July is paradise in Canada. So much fabulous fruit it's hard to know where to bite.  We've finished off the spring harvest, strawberries and rhubarb, flirted with raspberries and currants, and now it's cherry time. Summer! 

I'm not talking about cherries that have flown in or come by truck from far away- I'm talking cherries grown in Canada, often more available in farmers' markets than supermarkets. For lazing on the porch, eating out of hand, and pit spitting, sweet cherries get the nod.

On Saturday at the St. Lawrence Market, sweet black cherries - often called Bing cherries although there are many varieties, and creamy white cherries with pink blush on their cheeks, were the fruit of choice. They're almost crunchy, their cheeks full of sweet juice

For baking, tart red Montmorencies are the tried and true, but cooked into a sauce provide a tangy backdrop to meats and poultry, especially smoked duck and pork loin.

The Friday before, as an appetizer for an weekend of cherry baking and eating, my destination was Cherry Lane, a fruit farm and cherry processing operation located near Vineland, off the Queen Elizabeth Highway in Ontario's Niagara Peninsula. In the orchards, tart Montmorencies were hanging off the branches in easy-to-pluck clusters. A misty rain made their ruby translucency glisten. It was hard not snapping dozens of pictures - from every angle the cherries were so dazzling. And in spite of their being "tart" cherries, they were sweet enough for several swipes at the clusters.

Steps away, and outside the processing building were a dozen or so giant bathtub-size bins of just harvested cherries, cooling in ice water, lined up for pitting and packing.

I followed the cherries as they were shaken to remove stems and any leaves, meticulously examined for imperfections and colour - nothing but cherry red satisfies - mechanically pitted, given another thorough examination,  then packed into 5 lb or 11 lb plastic pails.

In many chain stores from mid July to early August, cherry keeners can buy the pails of freshly pitted sweet and tart cherries to divide and freeze for their favourite desserts and preserves, or buy the cherries already frozen. At Cherry Lane, the cherries are fresh now, frozen later, some with sugar, some without and are available at the farm's retail outlet. If you have ever looked for one of these pails in a supermarket, in say, September, you're out of luck. With home grown cherries, act fast and give yourself a pat on your back for your forethought.

Check www.cherrylane.net for information about their packed fresh and frozen cherries, dried cherries, and their Concentrated Tart Cherry Juice, touted for its healthful benefits and its terrific taste in a glass with sparkling soda water, or in a cherry vodka martini - complete with whole cherry.

Cherry Streusel Carrying Cake

Summer weather and fancy cakes with icing and filling just don't match - at least when I'm making dessert for a crowd. Something simple is better for that potluck barbecue party or brunch get together. I recommend this 13- by 9-inch (32 x 23 cm) sour cream butter cake topped with cherries and almond streusel. You can use already pitted tart cherries or dark sweet cherries, or pit your own. If frozen, let cherries  thaw in a sieve, reserving the juice for another use.

1/2 cup (125 mL) butter, softened

1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla

Dash almond extract

2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour

1 tsp (5 mL) each baking powder and baking soda

1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt

1 cup sour cream

Topping:

2/3 cup (150 mL) packed brown sugar

1/2 cup (125 mL) all-purpose flour

1/4 cup (50 mL) butter, softened

1/2 cup (125 mL) sliced almonds

2-1/2 cups (625 mL) pitted tart cherries, halved

. Grease 13- x 9-inch (3.5 L) metal cake pan; set aside.

. Topping: In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar and flour. With a pastry blender or fork, mash in the butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in the almonds; set aside. 

. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until smooth and light. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then vanilla and almond extract. 

. In separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir into butter mixture a third at a time, alternating with the sour cream a half at a time.

. Scrape into prepared pan; smooth top. Sprinkle with cherries, then topping.

. Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven until cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

. Let cool on rack. The cake is divine when still a little warm from the oven. (Make-ahead: Cover and store  at room temperature for up to 1 day.

. Makes 16 servings. 

Cherry Dark Chocolate Brownies

Want to stand out with your contribution to the big buffet at the family reunion? Or be the favourite weekend guest at the lake? Take a pan of brownies. But not just any brownies. Try these, fudgy ones, with pleasant diversions of chunks chocolate and dried tart cherries in every bite. All these luxurious brownies need is a dusting of icing sugar - but you can go all the way when you're entertaining and guild the lily with the silky ganache topping below.

