Hand-Picked NW Cherries & NW Chefs Partner In Video Series

YAKIMA, Wash. – Elite chefs from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Montana have partnered with Northwest Cherry Growers to spend a day in the kitchen creating a series of videos that showcase their favorite recipes using the summer bounty, including Northwest-grown sweet cherries. Northwest-grown sweet cherries are a labor of love as each cherry is meticulously handpicked to ensure the delicate fruit is plump, juicy and in prime condition when it arrives on grocery store shelves.

Aptly named “Handpicked Chef Series,” at-home viewers can see how to make brioche Panzanella with cherries, mint, basil and feta; apple and cherry glazed pork tenderloin; smoked wild Alaska Sockeye salmon with morels, peas, cherry pickle and dandelion; seared elk with cherry reduction; and pan seared duck breast with a cherry gastrique. On top of the dishes, viewers can learn about each chef’s favorite memory associated with cherries and more about their restaurants from the ski towns of Salt Lake City, McCall, Idaho and Whitefish, Montana to the urban metropolises of Seattle and Portland. Following each video, a recipe is provided so at-home cooks can whip up the same dishes in in their own kitchens. To view the “Handpicked Chef Series” videos and featured recipes, visit http://bit.ly/1CHsnJL.

Northwest cherries are grown in an ideal microclimate and rich volcanic soil, which produces exceptionally large fruit and a sweet flavor profile, making them an ideal fruit to create sweet and savory dishes. Sweet cherries are delicious eaten fresh but also freeze easily with a shelf life up to one year, allowing at-home chefs to experience the sweet taste of summer year round. Notorious as a superfood, cherries’ deep red color is due to the increasingly studied group of compounds known as anthocyanins, which studies suggest may help reduce inflammation and lower both triglycerides and cholesterol. Whether baking a classic dessert such as a clafouti, brightening up a salad or whipping up pork tenderloin with cherry chutney, summer’s sweetest fruit pair well with any dish.

About Northwest Cherries and Washington State Fruit Commission

Washington State Fruit Commission is a growers’ organization funded by fruit assessments to increase awareness and consumption of regional stone fruits. The organization is dedicated to the promotion, education, market development, and research of soft fruits from Northwest orchards. It began in 1947 and has since grown to include five states – Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Montana. For more information, visit www.nwcherries.com or www.wastatefruit.com.

Source: Northwest Cherries and Washington State Fruit Commission