It's a great year for tree fruit in Calgary — cherry trees are loaded with fruit, which are perfect for pies. On the Calgary Eyeopener this week, we spoke about what to do with all those cherries, including a great sour cherry galette (recipe below).

Evans is probably the best known varietal in Alberta. The sour cherry was discovered in an old orchard near Edmonton about 50 years ago and had been growing there since the 1920s.

The University of Saskatchewan has also released the Carmine Jewel (1999) and the Romance Series (2004) — Juliet, Romeo, Valentine, Cupid and Crimson Passion — through their fruit breeding program.

All are hardy, high-yielding trees that do well in our Alberta climate.

Of course cherries make fantastic pies and jam, and can be frozen, which is ideal for use in baked goods (don't thaw them!) or to infuse gin, vodka, brandy or other spirits — moisture in the fruit expands, breaking its cell structure so that as it thaws, it releases more of its juice into your spirit of choice.

For years, my friend Allison has been preserving her Evans cherries by soaking them in vinegar, then packing them in sugar. It's a process she learned from a blog post by Edmonton food blogger Valerie Lugonja, who learned the technique from chef Connie DeSousa in Calgary.

Here's how to do it: cover any quantity of pitted sour cherries in white or apple cider vinegar and leave in a cool place for a week. After a week (or even five days), strain the cherries, reserving the vinegar to use in vinaigrettes and such.

Pour some white sugar into a shallow container, cover with a single layer of drained cherries, then cover with sugar, then more cherries, alternating so that you've essentially packed the cherries in sugar.

Cover and let sit for about a week, stirring every day or two.

Pour off the tangy cherry syrup and reserve it to drizzle over desserts, serve with cheese or use in any way you might use a sweet balsamic reduction.

Spread the drained cherries out in a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheets, and if you'd like to dry them further, let them sit on your counter for a day, in your oven on its lowest setting for a few hours or in a food dehydrator.

If you like, toss them in a 1:1 combination of cornstarch and icing sugar before storing. Store at room temperature, in the fridge or freeze.

You can use any pastry recipe to make this galette — enough for a single-crust pie — or half a package of thawed puff pastry. I like pie on the tart side, so use 1/3 cup of sugar, but feel free to increase it to half a cup and it won't be too sweet.

If your fruit is frozen, keep it frozen.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and salt.

Cut the butter into pieces, slice it in or use the coarse side of a box grater to grate it into the bowl.

Toss to combine or blend with a fork, or your fingers, until it's partially blended, with chunks of butter no bigger than a blueberry.

Add the water and stir just until the dough comes together — you may need another tablespoon or two.

Shape into a disc, cover and let rest at least 20 minutes (or wrap and refrigerate for up to a week, or freeze for longer).

When you're ready to make your galette, preheat the oven to 400 F.

On a lightly floured surface (or on a piece of parchment), roll the pastry out to about a 14-inch circle — the pastry should be about 1/8-inch thick.

Slide it onto a baking sheet (you can do this right on the parchment, if you used it).

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt, just to get rid of any lumps of cornstarch.

Add the cherries and toss to coat.

Pour the berries onto the pastry, including any sugar left in the bottom of the bowl. Spread them out, leaving about a 2-inch border around the edge.

Fold the edge over to partially enclose the cherries, pressing gently to reinforce the folds.

If you like, brush the exposed pastry with a little beaten egg, milk, cream or JustEgg, and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake for 40 minutes or until deep golden and the juices are bubbly and have thickened.

Cool the galette on the sheet or on a cooling rack. It doesn't need to cool completely — you can serve it warm.

Calgary Eyeopener's food guide

Julie Van Rosendaal talks about food trends, recipes and cooking tips on the Calgary Eyeopener every Tuesday at 8:20 a.m. MT. The best-selling cookbook author is a contributing food editor for the Globe and Mail, and writes for other publications across Canada.

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