8 oz (250 g) bittersweet (dark) chocolate

3/4 cup (175 mL) granulated sugar

1/3 cup (75 mL) butter, cubed

2 tbsp (30 mL) water

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla

3/4 cup (175 mL) all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp (1 mL) each baking soda and salt

1 cup (250 mL) dried tart cherries

. Line a 9-inch (23 cm) square metal cake pan with parchment paper or grease; set aside.

. Chop chocolate, ideally aiming at double the size of chocolate chips. Divide in half and reserve separately.

. In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar, butter and water; bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; add half of the chocolate and stir until melted. Let cool for 20 minutes.

. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, then vanilla.

. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, soda and salt. Add to the batter, stirring just enough to combine. Sprinkle surface with remaining chocolate and dried cherries; stir to combine evenly.

. Scrape into prepared pan; smooth the top.

. Bake in the centre of 325°F (160°C)oven until cake tester inserted in centre comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging, about 30 minutes. Let cool in pan on rack. (Make-ahead: Remove from pan; wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days or overwrap with heavy-duty foil and freeze for up to 2 weeks.)

. Cut into 24 squares. 

Ganache Topping: Place 3 oz (100 g) chopped bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a saucepan, heat 1/3 cup (75 mL) whipping cream with 1 tbsp (15 mL) corn syrup until boiling. Pour over chocolate and whisk until smooth. Let stand for 3 minutes; spread over cooled brownies. 

. Brandied Cherries

I find it hard to resist putting up a few jars of brandied cherries. They take virtually no time to make  and are the kind of gift that actually gets eaten, especially over holiday times. Fish the cherries out of the brandy in which they have been soaked and serve as is with after-dinner coffee, or spoon cherries and brandy over good vanilla or chocolate ice cream, or over a dollop of mascarpone cheese. The recipe originated with the  mid 19th century English food star, Isabella Beeton.

7 cups (1.75 L) perfect sweet black cherries, about 2 lb (1 kg)

1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar

1 bottle (750 mL) brandy 

. Rinse cherries and let air dry spread in a single layer on clean tea towels.

. Snip off half of each cherry stem. Prick each cherry with a darning needle or toothpick.

. Pack into 7 (250 mL) canning jars packing as compactly as possible without bruising the cherries. Top cherries in each jar with a rounded 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the sugar. Fill with brandy to cover the cherries, leaving just enough headspace at the top to put on the disk.

. Seal tightly with new disk and bands. Turn each jar over, shake gently and set upright. Let stand for a day, turning and gently shaking the jars occasionally until the sugar has dissolved.

. Store in a cool dark spot for at least 2 months or up to 1 year, turning jars occasionally when you go to your cool cupboard to admire your store of brandied cherries. 

. Makes seven 1 cup (250 mL) jars.

At Cherry Lane, even the pits are recycled as fuel.

Volunteers behind Phil Goodwin are planting shrubs on a wetland by the Don River.

Phil Goodwin is a publisher, and as a naturalist, a passionate supporter of the Don River. Flowing south through Toronto into Lake Ontario, the Don, like many rivers in Canadian cities has been in pretty rough shape over the last many decades. Deforestation, development, industry, pollution, carelessness and simple neglect have turned the river from a place to swim and catch salmon to a run of water in great need of recussitation.

Goodwin, tall and with an engaging smile is a key figure with the East Don Parkland Partners, the organization working to bring back the Don. While the health of the whole Don is Goodwin's passion, he and his supporters have taken on the replanting along a stretch of the river south of Cummer Avenue in North York. And that's where I headed on Saturday with my sister Janey Davis to help Goodwin's neighbours, friends, locals, colleagues, interested students and a whole Scout troop to plant native shrubs on a newly recreated meadow and wetland.  In early June, Goodwin will again assemble a group of volunteers to plant wild flowers and herbaceous plants in the same area.The Partners work with staff from the parks department who position the shrubs and trees, and bring the shovels, gloves for all size hands from kids to big and burly, mulch to keep the ground around the newly planted species moist, and planting know-how. There may be a better way to spend a spring Saturday, but I've yet to find it.

