Tom Lake: a novel by Ann Pachett and Cherry Burrata Salad

I have a new favorite book club book to recommend: Tom Lake by Ann Pachett. It's set in northern Michigan on a cherry orchard during the pandemic (when all three young adult daughters are home because of the lockdown) and has the 57-year-old mother recounting her days when she was a 20-something actress starring in the local summer theater where she dated a now famous movie star. 

The story is rich with truths about friendships, loyalty and ambition vs a quiet life. It's wonderful, albeit wholly dependent on the reader being fluent in Thornton Wilder's play Our Town. If you aren't aware of the big parallels between the characters, scenes and lessons, you may miss some of Pachett's most effective scenes (when Duke walks into Joe's Aunt's kitchen and then up into the cemetery you realize that he has seen the set of Our Town come to life).

I recommend watching this version of Our Town from Broadway with Paul Newman on YouTube. 

I brought a Cherry Burrata Salad to our book club on a State of Michigan melamine plate. I made sure that the cherry region near Leelanau peninsula was visible. The salad is simple. Place several blotted dry burrata cheese on a platter and cut them through crosswise. Scatter fresh pitted cherries, (washed and sliced in half) and cherry tomatoes (washed and halved) around the burrata. Slice fresh basil in thin strips and garnish across the top. Drizzle all over with olive oil. Drizzle with balsamic glaze. Crack fresh pepper and sprinkle with sea salt. 

Sweet Pie of Mine: Cherries from Cherry Country

Like many of my peers, I have fallen in love with Pinterest and the endless posts about jam jars. I knew I couldn't let Summer end without attempting to make little cherry pies.

Aren't they beautiful?!

I used 3 Ball quilted jam jars (4 oz) and 4 larger Pyrex glass custard cups and my go-to cherry pie recipe. I baked them on a cookie sheet - 45 min at 350 degrees. It worked like a charm.

I did not grease the cups, but simply cut circles of Pillsbury pie crust and fit them into the bottom and sides of each container. Then I spooned in a nice amount of filling into each cup and then cut and arranged the extra pie crust pieces into a lattice or hearts.

I forgot to take a photo after they were baked because we ate them warm from the oven with vanilla ice cream!

Cherry Republic: The Cherry on Top of Beautiful Northern Michigan

Have you ever been to northern Michigan? The area known as cherry country? 

I might ruffle a few feathers in my new home-away-from-home, Seattle, but the truth is Michigan and the Pacific Northwest actually share the title. Michigan produces 75% of the nation's tart cherries, while Washington and Oregon produce 60% of our country's sweet cherries. I love them both. In my neck of the woods, the brand-the myth-the legend, Cherry Republic has the final word in all things cherry.

My first visit each summer is to the flagship location in Glen Arbor for lunch under the trees; doesn't this look beautiful? Fresh dried cherry chicken salad on a bed of greens. And when you order a glass of water, it's served in a lidded plastic tumbler with a fresh cherry bobbing among the ice. It's just for fun, but I always hear people commenting about this light-hearted touch. There are 4 Cherry Republic retail locations - 3 are "up north" and one is in Ann Arbor.

Everything on the menu has cherries in it.  Cherry barbecue pork, cherry-studded hot dogs, cherry chili.  I'm not kidding! They also serve slices of cherry pie, cherry pastries and offer a soda fountain filled with cherry-kissed ice cream.  The latest flavor I tried was "cherries in the snow" (vanilla with dried cherry bits) and it was creamy and delicious.

On the property, behind the restaurant/ice cream counter, are two other specialty buildings. My favorite is the shop exclusively selling "cherry food creations" - cherry salsa, dark chocolate-covered cherries, cherry vinaigrette. You can even choose between a packet of dried cherries or a chocolate cherry chunk cookie (the "Boomchunka") and mail it to a friend in a post office friendly box - an edible postcard, of sorts. 

The latest addition is a tasting room where you can sample a variety of Cherry Republic wines, cider and soda pop.  These are unique cherry beverages which range from rich and mellow to bright and heady. Try a little of each and then decide which will remind you of your glorious vacation in northern Michigan.

Cheery Cherry Pie

Anne's Fabulous Cherry Pie

2 frozen Pillsbury pie crusts, defrosted
4 cups washed and pitted tart cherries
3/4 cup white sugar
3 Tablespoons quick tapioca
1 tsp lemon juice
1 egg, beaten
some white sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Open the box containing 2 frozen pie crusts and leave them on the counter to defrost.  Unroll one crust and center it on the pie tin. Unroll the second pie crust onto a cutting board and cut long strips - this will be your lattice.

