherry Sauce so you can eat it off of a spoon (just saying) or use it to elevate your sweet and/or savory dishes!

Recipe

Cherry Sauce

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds (596g) freshly pitted or thawed frozen sweet red cherries

2/3 cup (134g) granulated sugar

1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch

8 Tablespoons water, divided (See Notes)

Pinch of Kosher Salt

Directions

1. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, add the cherries, sugar, Kosher salt and 4 Tablespoons of water. Cook over medium-high heat until the cherries have softened the mixture is slightly bubbling. This will take about 8-10 minutes. Note: If using frozen cherries, use only 2 Tablespoons of water.

2. In a small bowl whisk together the cornstarch and remaining 4 Tablespoons of water until well blended. Immediately add to the cherry mixture and cook over low-medium heat until thickened to the desired consistency.

3. Remove from the stove and pour into heat proof jar(s). Allow to cool to room temperature before covering and refrigerating. Note: You can also immediately serve the freshly made cherry sauce warm!

4. The covered jars of the Cherry Sauce will be good in the refrigerator for up to a week, if it lasts that long!

5. Serve the Cherry Sauce chilled or warm up in the microwave.

Notes: (1) Weigh the cherries after you pit them! Which means you might need closer to 1 3/4 pounds of cherries to make this sauce. (2) If using frozen cherries, thaw them in the refrigerator before making the sauce. (3) Do not cut the cherries in half. You want to see those gorgeous whole (but pitted) cherries in your sauce. (4) I use Weck canning jars, but feel free to use your favorite canning jar.

Cherry Orchards in Ludington, Michigan (July 2026)

Freshly picked cherries from PM Family Farms in Ludington, MI (July 2026)

Bakery Style Peanut Butter Cookie - Two Ways

 

There may almost be as many versions of peanut butter cookies as there are chocolate chip cookies. Not surprisingly they rank in the top three of the most popular and universally loved cookies. If peanut butter cookies are part of your language or if these salty, sweet confections are your go-to, comfort food cookies, well the recipe for these extraordinary Bakery Style Peanut Butter Cookies may just become your newest favorite. These are ginormous, monstrously large cookies. Similar in heft and texture to the famed Levain Style Cookies. Some might say it's the kind of cookie you share with a friend or eat only a half at a time. I promise not to tell anyone if you refuse to share or devour this divinely decadent Bakery Style Peanut Butter Cookie in one sitting. It will be our little secret.

I tinkered with using either Reese's Peanut Butter Pieces or semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of Reese's Peanut Butter Chips. After deciding to go with using the peanut butter chips (because I wanted a purely peanut butter flavored cookie), I had the (great) idea of dipping half of the cookies in some melted chocolate. A kind of best of both worlds option. But I can say confidently, these Bakery Style Peanut Butter Cookies are other worldly incredible with or without the addition of the chocolate. 

Like most of the other Levain Style-esq cookies on the blog, these too require chilling time. Preferably overnight, but at a minimum you should chill them for at least 6 hours. Chilling not only helps to prevent them from spreading during baking, but it also creates a much thicker cookie. To get the thickest possible cookie, shape them slightly more cone-like than round. In other words, they should be slightly taller than they are wide. Remember, portioning the dough helps to ensure all of the cookies bake evenly on the cookie sheet.

In a preheated 375-degree (F) oven, the baking time for these cookies ranges from 18-20 minutes. Or just until they are golden around the edges, but slightly soft in the center. The cookies will remain on the cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes after they come out of the oven, so they will continue to bake. If you happen to overbake them, you will end up with a crunchier cookie. Slightly underbaked in the center and crispy along the edge is the texture you want to achieve when baking these cookies. 

These Bakery Style Peanut Butter Cookies don't need the richer, more decadent finishing touch of being dipped in melted chocolate and sprinkled with chopped honey roasted peanuts. Although if you are someone who absolutely loves the flavor combination of peanut butter and chocolate, then by all means, go for it! 