Saturday was cool and slightly overcast - perfect for planting. The one thing I thought I could provide besides the energy to plant, was homemade cookies to keep the planters energized. I chose Oatmeal Cookies found on page 35 of The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book (Transcontinental Books, $34.95). Because the group was big, my sister and I made two batches, one with white chocolate and dried cranberries, the second with pecans and maple chunks I had bought a few weeks ago at a store called Canadian Maple Delights in Old Montreal. 

Funny thing, just as the last cedar was in the ground, the last cookie went into tummy of one of the young planters. Couldn't be in better places.

Tree Planting Oatmeal Cookies

These are absolutely delicious oatmeal cookies, and you don't have to plant trees to earn one. I like to add cranberries and white chocolate, but you can accent the dough with any number of interesting add-ins. Raisins or currants are traditional as are chopped walnut halves. Regular chocolate chips of course. In all, your additions should measure about 1-1/2 cups (375 mL).  Feel free to add a little cinnamon or nutmeg if you like too. Or, some grated orange rind. 

2/3 cup (150 mL) butter, softened

1 cup (250 mL) packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tbsp (15 mL) vanilla

1-1/2 cups large-flake rolled oats

1 cup (50 mL) all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp (2 mL) each baking powder and baking soda

1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt

3/4 cup (175 mL) chopped white chocolate

3/4 cup (175 mL) dried cranberries, dried cherries or raisins

. Line 2 large rimless baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats, or grease; set aside.

. In a large bowl, beat butter with brown sugar until fluffy; beat in the egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir into the butter mixture in 2 additions until blended. Stir in the chocolate and cranberries.

. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Scoop by tablespoons (15 mL) into mounds, set 2-inches (5 cm) apart on prepared baking sheets. Roll each mound into a ball; with a fork, press down to about 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) thickness.

Rolling the dough into balls rather than just scooping the dough on the baking sheet helps make uniformly round cookies. Press evenly with a fork.

. Bake in bottom and top thirds of 350°F (180°C) oven until cookies are golden brown underneath and edges are crisp, about 12 to 15 minutes. Switch and rotate the baking sheets halfway through the baking to ensure even cooking.

. Let cookies rest on the baking sheets to firm up, about 3 minutes, before transferring to racks to cool. (Make-ahead: Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week. Freeze for longer storage - up to 1 month if nobody  in the house knows about them.)

Cooling cookies on a rack helps keep them crisp.

. Makes about 24 cookies. 

Variation: Pecan Maple Oatmeal Cookies. Replace the cranberries and white chocolate with 1-1/4 cups (300 mL) chopped pecan halves and 1/4 cup (50 mL) maple chunks. 

The Oatmeal Cookies look more subtle with the chopped pecans and maple chunks, rice-sized pieces of hard maple sugar. A nice burst of natural maple flavour.

.

You won't just drop into Thomas Haas Chocolates. You have to find your way to North Vancouver, to be exact, unit 128, 998 Harbourside Drive to feast on the delights of this cafe, pastry and chocolate shop. This I did recently - along with a steady bustle of cafe customers picking up desserts and chocolate, or settling in at one of the tables for a latte and almond croissant.

The famous almond croissants are in the lower right corner. But everything in this showcase is delicious with a cappuccino or latte.

As the morning moved into lunchtime, the choice was freshly made sandwiches, quiche, pastries and espresso, some to enjoy on site, some to go. 

If you like, your sandwich can be toasted in the sandwich press.

"I like a busy place", recounted Haas,"people don't just come in to buy chocolates." That busyness created by the cafe/pastry and chocolate shop combo is something he learned from his father whose Konditori in the Black Forest Haas , the only son, was supposed to take over. As for some inner sanctum of chocolate "with brown squares", it's not his style, although anything created in the Haas production rooms behind the cafe is the equal of chocolate shops anywhere.

Busyness aside, you're enveloped in the aroma of chocolate as you enter, and excited by chocolate, its abundance, and its colour. It was the run-up to Easter when I visited Haas, and along with the Haas selection of hand  made chocolates, his own line of chocolate bars, baking chocolate and hot chocolate, the counter held a controlled riot of bunnies, eggs, ducks, race cars, nests.  Equally joyful were the colours, spring bright yellow, orange, green and even some reds.  Haas explained. "Christmas is more serious. People are buying chocolates for presents. But at Easter, you can have more fun. It's for the kids." 

