By Chef Jeremy McLachlan

Just poking a little fun at all the crazy things that have been happening in Washington and Oregon. If you do not know, "stone fruit" refers to any fruit that has a pit inside — think cherries, plums, peaches and apricots. With a plethora of stone fruit being harvested in Eastern Washington and Oregon, the month of July is prime time to grab these beauties. And they are legal too. They are also good for you, as Kathy likes to say: Stone Love.

Picking the Best Stone Fruit: When picking your stone fruit at the market, smell the end where the stem used to be. This should give you a sense of sweetness and ripeness. If you do not smell anything, then the fruit was picked too early and will not be sweet.

Stone Fruit Recipes: My favorite stone fruits are Rainier cherries and Pence peaches. You'll want to try Salty's Pence Peach and Jicama Slaw featured with our "Wild Ones" Festival dish Cherry Wood-Smoked California King Salmon available July 16 to 22 only! From July 3 to 9, you should come in and try Salty's Soy Ginger-Marinated Neah Bay King Salmon with forbidden rice and preserved black plums. If you can't make it in to Salty's, try this awesome recipe for Preserved Black Plums.

My all-time favorite is my Rainier Cherry Compote Recipe. The sweetness of the compote and natural tartness of the cherries makes for a well-balanced sauce. This is great served on salmon, chicken and ice cream too.

Cherry Compote

2 cups red wine
1 each small cinnamon stick
1 each clove
1 each bay leaf
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 pound Rainier cherries, pitted and halved
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
Salt to taste

Directions

Reduce the first 4 ingredients by half.
Add vinegar and sugar and cook until it starts to bubble.
Add cherries and bring to a boil.
Thicken with a slurry (the cornstarch and cold water mixed together).
Simmer for 5 minutes. (If it thickens too much, add water.)
Salt to taste and then enjoy!

(Author of Kitchen Talk, Jeremy McLachlan is also Corporate Chef for Salty's Seafood Grill restaurant group. He says: My love is to create great dishes with fresh seafood, as we are a seafood restaurant, but not forget the meat lovers. My goal is to match exceptional food with our incredible views. Living in the Pacific Northwest, we are fortunate to have an abundance of regional treasures. The use of these fresh ingredients is key to Salty's Northwest cuisine. If you have any questions about cooking, feel free to email me at chef@saltys.com.)