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.

Ricardo Larrivee has the kind of boy next door look and charm that has made him a print, radio and tv star. But his work is not just personality and appearance, his recipes are rigorously tested and edited.

Ricardo Larrivee is a neat guy. Passion to burn. Talent to project his love of food and its importance in the lives of Canadians. He wants everyone to know how to cook, and he wants everyone to sit down together and eat.

No time! Too much going on! You counter. According to this father of 3 whose successful Ricardo and Friends plays on Food Network Canada, whose magazine Ricardo and cookbooks are bestsellers, everyone deserves an hour to have dinner with family. About  half of it to cook, the rest to eat and spend time with these people you love most. Sitting around the table, Ricardo recounted, there might not be a lot of talk at the beginning. You know the situation: "What happened at school today", parent asks. Child's answer: "Nothing" and so it goes, but after a few minutes, real conversation began as food gets passed around and everyone relaxes. Kids learn how to help and to enjoy food, even as they take the requisite "one bite" of something new.

Ricardo was in Toronto recently to promote his newest cookbook, Ricardo, Meals for Every Occasion (Whitecap, $35), and together we had a public conversation as part of the arts program of First Canadian Place. He talked about how eating together generates conversation not just with family. For example, the idea for the handsomely photographed book, came out the kind of glow-time around the table at the end of a dinner with friends. They found themselves discussing the sometimes awkward, sometimes challenging entertaining situations they found themselves in and needed solutions. What do you do, for example, when people arrive before dinner and stay on? Or, stay over. What do you serve people who come from Europe and think Canadians eat wild food all the time. What's on the menu when the guests are always late, or when someone important, say your boss is coming for dinner, or when it's men only and they can't be trusted to follow a recipe?

Ricardo takes a lighthearted approach to these situations and the food, but the solutions are practical with just that touch of inventiveness that gets someone turning  the pages of the book have regular "Great idea" moments, as she patches a sticky onto the page.  Here are a couple of "Great idea" stickies you too might enjoy too.

A quick and easy appetizer tray with Dukka in the bowl at the top, and the Red Bell Pepper Spread bottom left. Good bread, olives and extra virgin olive oil give guests something to nibble on while you, the host, gets cracking with dinner.

Red Bell Pepper Spread

When friends and family drop in...and stay, a few quick recipes go a long way to keeping you smiling and still happy to see them. You love them, after all. Ricardo claims this recipe is too simple to be a proper recipe and tried adding all sorts of things. Eventually he gave up and went back to the original 4 ingredients. "Sometimes, simpler really is better."

4 red bell peppers, halved and cored

1/4 cup (50 mL) olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 With the rack in the top position, preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil.

2 Place the peppers on the baking sheet, skin-side up. Brush lightly with some of the oil. Broil until the skins blacken, about 15 minutes.

3 Place the peppers in an airtight container. Let cool and slide the skins off.

4 In a food processor, puree the peppers with the remaining oil. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with mini pitas, spread on slices of baguette as hors d-oeuvres or as a dip for crudites. 

. Makes 1-1/2 cups (375 mL).

Dukka

Strange name for a seed and nut combo originally written about by Claudia Roden in her landmark book, The Book of Middle Eastern Food  back in the late '60s. The book introduced North African and Middle Eastern food to a world that knew very little of its delights. In England, it created an enormous interest  and caught on in Australia. When she and I were both in Adelaide, Australia for the first Tasting Australia conference/celebration in 1998, she was intrigued to see one of her recipes from the book, the recipe for dukka, so popular and widespread, with so many variations - and so far from its origins. Ricardo tasted dukka in New Zealand, and comments that it's a way better paired with olive oil than the usual oil and balsamic.  "Super classy" is Ricardo's description.

2/3 cup (150 mL) whole blanched almonds

2 tbsp (30 mL) sesame seeds

2 tsp (10 mL) turmeric

1 tsp (5 mL) onion salt

1 tsp (5 mL) celery salt

1 tsp (5 mL) cumin

1 tsp (5 mL) ground coriander

Cayenne pepper to taste

Olive oil

Cubed bread for dipping

1  Using a mortar and pestle or a small food processor, crush the almonds into small pieces. Add the remaining ingredients except the olive oil and bread and mix well. Transfer to a small bowl. Pour the olive oil into another bowl. Serve with bread cubes that diners dip first in the oil and then into the dukka. 

Serves 6 to 8

.

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.

Grapefruit Marmalade - Ready for Toast

Good question. Here's why I set aside two afternoons in cold weather, one to make Seville orange marmalade, the second to make grapefruit marmalade.

Both these fruits make an excellent marmalade. The sourness of the juice and bitterness of the peel stand up like troopers to the quantity of sugar required to set the preserve. No need for added pectin to grapefruit or Seville oranges - the peel and seeds are full of the necessary setting force. In my experience, it would be difficult to make marmalade with either of these fruits that did not set.