Mix cherries, sugar, tapioca and lemon juice in a large bowl.  Allow to sit 15-20 minutes.  Stir well and pour into the pie crust covered tin.  Lay the strips of crust across the cherry mixture and arrange into a lattice or basket weave pattern.  Pinch dough strips to edge of pie shell to seal the strip.  Brush crust lattice and rim with a beaten egg.  Sprinkle entire top of pie with a little white sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature with creamy vanilla ice cream.  Enjoy!

Leelanau Peninsula is Cherry Country

I am in cherry country!  I had to pull off the road on my way back from the lavender farm to photograph these cherries hanging from the trees.  They looked too good to be true.  Aren't they beautiful?

It seems like every branch of every tree is loaded with bright red cherries.

And I mean loaded - look at the tree above! 

There is a whirl of data about the benefits of eating tart cherries and while they are great in a pie (try my recipe here), I have found a way to add them to my diet that is more daily than dessert.

My source for adding a bit of cherry year round is Michelle's Miracle.  She makes a tart cherry concentrate that I keep in my refrigerator and can add a tablespoon to my daily drink of sparkling water mixed with a few inches of cranberry juice.  It's refreshing and it makes me feel like I am doing something wonderful for my all of my cells.  It's not scientific, but I like it.

Leelanau Peninsula: Perfect Tart Cherry Pie

Michigan produces three quarters of the nations tart cherries and this year we have had a devastating crop loss due to an early freeze.  The bright red cherries in the left side of this photograph are tarts and I bought one of the containers to make a fresh cherry pie.  

I was at the farmer's market in Suttons Bay on Saturday and I spoke to the farmer himself and he jokingly said, "That's most of my crop this year."  To hear him talk of it, broke my heart, but that is the business of farming, if Mother Natures throws a curve ball, the farmers have to cope.

I was glad to support him with a purchase (I bought a carton of the dark sweet cherries too) and the tarts made the best cherry pie ever!  

Fabulous Cherry Pie

2 frozen deep dish pie crusts

4 cups washed and pitted tart cherries

3/4 cup white sugar

3 Tablespoons quick tapioca

1 tsp lemon juice

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Open the package of frozen pie crusts and cut the rim off of one of them.  Tip it out of the tin pan and onto a cutting board. Cut the circle of pie crust into long strips with a knife - this will be your lattice.

Mix cherries, sugar, tapioca and lemon juice in a large bowl.  Allow to sit 15-20 minutes.  Stir well and pour into whole frozen pie shell.  Lay the strips of crust across the pie and arrange into a lattice or basket weave pattern.  Pinch dough strips to edge of pie shell to seal the strip.  Brush crust lattice and rim with a beaten egg.  Sprinkle entire top of pie with a little white sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature with creamy vanilla ice cream.  Enjoy!

Cherry-Studded Coffeecake

One of our groomsmen (my husband's friend from college) has a layover in Detroit (he's flying in from his home/job in Kazakhstan) and we are scooping him up for a few days to visit and show him Michigan. 

Even though our guest room at home in the suburbs is ready, we've decided that he would really enjoy the "Americana" of a weekend at the cottage.

I hope he gets some sleep on the plane because, so far, we have decided that he should have a chance to:

• swim in Lake Michigan
• go for a boat ride
• eat a nice fish dinner at The Bluebird in Leland
• watch the sun set
• have a beach fire
• eat cherry pie

Our region of northern Michigan is called "Cherry Country."  We are on the 45th parallel (which is known around the globe for producing the best stone fruit) so "something cherry" is a must. 

In fact, I am making a simple coffee cake tomorrow studded with dried cherries to eat on Saturday morning.  Nothing beats going out on the deck with a hunk of coffee cake and a enamelware mug of coffee.  It's camp for grown ups! 

Simply take 2 boxes of Pillsbury Cinnamon Swirl quick bread mix and follow the instructions on the box (note the "when using 2 boxes" instructions) to bake a Bundt-size coffeecake.  When you add the cinnamon layer in the center, include a cup of dried cherries.  It is easy and delicious!

Cherry Chutney

I have to share with you my latest success in the kitchen: No Cook Cherry Chutney! It is super easy and absolutely delicious with grilled chicken. You can tweak the proportions to your taste.

Cherry Chutney

Mix one 12 oz. jar of cherry preserves with 3 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 4 Tablespoons of red onion (small dice), 2 Tablespoons of fresh rosemary leaves (chopped) and a dash of sea salt.

