21. Cherry Sorbet! I just de-stem the cherries, pits intact, and boil them in apple juice (and sometimes cherry liqueur) until the liquid is thick and dark and the cherries are soft and falling apart. Then I chill them, and when cool, and take out the pits and puree the pulp, then freeze in ice cream maker.

Posted at 10:59PM on Jul 23rd 2007 by Christina

22. New from OXO! A cherry pitter with a splash shield!
http://preview.tinyurl.com/2xlm58

Posted at 11:09PM on Jul 23rd 2007 by Barbara

23. a bazillion manhattans? no way!

Posted at 12:54AM on Jul 24th 2007 by stephen

24. my paternal grandmother in austria made just an amazing apple strudel (the real deal; not that bizarre dry abomination most people pass off as strudel here in the US) -- but the only thing that just plain surpased her apple strudle was aher cherries and (sour)cream strudel.

i still consider it one of the most delightful pastries i've ever tasted.

(personally, i love cherries -- and they even help with my gout. bonus!)

Posted at 3:05AM on Jul 24th 2007 by Kurt

25. Cherry pitters = olive pitters, alleluia!

1 c. pitted cherries
2 c. chocolate ice cream
1/2 c. milk, just enough to blend up the ice cream, really
Plua as much chocolate syrup as your little heart desires

Put it all in a blender and drink.

If you're not all that much on chocolate, I suppose you could swap the ice cream out for mango or peach sorbet and brandy for the chocolate syrup :)

Posted at 8:48AM on Jul 24th 2007 by dust

26. Pancakes! Waffles! Crepes! Muffins! Ice cream topping!

I love cherry breakfast items/baked goods...the cherry crisp one person mentioned before sounds good, too. Brownies with cherry sauce and vanilla ice cream...one of the best desserts ever!

Don't forget pork tenderloin with cherry sauce and wild rice.

Posted at 9:55AM on Jul 24th 2007 by Fash

27. Cherry ice cream.
Chocolate-covered cherries.
Cherry preserves.
Candied cherries.
And my favorite idea: CHERRY VODKA. If someone can make bacon vodka (http://chewonthatblog.com/?p=126) you can certainly make cherry vodka!

Posted at 10:41AM on Jul 24th 2007 by jsmylie

28. I use a large bobby pin to pop the pits out. much easier than a knife and cheaper than a pitter.

Posted at 12:03PM on Jul 24th 2007 by cindy parker

29. I highly recommend the Oxo pitter with the shield. I've found two great dessert recipes that are so delicious and wow guests:

Lattice-Topped Triple-Cherry Pie from Bon Appetit
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/238820

Fresh Cherry Tart
http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=89d02f656ea92110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&rsc=also_try_p3

Posted at 2:43PM on Jul 24th 2007 by merseydotes

30. Crepes are an easy desert that will make you look like you¡¯re a professional chef and you can fill them with cherry flamb¨¦. Crepes are very thin cooked pancakes they are very easy to make and you can find delicious recipes are all over the internet. Then you flamb¨¦ your cherries which will impress any guest wrap the cherries in the crepe top with whip cream or ice cream and you have an amazing desert which sounds and looks difficult to make but is as simple as well pancakes.

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/

Posted at 4:00PM on Jul 24th 2007 by Bella

31. Cherry Mojitos - Muddle a few cherries up with some black cherry flavored rum and add the rest of the mojito makings as usual - very tasty.

Posted at 4:35PM on Jul 24th 2007 by Cheryl

32. Smoke 'em if you've got 'em:

http://www.aolfoodblog.com/2007/05/30/smokin-cherry/

Posted at 5:10PM on Jul 24th 2007 by Kat

33. Try making a quesadilla with some salty cheese and fresh (or preserved) cherries. This works best if the cherries are more on the tart side.

Posted at 7:27PM on Jul 24th 2007 by Carolyn

34. You can never go wrong with Cherry Clafouti, here's a link to the recipe:
http://noshtalgia.blogspot.com/2007/06/cheery-about-cherries.html

Posted at 3:59PM on Jul 25th 2007 by Julie

35. You could also make your own maraschino cherries from scratch!

Posted at 8:19PM on Jul 26th 2007 by C(h)ristine

36. Great ideas, esp the pitter. Me, I use extra food for casual deco in place of flowers (that I can't grow or afford.) Extra cherries in a small bowl make an obvious metaphor. Or fresh, green leafy celery tops in a small pitcher or juice glass for a kitchen table or window sill. Has anyone ever dried cherries? They are hugely expensive in the package and come in handy for lots of recipes.

Posted at 10:00AM on Jul 31st 2007 by AnnC

37. you can make a mean steak marinade with them and you wont even have to stone them! nick the skins with a fruit knife then throw them into a large ziplock freezer bag, add 1/2 cup balsalmic vineager, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons garlic powder, 1/2 tablespoon white pepper if your using fancy steak (ribeye, filet the flavor wont overpower the mild natural flavors of the meat while adding the heat) or 1 tablespoon of black pepper for tougher more robust cuts of meat. 2 tablespoons of kosher salt and some onion powder. seal the bag and mix it by squishing it around with your hands until all ingredients are combined, then add 1/2 cup dark red wine and 1/2 cup breadcrumbs. Resquish. Then put your meat (cut no more than 1" thick) into it and press all the air out of the bag, reseal and resquish. Leave to marinate in your fridge for at least 2 hours for tender cuts and overnight for tougher ones. Heat your grill to RIPPING hot (i like to push mine as hot as it will go) and grill for three minutes on each side to sear, then turn the heat down to medium and grill for 3 minutes on each side again and voila! Perfect Steak Forever (this recipe comes from my cookbook, its dewicious)

Posted at 6:27PM on Sep 6th 2007 by gregoravich coledubski