Crafting a Very Cherry and Sustainable Experience

When Katelyn Sharpe, the farmer at Abbey Road Farm, told the team at its sister restaurant, 82 Acres, it was going to be a great cherry year with more than 300 pounds of Rainier and maraschino cherries, Executive Chef Will Preisch rose to the challenge of finding ways to use every part of the cherry in the kitchen.

For example, cherry leaves infused in dairy created a unique almond, nutty, and floral flavor that inspired both a seasonal dessert and a cocktail.

“I think there is a lot of room for ingredients and techniques to be shared between the bar and the kitchen,” said Preisch “Also, beneath the surface, a lot of ingredients have other edible, less commonly used parts.”

The Cherry Leaf Semifreddo, top photo by Heather Amistad, was rolled in pistachio crumble and served with a pistachio-white chocolate cookie. It's finished with a compote of maraschino and Rainier cherries, and a unique syrup crafted from the cherry pits, offering a vanilla-like flavor profile.

Beverage Director Greg Cantu crafted Lightning in a Bottle, a cocktail reminiscent of an Italian cream soda. It's made with the cherry leaf-infused cream, Cruzan Black Strap Rum, Crème de Cacao, Crème de Noyaux, and topped with Abbey Road Farm’s own Sparkling Rosé. The drink is finished with cherry leaf–infused whipped cream and a fresh Rainier cherry on top. 

The Portland, Oregon farm-to table restaurant features another cherry dish on its savory menu: Hiramasa crudo with cherry aguachile, pickled cherries, cherry-ginger granita.

Preisch said they didn’t necessarily know how it was going to appear on the menu when they agreed to the harvest, but the team put their creativity to good use.

“In the kitchen, we knew that we wanted to make a dessert using every portion of the cherry plant. As it’s summer, we wanted to make a frozen dessert. We initially thought about taking the cherry leaf cream and turning it into an ice cream, but as you heat the cream it loses a lot of its aromatic qualities. Instead, we made a semifreddo, which allowed us to get a nice frozen texture without heating up the cherry cream, which kept the flavor nice and focused.”

The process was not without challenges such as how to process the bounty while maintaining its peak quality.

“We processed most of our maraschinos into brandied cherries,” Preisch explained. “We froze a portion of the Rainier raw, pickled some, and made jam with the remainder. We always try to use as much of the plant as possible. Following this idea, we processed the cherry pits into a syrup, which we use to flavor both the cocktail and a cherry dessert on our menu.”

Abbey Road Farm provides 82 Acres with produce, honey, pork, eggs and wine. Every year, Preisch has a meeting with the kitchen managers from both sites to plan what seeds to grow for the next year. In addition to cherry, they also have fig, apple, and pear trees on the property.