The combination of the peanut butter chips and the creamy peanut butter give these cookies the most ethereal peanut butter flavor.  In just one bite, peanut butter lovers will have discovered the true meaning of peanut butter bliss. 

These large, decadent, deeply satisfying Bakery Style Peanut Butter Cookies are the ones you want to make for the people in your life that you truly love. They are the ones you would want to enter in a Peanut Butter Cookie throw down or even your local county fair. They are the ones you want to make if 'bribing with cookies' is your thing. Because you can freeze the balls of dough and bake them when you have a craving, you can make them just for yourself! 

Recipe

Bakery Style Peanut Butter Cookie - Two Ways

Makes 9 Ginormous Cookies

Ingredients

3 cups (390g) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoons cornstarch

9 Tablespoons (125g) unsalted butter, slightly softened

1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon (100g) creamy peanut butter

1 cup (200g) light brown sugar

2/3 cup (134g) granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 large egg yolks

2 teaspoons good quality vanilla

12 ounces (340g) peanut butter chips 

Flaky sea salt (e.g., Maldon)

Optional: 8 ounces milk chocolate wafers and 1/4 cup chopped honey roasted peanuts

Directions

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until well blended.

2. Add in the peanut butter and mix until creamy.

3. Add in the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, until well blended.

4. Mix in the vanilla.

5. In a medium-large size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, Kosher salt and cornstarch.

6. Add in the dry ingredients in two batches. Mix just until combined.

7. Mix in the peanut butter chips.

8. Portion the dough into nine 5.5oz/156g) balls of dough. Shaping so they are taller rather than rounder. Place on a small baking sheet, cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight.

9. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (F). 

10. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 4 of the balls of dough, spaced well apart, on the baking sheet. Lightly sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

11. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden around the edges but still slightly soft in the center. Note: If your baked cookies are too high domed when they come out, gently press down with a spatula.

12. Allow cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 15-20 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

13. Line another baking sheet with parchment paper and finish baking the remaining dough balls.

14. For the chocolate dipped version, melt your chocolate. Dip half of the cooled cookie into the chocolate. Lightly sprinkle with chopped honey roasted peanuts. Let the chocolate set completely before serving or packaging. Note: Cookies stored well at room temperature will be good for 3 to 4 days. If you don't dip in chocolate, you can reheat them in the microwave for 10 seconds on high to give them that freshly baked taste.

Notes: (1) I used chocolate wafers from a local chocolatier, but the Ghirardelli Melting Wafters work equally well. (2) After chilling the dough for several hours, you can transfer to ziplock freezer bags and place in the freezer. Baking time might increase slightly. (3) I use JIF peanut butter. Do not use natural, organic peanut butter when making these cookies as it will significantly affect the spread of the baked cookie. (4) The Reese's Peanut Butter Chips come in 10-ounce packages. You will need to buy two of them to get the required 12 ounces.

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, Michigan (July 2026)

Tortellini Salad

Mother Nature almost thwarted my plans to join my family on their annual 4th of July vacation in Pentwater, Michigan. A violent rainstorm took out my power for almost nineteen hours two days before the trip and managed to send me over the edge. However, after cleaning out the refrigerator, shopping for all the planned meal ingredients, preparing the dishes for our Sunday night meal, and packing, I managed to get myself up early Sunday morning to make the four plus hour drive up to Pentwater. Happy to leave behind the heat and humidity in my hometown and enjoy four days of beautiful, breezy Lake Michigan weather with my family. Especially with my eleven-month-old great nephew, Henry.

Like almost every year for the past several decades (yes, decades), we have almost all of our meals in the 'on the slightly rustic side' cottage. This year I volunteered to make the Sunday night dinner. I vacillated on what to make (changing my mind several times) but finally decided on a menu of dishes I had never made for my family before. To make things as easy as possible once I got to lake, I made everything the day before. From the very addictive Corn Dip, to the retro Strawberry Salad, to the Sloppy Joes, to resurrecting this Tortellini Salad, to my version of the viral Dot Cakes done in patriotic sprinkles, I not only prayed these dishes would all survive the four-hour car trip, I also genuinely hoped everyone in my foodie family would be more than happy with the choices I had made. 

