Not only wonderful to sip, this “cocktail” is delicious poured over vanilla ice cream or pound cake. Get the recipe for Brandied Cherries

Cherries and cherry tomatoes bake down together into a savory-sweet layer under a sweet biscuit topping in this recipe from chef Amanda Cohen. Get the recipe for Cherry Tomato and Cherry Cobbler »

This smoky-sweet cherry cocktail from Meaghan Dorman of Raines Law Room is punched up with dark rum and softened with a long pour of Champagne. Get the recipe for Spyglass

The classic combination of pork and fruit gets the ultimate summer treatment in this dish from John Karangis of Union Square Events. Made tender in an aromatic braise, pork belly gets a quick char on a hot grill before resting atop buttery sweet corn and a relish of sweet and sour cherries tossed with jalepeños and a honey-lime vinaigrette.

A classic piña colada gets an extra deep flavor with the addition of smoky roasted cherries. Get the recipe for Roasted Cherry Colada »

Roasted cherries appear in three ways in this twist in an Old Fashioned—in cherry infused-vodka, muddled at the bottom, and thrown on top as a garnish. Get the recipe for Cherry Old Fashioned »

An eggy, crêpe-like batter dotted with sweet cherries and baked, clafoutis is an easy breakfast that reads fancy and takes only minutes to whip together. Get the recipe for Cherry Clafoutis

Serve this creamy, sweet baked ricotta dish as an appetizer, as part of a cheese course, or for dessert paired with shortbread cookies. Get the recipe for Baked Ricotta with Orange Blossom-Cherry Sauce

This sweet-tart cherry, cilantro, and walnut salad is delicious on its own or as a relish for grilled meats or fish.

Sweet and tangy, this Hungarian cake pairs perfectly with coffee. Frozen and thawed cherries can be used whenever fresh sour cherries are not in season.

Cherry Shandy

This German method of preserving fruit in rum is more a ratio than a recipe: two parts fruit to one part sugar, covered with rum by at least an inch, with fruit continually added as it comes into season. Use the best fruit you can get your hands on (at season’s peak) and allow for resting time (at least 2 months of aging at room temperature, though longer is better). Do it right and your crock never empties out; as the seasons progress, so do your additions of fruit, this year’s nectarines mingling with the whispers of decade-old grapes. Get the recipe for Rumtopf »

Savory-sweet ketchup is a great way to use soft, less-than-perfect cherries—it makes a great stand-in for barbecue sauce in just about any application. If their season has already passed, frozen cherries work just as well.