There’s nothing that makes me want to drop everything and hightail it to the country like summer. It’s not quite here yet, but it’s on its way, and the evidence is showing up everywhere at the markets.

Summer is a crazy time on a farm. Everything starts to pop up and ripen all at once. At the absolute worst time for it, the kitchen swings into action with bubbling pots of boiling water filling the already sweltering kitchen with steam and the gentle thudding sound of glass jars full of preserves clunking together.

Canning isn’t just for the country. City dwellers who are dedicated to living as much in season as possible can make good use of the practice, as well. Instead of buying imported cherries shipped over on planes in December, it’s nicer to pop open a jar of preserves and remember that stroll through the market in May. To remember, while the snow falls outside, that May will come again.

That having been said, I’ve canned a lot of summer fruit in my life, but hardly any of it has ever made it to see winter.

These crazy good looking Dutch baby pancakes are one of the sexiest vessels for compotes, preserves or even fresh berries. They’re deceptively simple to make, as long as you follow a few rules (very hot oven, room temperature ingredients, lots of butter and don’t open the oven!), and they’re dazzling to watch in process. They puff up like giant eggy clouds in the oven and then slowly deflate when you take them out.

You can have your way with them after that. This weekend I got so excited to see that the cherries were out that I grabbed a giant tub and dropped it in my basket without really thinking about it. I had been at the store originally to grab a cheap bottle of brandy for another cooking project, so I just put the two together with a little sugar and made a compote.

The whipped cream, to compensate, is unsweetened. I actually prefer unsweetened cream. Unless I need to fortify it to hold its shape, I hardly ever add a sweetening agent, as I find it interrupts the flavor more than it aids it. With the sharp, sweet bite of the brandy and sugar in the compote already offsetting the cherries’ bitterness, I just didn’t feel the need.

Summer can be a miserable time in the city, especially in Korea, with the monsoon season. But that time is not here yet. We’re in the sweet spot, and I intend to enjoy it while it lasts.

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