There's no doubt about what season it is! These chocolate masterpieces created by Haas and his chocolatiers change with the seasons and holidays. The "Powered by Chocolate" shirt is a hint of another passion of Thomas Haas - cycling.

Behind the scenes, chocolate racing cars wait to be packaged.

To be a chocolatier, is to be an artist and love colour.

For chocolate, Haas sources premium Valrhona from France  and Felchlin, a celebrated niche manufacturer in Switzerland. Why these two? "I buy from them because  they buy mostly fair trade cocoa beans, no child labour involved. They conche (slowly churn the chocolate for smoothness and flavour enhancement) for a full 72 hours as opposed to other chocolate manufacturers whose the conching process lasts 3 hours. Quality depends on the best cocoa beans, then the length of conching time."

Bars come with playful comments such as "your recommended daily dose" and "sleek, slender, easy to hide from your friends".

For Haas, it's this quality that really counts. "I don't want to be big, I want to be good."

While the photo doesn't do justice to Thomas Haas, it captures his grin, and shows his generous spirit and playfulness. Between the production room where he is standing and the cafe on the other side is a pass-through cupboard. On its shelves Haas delights in putting chocolate treats. He swivels the shelves so the treats are accessible from the cafe. Kids love to find these little bonbons, theirs for opening the tiny doors on their side of the wall. Bet older kids do too.

Creamy Dark and White Chocolate Mousse

Several years ago Thomas Haas shared a recipe for a chocolate mousse martini for a Christmas issue of Canadian Living. It's hard to forget how delicious it was. To simplify for today, I've reduced the original three to two layers of chocolate, but haven't left out the flowing Grand Marnier sauce, a citrussy contrast in flavour and texture, Haas designed to float over the chocolate.

White Chocolate Layer:

8 oz (250 g) white chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup (50 mL) milk

2/3 cup (75 mL) whipping cream

Dark Chocolate Layer:

8 oz (250 g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup (125 mL) milk

1-1/3 cups (325 mL) whipping cream

Grand Marnier Sauce:

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup (50 mL) granulated sugar

3/4 cup (175 mL) whipping cream

White Chocolate Layer: Place chocolate in heatproof bowl over saucepan of hot, not boiling water; heat, stirring occasionally, until half melted. Remove from heat; stir until completely melted.

Heat milk until just warm to the touch; pour over chocolate. Whisk briskly until smooth. Let cool completely; chill until thickened enough for  a wooden spoon to leave a trail in the bowl that fills in slowly.

Whip cream; fold half at a time into the chocolate mixture. Divide among 8 to 10 demitasse cups. Set on rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate until set, about 40 minutes. 

Dark Chocolate Layer: Prepare following instructions for White Chocolate Layer. Spoon or pipe over White Chocolate Layer, smoothing top with back of small spoon if necessary. Refrigerate until set, about 1-1/2 hours. (Make-ahead: Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate for up to 1 day.)

Grand Marnier Sauce: In heatproof bowl whisk together egg yolks and sugar; whisk in cream. In saucepan wide enough to hold bowl with enough rim to grip the bowl, bring about 2-inches (5 cm) water to a simmer. Place bowl over the water. Heat, stirring often, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of wooden spoon, about 6 minutes. Strain into clean bowl; stir in Grand Marnier. Cover surface directly with plastic wrap and chill. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 1 day.) Spoon over chocolate.

Makes 8 to 10 servings you can even stretch to 12 if you use little pot de creme pots or smaller ramekins. The idea of the dessert is to have a delectable taste of something fine. Replace the Grand Marnier Sauce with 1 cup (250 mL) whipped cream scented with Grand Marnier if you don't have time to make the sauce. Garnish if you wish with curled strips of orange peel.*

*To make the curls, cut 3-inch (8 mL) long strips of orange rind from orange. Trim each strip into 1/8-inch (4 mm) wide strips to make a strip for each serving. Wind firmly around handle of wooden spoon. Wrap with damp towel, then plastic wrap; refrigerate for up to 1 day. Unwrap and arrange a curl over each serving.