Tart Cherries

I was recently asked to write an article about tart cherries for an upcoming issue of Vegetarian Times magazine. I have to admit that didn’t know much about these flushed gems going into the project. Residing in Canada, my palate is really only exposed to sweet cherries such as Bing. Tart cherries, also called sour or pie cherries, include the Montmorency and Balaton varieties and are produced primarily in Michigan. Hard to come by fresh (impossible at this time of year), you can usually find tart cherries in their dried, frozen, canned, or juiced format.

Among the many health perks I learned that tart cherries posses is a higher concentration of antioxidant anthocyanins than their sweet brethren. It is these anthocyanins that give tart cherries their rosy hue and are thought to act as a deterrent against heart disease and certain cancers. There is also emerging research that the antioxidants in tart cherries can help reduce muscle damage associated with exercise. Each serving is also a good source of beta-carotene, vitamin C and melatonin, a compound thought to improve sleep and reduce symptoms associated with jet lag.

Thankfully, it’s becoming easier to find dried tart cherries in health and bulk food stories which can be used like other dried fruits such as raisins and cranberries in recipes. The friendly people over at Cherry Republic (www.cherryrepublic.com) were kind enough to send me over a few bags of dried cherries to play with in the kitchen. Below are a couple of the recipes that make good use of these tasty superfruits. Of course you can enjoy them out of hand for a nutritious snack or an interesting addition to trail mix.

Quinoa Cherry Porridge












Makes 2 servings

½ cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup water
½ tsp cinnamon
Pinch of coarse salt
¼ cup chopped walnuts, chopped
½ cup low-fat milk or unsweetened soy milk
1 small apple, diced
¼ cup dried tart cherries
1 tablespoon honey

Add quinoa, water, cinnamon and salt to a small pot and bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until most of the water has been absorbed. Meanwhile, toast walnuts in a dry skillet over a medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until they are fragrant and darkened, about 2 minutes. Add milk, apple, cherries and honey to quinoa and simmer uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. Top with walnuts before serving.

Chocolate Cherry Bark

Adapted from the LCBO Holiday 2009 Food & Drink














12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped or 2 cups dark chocolate chips
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
½ cup dried apricots, chopped
½ cup dried tart cherries
1 cup cashews, coarsely chopped
¼ cup candy ginger, chopped

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly grease. In a metal bowl, over a saucepan of simmering water, melt chocolate until very smooth. Stir in cinnamon, cayenne, and half the apricots, cherries, cashews and ginger. Spread onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining apricots, cherries, cashes and ginger; pressing gently to adhere. Chill in the fridge until firm, about 30 minutes. Break into pieces of desired size.