Another reason I like making preserve is the opportunity they offer for the cook to admire her handiwork. Vanity, yes I know. My pasta putttanesca may be gorgeous, but once it's in the bowls, it disappears in minutes. Baking is a bit better. A fresh rhubarb pie may last from the time it's cooled until the lucky guest takes the last slice home for breakfast. But marmalade, you have days, weeks, months, up to a year to feast your eyes on the product of your talents and foresight. On a practical and less vain note, jars of marmalade make good little presents, and unlike a lot of quirky fruit and vegetable combinations, are really opened and enjoyed by the giftees.

I would happily have made Seville orange marmalade last Saturday when a cold sleety rain fell on the bank of snowdrops in the back yard. But the season for these bitter oranges is brief, and over. Grapefruit, on the other hand, especially the pinks and ruby reds are in season. They're big, heavy with juices and they make a beautiful warm golden-coloured marmalade. Alas, not pink or red, but burnished, none the less.

Once you've spread grapefruit marmalade on your toast or croissant, you will be reluctant to go back to strawberry or apricot. (Well, maybe occasionally you can break the marmalade-only rule.)

Grapefruit Marmalade

3 large ruby red or pink grapefruit, about 3 lb/1.5 kg
4 lemons
15 cups (3.75 L) cold water
12 cups (3 L) granulated sugar

Scrub grapefruit and lemons in warm, sudsy water; rinse well. Cut out stem and blossom ends, and pare off any surface blemishes. Discard these trimmings.

Seeds and membranes in the cheesecloth pouch, the strained juice behind, and the grapefruit and lemon peel ready to slice thinly.

Halve grapefruit and lemons; squeeze out juice, reserving seeds separately. Using a spoon, scrape out and reserve all membranes from grapefruit and lemons. Loosely tie seeds and membranes in large double-thickness piece of cheesecloth. Place in large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add juices and set aside.

Cut grapefruit and lemons into the thinnest possible slices, cutting slices into lengths no more than 2-inches (5 cm) long. To speed up this laborious task, I usually stack the lemon, then grapefruit halves, slicing through 3 or 4 at a time. Add to pot with water; stir gently and cover.

Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Uncover and reduce heat so mixture simmers gently. From time to time press pouch to side of pan to extract its pectin-rich juices. Simmer until peel mashes easily with fingers, about 2 hours. Remove pouch; press to extract juices and transfer them back into the pan.

Measure hot peel mixture; it should amount to 12 cups (3 L). If more, continue simmering until reduced to that amount. If less, make up the difference with water.

Place 2 small plates in freeze to use later for testing setting point. Fill boiling water canner two-thirds full with water. Cover and heat until steaming; keep hot. Warm clean 1-cup (250 mL) canning jars in canner 10 minutes before filling with marmalade. Place new canning jar lids in bowl; cover with very hot, not boiling, water about 5 minutes before filling with marmalade. Keep screw bands handy; they don't need any special treatment.

One of the most important pieces of equipment for preserving is the set of wide tongs in the front of the photo. They grip the jars safely when you're transporting them into and out of the boiling water canner.

In a large wide heavy-bottomed saucepan ( a Dutch oven is often the best choice), stir together 6 cups (1.5 L) of the peel mixture and 6 cups (1.5 L) of the sugar, mixing them thoroughly. Place over high heat and bring to a full rolling boil, stirring almost constantly. Continue boiling, uncovered and stirring almost constantly, until marmalade sets. This usually happens at the 10 to 15 minute mark. You will notice that as marmalade approaches its setting point, the colour deepens, the boiling bubbles increase in size and pop rather than seeth. The syrup clears. The boiling mixture reduces by about a third of its volume. These all help you to judge when the marmalade is reaching the set point. For the first few times you make marmalade, I recommend that you do your first test at about the 8 minute mark.

Nearing the setting point

Remove the pan from heat; take one of the plates out of the freezer. Drop about 1 tsp (5 mL) of marmalade onto plate; let cool for 1 minute. Push finger through blob. If wrinkles appear on surface, the marmalade is set. If the blob is still syrupy, return pan to the heat and continue boiling until a successful wrinkle test has been arrived at. At each test, replace the plate in the freezer for future tests, alternating plates so the coldest one is always in action.

Using a funnel keeps the rims of the jars clean.

Using funnel and 1/2 cup (125 mL) metal measuring cup, fill jars to within 1/4 inch 5 mm) of the top. Centre lids on jars and screw on bands until resistance is met. Increase to fingertip tight. Using canning tongs, place jars in rack in boiling water canner. Let rack down into the water; add boiling water if necessary so jars are covered by at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) boiling water. Place cover on boiling water canner.

Bring to boil; boil for 10 minutes. Turn off heat under canner; uncover. Let jars stand in canner for 5 minutes. Lift rack, and with canning tongs, transfer jars to rack to cool.

After 24 hours, check that lids have snapped down. Wipe jars; label. Store in a cool dark place for up to 1 year. Any jars that did not seal properly, i.e. their lids did not snap down, should be refrigerated and eaten up within 3 weeks. But note that is you used new lids, and your jars weren't nicked or cracked, you will rarely if ever have a jar the doesn't snap and seal.

Repeat with remaining peel mixture and sugar.

Makes about 12 (1-cup/250 mL) jars with a little taster jar for the cook. After all, you wouldn't want to give away any of your marmalade without knowing how good it tastes!