Chocolate and Cherries under a Chandelier of Stars
If you have been reading my blog then you may have already noticed a trend, that I am a huge fan of quick and easy techniques that make “Living the Good Life,” simple and easily attainable. There are many reasons for this, but for the most part it is merely a reflection of how I live. Life is busy, it gets hectic, sometimes chaotic, and like the average person, the list of what I would like to do and what I will actually will get around to doing might as well exist in two entirely different lifetimes. Still, I don’t like the idea of life passing me by without being fully immersed in its beauty, depth, and complicity either…
For that reason, I am adding a new category to Ceres’ Secrets called “Simple Pleasures.” If you only have a moment and are searching for a way to indulge in something decadent with the most minimal amount of complication, stress, and active involvement time, then this is the place to look. The posts that reside here will offer effortless solutions for making those never ending “Every Days” seem a bit more special. It is my greatest wish that you will find something manageable among them that will help you savor the quiet unhurried moments in life that often slip by unannounced while awaiting the grand ones.
With that thought in mind, it only seems fitting that I should share one of our favorite simple pleasures first, Chocolate and Cherries under a Chandelier of Stars. The brainchild for this tradition burst into life a few years ago after a particularly sumptuous day of picking cherries at a local Pick Your Own Farm on the outskirts of Philadelphia. As my husband and I relaxed on our cozy little patio later that evening toasting the glittery stars that hung in the sky like a million and one crystal chandeliers, we contemplated several ideas for our cherries. The ultimate concept we decided on was based purely on our desire for instant gratification and a list of ingredients as well as items that we readily had on hand. Less than five minutes later, we found ourselves indulging in one of the most blissfully romantic evenings we have ever shared. It has since become a late Spring ritual and our very favorite way to celebrate the short lived season for cherries. I highly encourage you to try it and to add it to your own “Things I actually Get To Do List.”
Chocolate and Cherries under a Chandelier of Stars
You will need:
Beautiful late Spring weather and a gorgeous starry night
A picnic blanket or picnic table outside under the stars
Tea light candles, lanterns, Tiki Torches, or anything similar that will glow in the night
A bowl of freshly picked or market bought cherries that have been washed and gently dried
Cloth napkins that will not be carried away in the breeze
A bowl of your favorite melted chocolate (We have recently fallen in love, we were able to find baking chips for vegans and with the seductive silkiness of Callebaut Milk Chocolate.)
A small bowl for the pits unless you would prefer to toss them in the grass and hope for the best…
Last but not least, plenty of time to do nothing, but slowly drag cherries through melted chocolate, eating them voluptuously while gazing up at the stars in your own back yard.
Truly, I can not imagine a better way spend a late Spring Evening.
Enjoy!
*Kitchen Note: If you are unfamiliar with melting chocolate, here is an excellent “Link” that explains the process.
