If you’re a loyal local shopper and you spot sour cherries at the farmers’ market, grab as many as you can. Sour cherry season is so short, you need to make the most of it while it’s in full swing. Spend an afternoon pitting them and making the most beautiful magenta cherry sauce, which you can use for pies, dessert sauces, or my favorite, a breakfast parfait. Pitting sour cherries, also known as pie cherries, is messy work, so grab your kids, pull a stool up to the counter, and make it a family affair. All that effort and time spent in the kitchen will pay off in the perfect grab-and-go breakfast to savor all week long.
Sour Cherry Breakfast Parfait
Ingredients
Variations
Build a banana-maple parfait.
Layer 1 sliced banana over the yogurt, sprinkle with 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts, and drizzle with 2 tablespoons maple syrup.
Build an almost-apple pie parfait.
Spoon ⅓ cup applesauce over the yogurt, sprinkle with 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts, and drizzle with 2 tablespoons maple syrup.
Excerpted from Scratch: Home Cooking For Everyone Made Simple, Fun, and Totally Delicious. Copyright © 2016 by Maria Rodale. The book is available October 11, 2016. Pre-order now.
How to Make It
Make the sour cherry sauce. In a saucepan, combine the cherries and sugar and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the mixture has thickened. If the pan seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water. Use immediately or freeze in small portions for future parfaits.
Make the parfait. Spoon the yogurt into the bottom of a small bowl or jar. Top with ⅓ cup cherry sauce. Sprinkle with almonds to serve.