Too Many Cherries

Is it possible to have too many cherries? It is when one buys too many to be eaten before they start to soften and lose their shine. I keep doing this - being seduced by the sight of all that dark, shiny red sweetness into buying Too Many Cherries. Plus, at this time of year, they compete with the ripest, reddest, sweetest strawberries, so I buy too many of those, too. 

The other day, contemplating a bowl of cherries that was threatening to become compost in a day or two, I had to take action. I thought if I made scones, I could freeze some for another breakfast, so that seemed like a good idea. I pulled out Molly Wizenberg's charming memoir-with-recipes, "A Homemade Life," (If you haven't yet read it, do yourself a favor - it would make a great summer read!) and looked up her recipe for scones. She has made hers with all kinds of creative ingredients like strawberries and ginger, but I just wanted to add my fast-sinking cherries to mine.

The scones were delicious. The dough is toasty on top and buttery without being crazy. You don't need to butter her scones - they are internally buttered. The crumb is not as heavy as many scones, because you only knead them very briefly before baking. The cherries make little dark pockets of rich sweetness and a nice contrast to the crisp crust. 

I could go on and on, but the upshot is that none of these made it to the freezer and I'm already thinking of buying a more cherries at the farmer's market this week. I guess it's not possible to have too many cherries.