Planning to entertain this summer? If so, you’ll need some quick and easy recipes sure to wow the crowds? You can’t go wrong by incorporating fruits of the season into your recipes, and you’d better act fast if you want to enjoy one of the most coveted delicacies of the year.

California Bing cherries are plentiful in stores right now, but they’ll only be around for a limited time. Their season lasts for two short months — May and June. The cherries are easy to select and handle because they are ripe and ready-to-eat on your store shelf. When used in recipes, the cherries can be both simple and extravagant at the same time.

As the featured item in a light fruit salad with melons and mint, cherries are elegant and nutritious too. When pairing chocolate and cherries, the duo is virtually irresistible. By adding cherries to chocolate cupcakes, they become so gooey, frosting isn’t even necessary.

Here are some tasty recipes you just have to try:

* Fresh Cherry Salad with Melon and Mint (serves 6)

Sweet, fresh cherries make this light, early summer salad equally perfect for a buffet lunch or part of a simple family meal. If possible, use a cherry pitter so cherries can be left whole.

Ingredients:

1/2 small cantaloupe, seeds and skin removed, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/4 honeydew melon, seeds and skin removed, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/4 cup minced fresh mint plus mint sprigs for garnish

2 tablespoons light honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 1/2 cups pitted fresh cherries

Juice of 2 limes

Directions: Put the cantaloupe, honeydew melon, and minced fresh mint in a bowl and turn several times. Put the honey in a bowl with the lemon juice and stir until the honey dissolves, a minute or two. Pour this over the melons and turn several times.

Add the cherries, turning them in as well.

Pour the lime juice over all, garnish with mint sprigs and serve.

* Cherry Chocolate Cupcakes (Makes 1 dozen cupcakes)

Cherries and chocolates are well-known as a deliciously decadent combination. Here, the fresh cherries baked into the chocolate soften and release their sweet flavor into the bitter sweetness of the chocolate.

Ingredients:

8 ounces butter at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 cup milk

1 1/3 cups pitted cherries, halved

Directions: Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F.

Cream together the butter and the sugar using a wooden spoon or an electric mixer 4 to 5 minutes, until fluffy and light. Slowly beat in the eggs. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa. Add this to the egg mixture along with the milk and mix just long enough to blend the ingredients, no more than 20 seconds. Fold in the halved cherries, no more than another 10 seconds.

Let rest 10 minutes, then fill greased muffin cups to the brim with the batter.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove and let cool 10 minutes before unmolding.

Yes, the California cherry season is short — but very sweet. So, eat them up while they last. A tip from California cherry growers — freeze them to make the season last even longer.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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SIDEBAR:

Facts about California Bing Cherries

* They are low in calories and contain no fat

* They are high in potassium, vitamin C, B complex and minerals

* Research has shown that cherry consumption can help the body prevent heart disease and cancer, as well as provide pain relief and improved bone health.

* When you bring your cherries home from the store, keep them in the refrigerator until ready to use. As with all produce, wash cherries under cool running tap water before eating or using in recipes. A variety of simple-to-use devices are available to pit cherries. Or, just slice open with a knife, remove the pit and enjoy!

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