Cherries

Total time: 40 minutes, plus at least 4 hours' chilling time Servings: 6 to 8 Note: This slightly sweet soup is an adaptation of a classic Hungarian dish. It makes an elegant first course for an early-summer dinner. 8 whole cloves 12 whole allspice 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick 12 whole black peppercorns 1 (750-ml) bottle rose wine 1/3 cup sugar 2 pounds cherries, stemmed and pitted 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 3/4 cup creme fraiche or yogurt, plus 1/2 cup more for serving 1. Cut a piece of cheesecloth about 5 inches square.

Clafoutis. It's a rustic French dessert of fruit topped with a batter and baked. This week, S. Irene Virbila shares a beautiful story of a classic cherry clafoutis she remembers from long ago. The method is simple: "Rinse off the cherries, remove their stems, lay them in a single layer in the bottom of a casserole, its glaze crackled with use and age. Whisk together two or three eggs, some flour and sugar, a little milk and cream and pour...

At Wattles Farm, the community garden in Hollywood, Gina Thomas pointed out a cluster of tiny, husk-enclosed ground cherries hidden among the foliage. Some were no bigger than marbles. "It comes from South America," she said, adding that one Wattles gardener from Poland makes pies out of the cherries. "They look like tomatillos but are sweet and tart at the same time -- the crunchiness of a tomato with the sweetness of a cherry. The very yellow ones are the sweetest. " But be warned: The leaves and unripened fruit are toxic.

Périgord, France, many years ago: I sit at the oilcloth-covered table, watching the bee climb in and out of the jam jar as I listen to its buzz. The sun is a shock of gold outside the window. The cicadas keep time, rubbing their wiry legs together, spinning out the afternoon. It is hot at the table, claustrophic inside the cottage. I look longingly at the shade spread out beneath the cherry tree. The bee isn't in any hurry. He somehow knows he has all the time in the world, that the 78-year-old woman who lives in the cottage can't see him. She is blind.

Growing cherries is always a roll of the dice for farmers, because if rain falls when the fruits are ripe on the tree, a large portion of them can split and be ruined. You'd think that by late May the main danger would have passed, but J.P. Barbagelata, who is hoping to bring Bings to the Santa Monica market next Wednesday, had the agonizing experience of driving off last Tuesday just as the rain was starting to fall on his farm in Linden, near Stockton. As he drove he heard that a quarter-inch had fallen, and that more was expected.

"Cherries!?" Almost everyone who passed the Murray Family Farms stand at the Santa Monica farmers market on Wednesday blurted out this word in varied tones of delight, surprise, and skepticism. Delight at the sight of the first stone fruit of the season; surprise, because cherries usually have not shown up at the market until a bit later, in early May; and skepticism that such early fruit could taste good. And it's true, all too often the first cherries of the season have been a disappointing tease — tart, soft, or tasteless.

One of the great joys of summer is the appearance of fresh cherries in local markets. While their growing season is relatively short, the quantity of cherries available in season (usually May to August) is usually great. Cherries are grown in 20 or more countries, but the United States is still one of the largest producers. Most tart cherries are of the Montmorency variety, and because they are often too tart to eat as is, they are canned, frozen, dried or used in pie fillings, sauces or juices.

  Tu Bishvat challah kugel with dried cherries and almonds Total time: 2 hours Our recipes, your kitchen: If you try any of the L.A. Times Test Kitchen recipes from this week's Food section, please share it with us: Click here to upload pictures of the finished dish. Servings: 6 Note: If you like, serve each portion of the kugel with a spoonful of sour cream and a few dried cherries. Instead of using almond milk, you can prepare this kugel with milk or soy milk.

You can still smoke in parts of the Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, a place where time travels in reverse, sin is celebrated and inhibition does not exist. You can light one cigarette after another while you gamble away your Social Security check and miss payments on the oxygen tank, and it's nobody's business but your own. I found myself suppressing a cough as I strolled the Marlboro-scented casino floor looking for somebody to talk to. The economy is still on the mat, California gaming revenue dropped in 2008 for the first time in more than a decade, and yet the cars still roll into the lots at Morongo, Pechanga and Agua Caliente, among other gambling halls.

Robert DeFeo, the official cherry blossom watcher at the National Park Service, predicts the blossoms will peak this year between March 21 and March 28. Unfortunately, this is the week before the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival, which includes a parade, concerts, Japanese theater performances and other activities from March 29 to April 12.

