It immediately joined the menu at restaurants of haute cuisine, where it was prepared tableside with great fanfare.

Pitted black cherries were flambéed with kirsch (which is cherry eau de vie, or unaged brandy) or regular brandy, then spooned into a stemmed silver dish of vanilla ice cream.

You don’t need to have a stemmed silver dish—that kind of pomp disappeared in the 1960s. And it’s no biggie to get the cherries (frozen), ice cream and spirits to make the dish—tonight or tomorrow to celebrate George Washington’s birthday. A recipe for one head of state is certainly appropriate for another!

• Here’s an easy recipe for Cherries Jubilee.

Cherries Jubilee. Photo courtesy RobertsDairy.com.

We’re one happy buckaroo with Cowboy
Candy. Photo by Hannah Kaminsky |
THE NIBBLE.

Bob Mischler, the “M,” retired from long-haul trucking to a settled life in Seguin, Texas, a short haul (36 miles) from San Antonio. He grows cucumbers, cantaloupe, tomatoes, squash and watermelon, practicing sustainable agriculture (which uses non-chemical pesticides and other techniques that protect the environment).

The ex-Marine is a tough guy: He only put in electricity 18 months ago, and only in order to operate his commercial kitchen. And are we glad, since we love the rush of his Cowboy Candy.

• It’s a shoo-in for burgers, hot dogs, tacos and sandwiches, but it also gives a jovial jolt to just about anything.
• Add some to salads, eggs and vegetables (try beans).
• Use it as a soup garnish.
• Eat it straight from the jar.

The Westin La Cantera Resort in San Antonio has created Jalapeño Bubbly, a glass of Champagne garnished with a few pieces of Uncertain Farms Cowboy Candy. (Another creative idea: their Rio Grande Mimosa is Champagne with a round ice cube made of grapefruit juice—but you can use any theme-shaped ice cube tray—Christmas tree, heart, shamrock, etc.).

The only thing we don’t like is the name: Uncertain Farms. Uncertain if they’ll be here next year, opined one taster? Uncertain if the stuff tastes good, said another?

However, that’s exactly why Bob Mischler named the farm. “I was uncertain I would ever pay for it,” he said. “Farming is an uncertain business.”

Fear not, dear reader: Both items we tried were certainly worth sending for: UncertainFarms.com.

If you want the experience without the calories, look for a sugar-free cherry preserves. Chukar Cherries’ No Sugar Added Red Sour Cherry Preserve is so good, you can’t even tell that there’s no sugar added!

For zero calories, you can purchase a cherry-flavored tea blend; but if you can, try your hot tea Russian-style. If you have Irish coffee mugs or other glass-handled cups or mugs, use them to enjoy the visual effect.

Try a spoonful in your tea. Photo
courtesy Chukar.com.

Best of class: These salad dressings are truly pure perfection. Photo by Hannah Kaminsky |THE NIBBLE.

Except for Kathryn’s Cottage. Proprietor Nancy Little Hucks makes perfect Bleu Cheese and Thousand Island Dressings—even better than ours. We’re in love with them.

Kathryn’s mother was a blue cheese dressing fanatic (like us) and tried it everywhere she went (like us). Never finding one that was ideal, she experimented over the years to perfect her own recipe. It contains mayonnaise, cream cheese, cottage cheeese, blue cheese, buttermilk, onions, lemon juice, vinegar and spices, including a touch of dill. It might take us years to crack the recipe; in the interim, we’ll keep buying Kathryn’s.

Why are Kathryn’s Cottage dressings perfect?

The Bleu Cheese Dressing has just the right body—not thick, as so many blue cheese dressings are. It has just the right amount of cheese—not too little, as with many dressings, nor too much so to be overly cheesy. It is made with the finest ingredients and no preservatives. It tastes like the best recipe was just whipped up in your kitchen.

We don’t mean to give the Thousand Island Dressing short shrift. Made of mayonnaise, chili sauce, ketchup, relish, spices and Worcestershire sauce, it is also a perfect rendition of a popular recipe. On salads, in dips and sauces, both dressings rock!

The dressings are made fresh with the finest ingredients and no preservatives. They are shipped chilled in an insulated container and must be refrigerated. You should consume it in a couple of weeks; but you’ll have zero problem with that, we promise!

CULINARY QUESTION: Why do some people write “blue cheese” and others, “bleu cheese?”

“Bleu” is the French word for blue; the French word for cheese is “fromage.” So “bleu cheese” is an incorrectly-conceived term: half French, half English. However, the French do not refer to blue cheese as “fromage blue.” Instead, they call it persille or fromage à pâte persille.

“Persille” is the French word for parsley, so why is blue cheese called “parsley” or “parsley paste cheese?”

Because long ago, the blue veins in blue cheese reminded someone of parsley leaves! Paste refers to the interior of the cheese—what’s inside the rind.

More food trivia: The pineapple on the label of Kathryn’s Cottage dressing is a sign of hospitality. That’s because until the era of modern shipping, pineapples were so costly in Europe that to serve one to guests was the sign of a very generous host.

HERE’S MORE ABOUT BLUE CHEESE

LEARN MORE ABOUT CHEESE IN OUR DELICIOUS CHEESE GLOSSARY

Cherries complement just about any salad, from plain greens to salads with blue cheese or goat cheese to chicken and tuna salad. Combine dried cherries along with the raisins in curried chicken salad for a show-stopper.

• Speaking of which, try this recipe for curried chicken salad wraps—with dried tart cherries, of course!
• What’s for dinner? Here’s a recipe for pork chops with orange cherry sauce.

Add dried cherries to chicken salad—or any
salad. Photo courtesy Cherry Marketing Institute.