Skillet Cherry Ginger Pie

I’m back in Boston and currently melting in my apartment. I feel a bit hypocritical posting a pie recipe, because nothing can make me turn on the oven at this moment. Nothing. However, cherry season is quickly slipping through my fingers and nothing says summer like cherry pie, so here it is. A sweet cherry pie accented with ginger and bourbon. On a skillet, which makes everything so much better. I served this over July 4th (yup, just now getting to post this, sorry!) and it made the prettiest presentation. I get restless in this humid weather. I grew up in comfortable California, with dry heat and no humidity. My only brushes with humidity was in China, so when I’m faced with this heat and blanket of moist, I’m instantly transported back to China. I can just taste the ever-present scent of tobacco, brace for the rush of traffic and horns, and listen to the steady, almost musical flow and ebb of Shanghainese. I texted my sister to wish her happy birthday, and we started chatting about updates, etc, and eventually became a festival of complaints about the weather (she’s in CT). We both agreed we were just restless. Just last weekend I brought Annie over to a friend’s place, and she has two beautiful dogs as well. We had lovely dinner (I made my mom’s pork belly), but the AC was malfunctioning so we all had a fine sheen of sweat and were hovering near madness. The dogs felt it and in the snap of a finger began to growl and snap at each other. Humidity can do this: plant a seed of restlessness that will sprout and have you snapping at the most minuscule things. It is over 90 degrees out with humidity that tells me, clearly as any weather forecaster, a storm is coming. I welcome the storm with open arms. Come chase this humidity away and I’ll be a happy camper again. 

Red Wine Roasted Cherry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

The best laid plans always seem to go awry, doesn’t it? I try to stick to a blogging schedule… but when that fumbles and I’m up to my arms in the best ice cream I’ve ever made that I just know would be perfect for this holiday weekend, I have to wipe my hands of this pre-made schedule and just hit publish. I love this holiday, not only because it celebrates America, but also how communal it is. BBQ parties, seafood boils, watching the fireworks explode across the sky, giggling as you see who actually coordinates their outfit to be red/white/blue… but of course, what interests me more is seeing the beautiful red/white/blue treats that permeate the blogging community, like this, this, this, and this. What I’m sharing now is not a specifically July 4th dessert, per say. Instead think of it as an ice cream that screams summer. That happens to include red hues. That’s just delicious, and really, isn’t that the only reason you need to make this?
This ice cream is entirely inspired by Skye. She keeps posting photos of red wine marinated plums, red wine poached pears, and red wine roasted figs and stuff. I had opened a bottle of cabernet sauvignon for our one year anniversary and had some left over, so I immediately knew what to do with the rest. I let the cherries marinade in wine for about an hour, then tossed it with some olive oil and threw it in the oven to roast. I highly recommend you make double what you need, because you’ll want to just eat these wine-roasted cherries straight out of the oven.