  1 hour, 15 minutes, plus cooling time. Serves 6 to 8 4 cups fresh dark cherries (about 1 pound), stemmed but unpitted 3 eggs 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup flour 2/3 cup milk or cream or a mixture of the two Vanilla bean, scraped Pinch of sea salt Powdered sugar for dusting 1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the cherries in a single layer in the bottom of a 9- to 10-inch baking dish or cast-iron skillet. 2. In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a fork or whisk, add the sugar, flour, milk or cream, vanilla seeds and salt.

Total time: 40 minutes, plus at least 4 hours' chilling time Servings: 6 to 8 Note: This slightly sweet soup is an adaptation of a classic Hungarian dish. It makes an elegant first course for an early-summer dinner. 8 whole cloves 12 whole allspice 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick 12 whole black peppercorns 1 (750-ml) bottle rose wine 1/3 cup sugar 2 pounds cherries, stemmed and pitted 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 3/4 cup creme fraiche or yogurt, plus 1/2 cup more for serving 1. Cut a piece of cheesecloth about 5 inches square.

Cherry blossom season sprang to life earlier than usual this year in Tokyo and is now in full swing, according to Japan's weather agency. An official rite of spring, the blooming of cherry trees is a beloved natural spectacle in Japan, involving nationwide parties and celebrations to take in the flowers' short-lived beauty. The first blossoms were spotted this year on March 16, the earliest date on record. Among the festivities are special events at the Peninsula Tokyo , which got into the act early by importing cherry blossoms and setting 14 florists to work to create seven huge arrangements.

Minced crystallized ginger and dried sour cherries add a little perk and bright color to biscotti, fragrant with spice and rich molasses notes. Eat them yourself, or wrap them up, making for a festive holiday gift. RECIPES: 25 homemade holiday gift ideas! Wrapped homemade biscotti is just one way to get crafty this holiday season with homemade gifts from the kitchen. We've compiled 25 great ideas, ranging from quick and simple gifts (perfect if you're working with kids)

I used dark cherry preserves and chopped green pistachios as the filling to offer a "red/green" look for Christmas colors and have a marriage of the holidays. - Samantha Ferraro (www.littleferrarokitchen.com), Seal Beach PHOTOS: Holiday Cookie Bake-off winning cookies and bakers Cherry pistachio rugelach Total time: 1 hour, plus chilling time for the dough Servings: Makes 32 cookies Note: Adapted from Samantha Ferraro. Dough 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 1/2 pound (2 sticks)

Federal regulators accused a Santa Monica hedge fund manager of defrauding investors by saddling them with losing securities trades while claiming winners for himself. The Securities and Exchange Commission alleged that Peter J. Eichler Jr., chief executive of Aletheia Research and Management Inc., made about $2 million by allocating a disproportionately large share of money-making trades to his personal brokerage accounts. He steered another $2 million in improper profits to favored employees and clients, the SEC alleged.

Most of the cherry trees circling the Tidal Basin should be bursting with pink and white blossoms in time for the National Cherry Blossom Festival, according to the National Park Service. About 70% of the trees should be in full flower April 4 through 9, though a sudden warming trend might speed up the process, said Rob DeFeo, the park service's chief horticulturist.

Cherry lovers, beware. One of summer's sweet rewards will all but disappear from the market soon. The storm that drenched the state on Memorial Day also devastated California's cherry crop at the height of harvest. Only about 15% of the cherry crop had been picked by the weekend, and the remaining tree-ripened cherries swelled and cracked after absorbing water from the more than 2 inches of rain that fell, cherry grower Ralph Lucchetti said.

Leah Koch of Los Angeles was one of the 10 winners of our first Los Angeles Times Holiday Cookie Bake-Off with these sour cherry rugelach: "In 2005, my mother died of ovarian cancer the day after Christmas," she wrote. "We stumbled around in a fog for a few months, but before we knew it, it was the holidays again. This time, it was my father and me trying to fill the shoes my mother had left. While we bake these sour cherry rugelach, I am reminded of how much I miss my mom, but I'm also reminded of my dad's incredible courage and devotion to his kids.

  Total time: 25 minutes Servings: Makes a generous 1½ quarts Note: Adapted from Quinn and Karen Hatfield. Dried pears can be found in most well-stocked and gourmet markets, as well as online. Pickled mustard seeds are available at select gourmet markets and online. 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) butter 1 1/2 cups finely diced onion (from about 1 large onion) 4 cups (about 20 ounces) dried tart cherries, chopped 2 1/2 cups water 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 1 cup (about 4 ounces)