You're done! I brushed this over the chicken as a glaze (the last minute or two that it was on the grill) and then spooned it on the plate as a sauce - yum!

Cherry Pie A La Mode...ice cream!

As I began experimenting with ice cream flavors this Summer, I just knew that I would like Cherry ice cream.

You see, I spend every weekend that I can in "Cherry Country." How could cherry ice cream not be good?

The genius came when I decided to add-in graham cracker crumbs. Suddenly my ice cream tasted exactly like cherry pie a la mode! Yum-yum-yum.

Cherry Pie A La Mode ice cream

Mix 1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed 2% milk, 1 (5 oz) can of evaporated milk, 2 cups of whole milk, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and 2/3 of a bag of frozen pitted unsweetened tart cherries (defrosted and chopped fine). Pour into the freezer container of an electric ice cream maker and follow the ice cream maker instructions.

Once the ice cream is soft-serve consistency, scoop half of the mixture into a low flat plastic freezable container, then pour on 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs in a layer, top with the remaining ice cream and place it in the freezer. Once the ice cream has hardened, you can run an ice cream scoop through the ice cream and inside each scoop you will see a ribbon of graham cracker! Serve and enjoy.

Individual Cherry Gateau

I love homemade desserts, especially ones that look as good as this! In the height of cherry season, I wash and pit fresh cherries and then freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. After they are frozen, I transfer them to a Ziploc bag and store them in the freezer. When I want to bake, it is just a matter of defrosting! Try this preservation technique next Summer - you'll be glad you did! For now, buy some cherries in the freezer section of your grocery store.

This recipe is adapted from the tried & true Blueberry Gateau recipe that was featured in Country Living magazine as a specialty at The Blueberry Hill Inn in Vermont.

Individual Cherry Gateau

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
approx. 2 cups fresh cherries, washed and drained (or defrosted)
*enough cherries to place 3-4 cherries per muffin cup


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a Texas-size (giant) muffin pan with vegetable-oil cooking spray.

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy and light. Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue to beat until blended. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture.

Put 1/3 cup of batter into each muffin cup. Nestle 3 or 4 halved cherries into the batter in each muffin cup. Bake for 30 minutes.

Cherry Clafoutis

It seems like just yesterday that I was standing in front of a bin of cherries (in Paris' Rue Poncelet market) talking with Patricia Wells about making Cherry Clafoutis. I can hardly believe that it has already been 3 months since I was in her cooking school in Paris. I told her the story of making cherry clafoutis with my nieces and how thankful I was (upon discovering that I had forgotten my cherry pitter) that "Purists leave the pits in to perfume the dish."

Now suddenly it is cherry season in northern Michigan, and I am making my Cherry Clafoutis again. I rely on a recipe I tore from a Williams-Sonoma catalog years ago - it works like a charm every time. Are you in the mood for Clafoutis ("klah-foo-tee")?

The Leelanau Peninsula is Cherry Country

I am in Cherry Country! Northern Michigan is bursting with cherries this time of year. My favorite "sign of the season" is seeing cherries in the road! On steep curves, water and cherries splash out of the containers as they are trucked from the fields. It is harvest time.

I bought 5 kinds of cherries (tart & sweet) at the farmer's market this week and I am going to make a homemade cherry liquor. My vision is combining vodka, sugar and a variety of cherries in a glass bottle and giving it a shake once a month. It should be fantastic by Christmas. I'll keep you posted.

Cherry Country

Traverse City, Michigan is in the heart of cherry country. These Cherry Streusel muffins are so delicious you'll think you're at a country inn overlooking Grand Traverse Bay!

2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cups sugar (3/4 cup and 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 sticks butter
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sour cream
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon almond extract


1 (8 oz) 1/3 Less Fat "Neufchâtel" cream cheese
1 egg
48 tart or sweet cherries, pitted


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray. In a food processor, pulse flour, butter and 3/4 cup of the sugar until crumbly. Remove 1 cup of this flour mixture and set aside. Pour the remaining flour mixture into a mixing bowl. Add baking powder, baking soda, salt, sour cream, egg, and almond extract and mix well. Using a cookie dough scoop, drop a mound of dough into each muffin tin and spread a bit to create a muffin base. Place 4 cherries on top of dough. In the (now empty) food processor bowl, blend cream cheese, 1 egg and the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Spoon a dollop over cherries in each muffin tin. Spoon any remaining dough into each muffin tin and top generously with reserved crumble mixture. Bake for 20 minutes.