A Cherry Jubilee

Cherries have been having their moment these last few weeks at Los Angeles farmers’ markets. They’re in everybody’s market bags and on menus all over town, and not just on dessert lists. At the Westside Tavern in Los Angeles I recently ordered an appetizer billed as “Cherries and Goat Cheese” in bold print with “almond pesto, arugula, white balsamic vinaigrette” in finer print. What arrived was an attractive salad — a white rectangular platter lined with baby arugula tossed with a light vinaigrette and topped with halved cherries, small dabs of goat cheese and a nutty pesto. I’m not one for adding fruits like blueberries and cranberries to salads, but I found that I liked this combination a lot. Even sweet cherries have a tart edge to them, and the combination of their sweet/tart flavor and juicy but firm texture with the pungent arugula, creamy goat cheese and crunchy nuts worked well. The salad inspired me to work with cherries in other savory recipes.

Fresh cherries, particularly the ubiquitous Bing variety as well as Hartlands and Early Black, which are sold at many farmers’ markets, are very high in anthocyanins, those inflammation-reducing nutrients that are present in many red, purple and blue fruits and vegetables. It’s always a good idea to let cherries dominate our fruit purchases at this time of year, because this is the only time of year when we can get locally grown cherries. And this phytonutrient-rich fruit begins to lose its antioxidant potential soon after it is picked, reports Jo Robinson in the recently published “Eating on the Wild Side.” The freshest ones will be at your local farmers’ market, and you should seek out those that are organically grown, as American cherries are subject to high doses of several different kinds of pesticides.

Arugula, Cherry and Goat Cheese Salad

This was inspired by a dish billed as “Cherries and Goat Cheese” on the menu at Westside Tavern in Los Angeles. I don’t know why they didn’t bill the arugula in bold too, as the dish turned out to be a very pleasant salad.

1 6-ounce bag baby arugula

16 cherries, halved and pitted

Scant 1/4 cup pistachios or almonds, (about 1 ounce), lightly toasted and chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar