Gruyere and Sweet Cherry Melt

With all the great fruit at the farmers' market right now, I just can't help but keep going with my fruit-in-sandwiches trend. Madison may be home to the largest producer-only farmers' market in the country, but unlike the markets of California or other warmer climes, we are not lucky enough to have fruit year-round. So I'm making hay while the sun in shining, and putting all these lovely berries and stone fruit into so much more than desserts.

Though Wisconsin is only blessed with fruit for part of the year, we are always a great land of cheese, so there are no shortages of pairings at my locavore disposal. As a born-and-bred Wisconsin girl, my refrigerator is never at a loss for a variety of cheeses, but as soon as I picked up a gorgeous wedge of Gruyere from Forgotten Valley Cheese, I knew that nutty savoriness was destined to be paired sweet Door County cherries. A few slices of red onion and handful of arugula from the garden provide the right counterbalance of bitterness and acidity, and although this would certainly be delicious with grilled chicken, turkey, or ham, it is more the flavorful enough in its vegetarian form.

Gruyere and Sweet Cherry Melt
serves 1

1/2 tablespoon light mayo
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 slices whole grain bread
4 or 5 sweet cherries, halved or thinly sliced (about 1 ounce)
A few thin slices of red onion
A few leaves of arugula (about 1/4 ounce)
1 ounce Gryuere, thinly sliced or shredded
Cooking spray

1. In a small bowl, combine mayo and mustard and mix thoroughly. Spread on one slice of the bread.

2. Place the arugula on the second slice of bread and top with the cherries, red onion, and cheese. Place the other slice of bread on top.

3. Preheat a pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Place the sandwich in the pan and cook, flipping once halfway through, until bread is golden and ingredients are warmed through. Cut sandwich in half and serve promptly.

Brie and Bacon Burger with Cherry Mayo

It's cherry season! The notable Door County cherries are finding their way to the farmers' market along with sweet and sour cherries from lots of other local farmers. It's hard to resist just eating them all plain, but I try to preserve some of each summer fruit as it comes so I can enjoy them long after the season has passed, most often as jam or preserves. Although I most frequently scoop them generously on toast, yogurt, and ice cream, subtle accents of fruit in savory dishes are a thing of beauty. The sweet-sour flavor of the cherry preserves are a wonderful complement to the savory, smoky bacon, creamy brie, and hearty beef piled high in this indulgent burger. Each bite is a complex collection of complementary flavors that traverses a host of textures, moving from creamy Brie to tender onions to charred burger, book-ended by toasty bread. A perfect choice for a summer cookout now, you'll still be a craving a journey back to this taste of summer in the depths of winter.

Brie and Bacon Burger with Cherry Mayo
makes 1 burger

2 ounces thick-cut bacon (1 to 2 slices, depending on size)
1/2 cup sliced white or yellow onion
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 whole grain burger bun or pretzel bun
Olive or canola oil or melted butter
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon cherry preserves
1 ounce sliced Brie
4- to 6-ounce grass-fed beef patty

1. Preheat a pan over medium heat. Add bacon and cook, turning occasionally, to desired level of crispiness. Drain bacon on paper towels, reserving grease in the pan.

2. Reduce heat to medium low, add onions, and add a pinch of salt and ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, prepare a grill over medium to medium high heat. Brush burger bun with oil or melted butter and grill until bun is golden and toasted, just a couple of minutes. While the bun is toasting, combine mayo and cherry preserves in a small bowl. After bun has cooled to room temperature, spread top half with cherry mayo.

4. When grill is ready, brush each side of burger with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning once halfway through, to just shy of desired level of doneness (I like my burgers medium rare). Place onions and bacon on burger patty and top with Brie. Cook until burger is cooked to desired level and cheese is melted. Place burger on bottom half of bun, top with other half, and serve promptly.

Granola Protein Bars

While I have a homemade or store bought granola bar, healthy cookie, every morning at work for a snack, they rarely fill me up until lunch time. The homemade ones usually do a better job, but my stomach still starts grumbling at least an hour before I get to sit down to eat. This granola bar is definitely the snack that has come the closest to keeping my tummy rumble-free until lunch. Perhaps it's the addition of vanilla protein powder, which adds subtle flavor in addition to stomach-satisfying protein, the generous size, or a combination of the two, but these the bars are exactly the fuel my stressful workday demands. Aside from the protein powder, all these elements are old hat for granola bar recipes, but that doesn't make the combination any less delicious. I close a classic combination for my first attempt, cranberry and walnut, but I already have other pairings in mind for rounds two and three - blueberry almond flax and apricot pistachio. As per usual, I froze extras, plucking one out each day to pack in my lunch, these bars just as scrumptious after thawing as fresh from the pan. They've only made it to the office so far, but I'm looking forward to the day I pack up a couple of these and hit the trail, snacking happily as I enjoy the all-too-fleeting summer in the great outdoors.

Granola Protein Bars
adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen
makes 8 large or 16 small bars

1 ¼ c. old-fashioned rolled oats

1 c. chopped nuts and seeds (almonds, pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pepitas, etc.)
½ c. honey
1 T. water
1 t. pure vanilla or almond extract
1 t. ground cinnamon
¼ t. sea salt
1 c. crisp brown rice cereal
½ c. vanilla protein powder
1 c. dried fruit (raisins, cherries, cranberries, blueberries, apricots, etc.), chopped if necessary

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spread the oats and nuts and/or seeds on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until just barely toasted, about 10 min. Remove from the oven and let cool.

2. Turn the heat down to 300 F. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the honey, water, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Add the toasted oats and nuts, the rice cereal, and protein powder and stir until everything is coated. Stir in the dried fruit.

3. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy removal. Dump the granola mixture in the center. Using a large spoon or your fingers, press the mixture down firmly (wetting the spoon or your fingers with warm water or spraying them with cooking spray will help), being sure to push it all the way to the corners. Bake until the top is slightly toasted, 23-25 min.

4. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Pull them out by the parchment edges and cut eight large bars or 16 small bars of equal size.

Cherry Whole Wheat Scones

This is, quite simply, a scone for fans of the traditional, not-terribly-sweet scone and whole grains. Since my discovery of whole wheat pastry flour I've found almost no need to use all-purpose flour. Nearly every time I've used whole wheat pastry flour where all-purpose would traditionally be used, I've found I liked the result much better, and these scones are no exception. Chewy, slightly tart dried cherries play beautifully with the nutty whole wheat flour under a dusting of crunchy cinnamon sugar in these scrumptious scones. The more I bake with whole grain flours, the greater appreciation I have for the taste of the flour itself and using it to add flavor, instead of just serving as a blank canvas, as all-purpose flour does. Whole wheat pastry flour also gives baked goods a much more tender, flaky texture so I just can't think of a reason to go back to the bland days of AP flour. I'll admit that my taste buds were trained to like whole grains from a young age, but I think nearly everyone can not only adapt, but learn to really enjoy whole grains as well, although most people probably won't ever become as fervent about them as I am.

Although I've faithfully transcribed this recipe, you'll notice that I obviously didn't cut my scones into wedges as instructed. With this soft, sticky dough I found it far easier to simply divide the dough into equal pieces and make round drop scones, but that of course, is up to you. I have no particular allegiance to either shape, and as long as there's a tender, flaky center and crisp crust on the outside, I'm happy. If cherries aren't your thing, there's no shortage of other dried fruit that would work beautifully in this recipe-currants, blueberries, cranberries or pretty much anything your heart desires. As with most scone recipes, extras will freeze nicely for breakfast-on-the-go during the week, although they will never be as delicious as they are fresh out of the oven. A freshly-baked scone, hot cup of coffee, and newspaper is my ideal way to start my Sunday, allowing myself a few moments to relax and refresh before tackling the errands of the day. Even if it isn't quite the same meditative process for you, these scones are still a tasty and nutritious way to fuel up for the day and well worth a place in your recipe collection.

Cherry Whole Wheat Scones
from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics
yields 8 scones

1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dried cherries
2 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup milk

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Oil a baking sheet or clay baking brick.

2. Combine 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the cinnamon in a cup and set aside. Sift the remaining sugar,t he flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. If any of the bran remains in your sifter be sure to add it to the flour  mixture. Add the dried cherries and stir well.

3. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Reserve 1 tablespoons of the beaten eggs for later. Beat the oil and milk into the remaining eggs. Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the egg mixture, and stir until just combined: The dough will be soft. Turn it onto a floured surface and pat in into a circle about 8 inches across and 1/2 inch thick.

4. Cut the circle into eight pie-shaped wedges. With a spatula, lift each wedge and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet or brick so that they're not touching. Push any errant cherries back into line. Brush the tops of the scones with the reserved egg and sprinkle generously with the cinnamon sugar.

5. Bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown and firm to the touch.

Cherry Pecan Chicken Salad

Until the past year or two, I rarely put fresh fruit on my salads with the exception of the occasional canned Mandarin orange on a "Chinese" chicken salad, but now I've come to adore the contrast in texture and flavor that fresh fruit can add to a green salad. Apples, cherries, berries-they're all fair game when I'm creating new salads these days. When I'm putting together a main course salad, I typically pick an ingredient from each of the following categories-protein (meat, beans, or tofu/seitan), cheese, and nuts, plus all the fruits and vegetables that fit into my theme (my side salads are typically just a collection of mass quantities of veggies).

The all-too-brief Door County cherry season is in full swing right now, and I while I've eaten mass quantities of plain sweet cherries, I thought I should would be remiss if I didn't work them into any recipes as well. The sweet cherries blend beautiful with the assertive red onion and creamy, tart goat cheese, with the pecans lending a crunchy, toasty, rich element to the salad. The grilled chicken is mostly present to make the salad more substantial and filling, but this salad could easily be made vegetarian by increasing the amount of nuts and cheese or substituting tofu for the chicken. This  late summer salad bridges the flavors of summer and fall, easing the transition from the bright, sunny glory days of summer to the crisp, cool, comforting fall season.

Cherry Pecan Chicken Salad
serves 2

8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast
8 ounces mixed salad greens
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup sweet cherries, halved and pitted
2 ounces crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
Salad dressing, for serving (I like balsamic vinaigrette or honey mustard dressing)

1. Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium heat. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Cook chicken breast until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F, remove from heat, and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice evenly into thin slices.

2. Meanwhile, wash and dry greens and chop, if necessary. Distribute greens evenly between two large plates, topping each with half of the red onion, cherries, goat cheese, and pecans. Add the sliced chicken to the top, drizzle with dressing, and enjoy!