A sure sign that summer has arrived in Seattle is the appearance of cherry stands on the side of the road. These stands are nothing fancy, usually just a bored looking teenager with a box of cash and a pickup truck full of cherries. The cherries come from Wenatchee, a little town just over the Cascade Mountains that is surrounded by miles and miles of orchards.

I have a major addiction to Rainier cherries, and let me tell you, it’s expensive to get my yearly fix. Rainiers cost upwards of six dollars a pound, and I usually only treat myself to a bag (or three) each season. But this year I got lucky. Our neighbor dropped by and gave us a huge bag of Rainier cherries his mom picked over in Wenatchee. It must weigh six pounds. I nearly fainted when he handed it over.

I’ve been stuffing my face with Rainiers for the past two days, but one girl can only eat so many cherries, so I decided to dip a bunch of them in chocolate and take them to a 4^th of July party. Chocolate covered cherries are a treat any time, but chocolate covered Rainiers are completely decadent and, I think, an absolutely perfect way to celebrate summer.

Chocolate Covered Cherries

Be sure to use a dark, semi-sweet chocolate in this recipe.  Milk chocolate overwhelms the cherry flavor (and dark chocolate looks prettier). If the melted chocolate starts to harden up before you’re done dipping, pop it into the microwave for a few seconds and then give it a good stir. The cherries are fantastic all by themselves, but for a special treat, serve them with chilled Prosecco.

What you’ll need:

8 ounces of semi-sweet dark chocolate

½ pound of fresh, sweet cherries

Instructions:

1. Wash and thoroughly dry the cherries. Line a plate that will fit into your refrigerator with parchment or wax paper.

2. Fill the bottom of a double boiler with two inches of water. Bring the water to a boil. In the meantime, break the chocolate into small chunks and place it into the double boiler’s top pan. Place the top pan over the water when it reaches a rolling boil.

3. Whisk the chocolate constantly until it is completely melted and smooth. Then, remove the double boiler from the heat and scrape the chocolate into a small bowl.*

4. Grab each cherry by its stem and dip it into the chocolate. Swirl the cherry in a clockwise motion, coating the bottom ¾ of the fruit. Place the cherry on the parchment paper covered plate. Repeat with the remaining cherries. Then, stick the plate into the refrigerator until the chocolate hardens. If you’re not eating them right away, put the cherries in a covered container and keep them in the refrigerator for a few days.

* If you don’t have a double boiler, you can melt the chocolate in the microwave. Just place the chocolate pieces into a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 to 60 seconds on medium power (it might take more time depending on your microwave). Stop and whisk the chocolate every 15 seconds until it is completely melted.