The recipe for this scrumptious, gorgeous Tortellini Salad is one I have had for decades. But before I could make it, I had to find it. Remembering that it was typed up on a half sheet of pink paper made it slightly 'easier' to find in the stacks of saved, unorganized recipes. I got lucky and found it rather quickly.

With the exception of the cooked (frozen) cheese tortellini, the jarred artichoke hearts, canned black olives, and bottled Italian dressing, all of the other ingredients are fresh. Lightly steamed broccoli, green onions, fresh basil, fresh Italian parsley, and cherry tomatoes give this salad incredible flavor and texture. 

It's one of those salads best made the night before or very early in day so the flavors have a chance to develop. The only ingredients added just before serving are the sliced black olives and cherry tomatoes. And if all of the dressing has been absorbed by the pasta and broccoli (and it will), you can and should always add a little more just before serving. Letting the Tortellini Salad sit out for at least 20-30 minutes before serving brings it to a perfect eating temperature.

If you are looking for a crowd-pleasing, refreshing salad to serve this summer, make this fresh, flavorful Tortellini Salad! It paired incredibly well with the slightly spicey Sloppy Joes, but it would be equally great served with grilled chicken, fish, or steaks. And because it isn't one of those mayonnaise-based pasta salads, it's the perfect hot weather, ultimate summer gathering side dish!

Recipe

Tortellini Salad

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

16 ounces/454g frozen cheese tortellini, cooked according to package directions and drained

1 large head or two medium sized heads of broccoli, blanched or lightly steamed and cut into bite size pieces - Note: You can also buy broccoli florets. You will need at least 4 to 4 1/2cups)

24 ounce/680g jar of marinated artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped (half of the marinade should be reserved)

4 green onions, sliced thinly

1/2 to 1 cup of fresh Italian Parsley, chopped (Note: I generally use a little more than a half cup)

2 Tablespoons julienned fresh basil

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt

1 small can (3.8 oz/108g) sliced black olives, drained

1 pint of cherry tomatoes, cut in half

3/4 to 1 cup Italian Salad dressing (e.g., Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian) - See Notes

Directions

1. In a large bowl combine the cooked/drained cheese tortellini, broccoli florets, chopped artichoke hearts (and half of the marinade), green onions, parsley, Kosher salt, black pepper, basil and garlic salt. Toss to combine.

2. Add in 3/4 to 1 cup of the Italian Salad Dressing. Mix well. Note: You will more than likely add of at least a 1/2 cup more when getting ready to serve.

3. Cover the salad with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

4. 30 minutes before getting ready to serve add in the drained black olives and halved cherry tomatoes. Mix to combine. Taste for flavor and then add more salad dressing if needed. Let the salad sit out for those 30 minutes.

5. Serve and savor!! Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator.

Notes: (1) I love the flavor of Newman's Own Family Recipe Italian Salad Dressing. If you have another favorite bottled Italian Dressing, feel free to use it. Or if you make a too-die for Italian Dressing, use that instead. (2) Make certain to only lightly steam your broccoli. Steam just until tender-crisp and vibrant in color (about 3-5 minutes). Or blanch the broccoli spears in boiling water for 45 seconds. Either method works. (3) Look for the best cheese tortellini you can find. I buy mine (frozen) at my local Italian store, but there are many great options in local grocery stores. (4) Make certain to rinse the cooked tortellini in cold water in order to stop the cooking process.

Just after sunrise at Bass Lake, Pentwater, Michigan (July 2026)

PM Family Farms, Ludington, Michigan (July 2026) - I was obsessed with the Cherry Orchards!

Strawberries and Cream

Significant cultural and/or global events almost always serve long stranding, traditional, legendary, signature foods and/or beverages. At the Kentucky Derby it's Mint Juleps. At Oktoberfest it's giant, salted Bavarian pretzels. At the Masters Tournament it's Pimento Cheese sandwiches. At Mardi Gras it's King Cake. And at Wimbledon, the iconic food served is Strawberries and Cream. 

