So…if you are making dessert for Valentine’s Day (or whenever) and you need a fruity topping (because it’s cheesecake), this one is IT. You could also slather this all over an angel or a sponge cake or shortcake biscuits or….

I have frozen cherries left from last year, when I was delighted to make the acquaintance of a gardener and busy mom who has a veritable food forest in her yard and little time to do much with the bounty. Sour cherries quick freeze very well – just wash and pit them, pop them on a baking sheet and freeze them for a few hours, then bag them up and put them back in the freezer. They’ll keep in storage about 8 to 12 months. If you have come across this recipe when it is actually sour cherry season, then go ahead and use fresh cherries in it.

Sour Cherry Sauce

1 cup sour cherries, fresh or frozen, washed, pitted

1/4 cup water

3 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp ground cardamom (optional)

1 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbsp cold water

Combine the sour cherries, water, sugar, lemon juice, and cardamom in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to medium. Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl or cup, whisk together the cornstarch with 1 Tbsp cold water until there are no lumps. Pour the cornstarch and water into the hot sour cherry mixture and stir vigorously. The fruit mixture will thicken very quickly. Remove the sauce from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature (at least!) before eating it out of the pan serving.

Shameless plug alert: If you want more sour cherry recipes, I have them! Check out my cookbook The Little Prairie Book of Berries (yeah, I know sour cherries aren’t berries but I’ve explained the choice in the book’s introduction). The book is available at your favourite bookstore and online pretty much everywhere.