A dessert made with a combination of a fruit and dairy is deeply rooted in English culture. In fact, it goes back to the 16th century! However, it wasn't until the late 1800s when the celebrated Strawberries and Cream become synonymous with Wimbledon. At the time this dish was considered to be a bit of a luxury. Fortunately, today this simple to make, slightly decadent, classic, delicious dessert is still impressive but easily affordable.

The best time of the year to make Strawberries and Cream is when strawberries are in season. Which means now is when you want to be making this luscious, ambrosial dessert. And, if by chance, you were looking for a 4th of July dessert to wow your family and friends, this is the one you want to make! Note: You can actually make this dessert year-round if you can find some great, fresh strawberries.

Because it uses very few ingredients, you want the best ingredients available. So look for the freshest, ripest strawberries in your grocery stores and/or at your Farmer's Markets. As far as the other ingredients go, you only want to use a full fat sour cream and the best (real) vanilla extract you can buy. I am a big fan of the Nielson Massey Madagascar Vanilla.

Whatever you do, don't skip out on sprinkling the light brown sugar on the middle and top layers of the strawberries. The light brown sugar not only adds a rich, molasses-tinged sweetness, it further balances out the tartness of the fresh strawberries. 

There are a variety of ingredients used to help stabilize whipping cream when it's whipped to slightly firm peaks. The most flavorful one of all is sour cream! In addition to helping ensure the whipped cream doesn't weep, it adds a bit of tang! 

You can assemble the individual portions of the Strawberries and Cream and serve later in the day. Or you can serve them immediately after you assemble them. If you are choosing to serve this dessert family style (aka platter style), you can whip up the cream early in the day, cover and refrigerate. However, I would wait to slice up the strawberries until you are ready to serve.

Imagine bringing out a tray of these incredibly scrumptious Strawberries and Cream parfaits to your next gathering! If you don't a have a strawberry plant or patch in your backyard, garnish them with a sprig of fresh mint. This small touch creates an even more impressive presentation. And for those of you who have been regular followers of the blog, you know one of my favorite mantras is 'you eat with your eyes first'.

Have a safe, fun, memorable, and delicious Fourth of July Weekend! 

Recipe

Strawberries and Cream 

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients

1 pound of fresh strawberries, hulled and cut (either into bite size quarters or generous 1/4 inch slices)

1 cup chilled heavy cream

2 1/2 Tablespoons sour cream

1 1/2 Tablespoons confectionary sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch of Kosher Salt

2-3 Tablespoons of light brown sugar

Fresh sprigs of mint or strawberry leaves

Directions

1. Prepare the strawberries. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of standing mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form.

3. Add in the sour cream, confectionary sugar, vanilla, and Kosher salt. Beat until you have firm (not too stiff) peaks. Note: The consistency of the mixture should be stable enough to pipe in a pastry bag.

4. For individual servings, pipe a ring of the whipped cream on the bottom of a 6 to 8 ounce clear glass. Top with about 1/8th of the strawberries. Very lightly sprinkle with light brown sugar. Pipe another ring of the whipped cream on top of the strawberries. Top with another 1/8 portion of the strawberries. Spoon or pipe a large dollop of the whipped cream on top. Finish with a slightly more generous portion of the light brown sugar. Garnish with a fresh sprig of mint or fresh strawberry leaves. Note: If preparing early in the day (and refrigerating), hold off on the second/final sprinkling of the light brown sugar until you are ready to serve.

Notes: (1) This recipe is easily doubled! Simply double the amounts of each ingredient. For measuring purposes 2 1/2 Tablespoons of Sour Cream doubled would be 1/3 of a cup.  (2) Instead of making individual portions you can spoon the whipped cream into a beautiful bowl. Arrange the strawberries on a platter. Place the whipped cream in the center. Place another small bowl of light brown sugar next to the whipped cream. (3) You can find clear glass tumblers at a variety of stores. Crate and Barrel and Williams-Sonoma are good sources. I use them for serving puddings, parfaits, juice, and wine!