These salty-sweet sandwiches are nicely sized for sharing, but you may wind up splurging and eating a whole one. A pie pan topped with cans of food makes a great improvised panini press.
Chef Renee Erickson, owner of several Seattle restaurants and of Boat Street Pickle company, gave us the recipe for this bright, sweet-sour pickle. She uses fresh sour cherries (with the stems is especially pretty), but sweet Bings work well too--and so do frozen cherries of either type. You could use the brine for rhubarb, green (unripe) strawberries, apricots, or gooseberries. Eat with cheese, charcuterie, or grilled duck or turkey.
This dessert gets its exotic touch from star anise, a licorice-y seasoning that's used in Vietnamese cooking. Find it in your supermarket's spice aisle.
Try this gently spicy relish alongside roasted or grilled meats, or with a cheese plate.
The filling in these pies is on the tart side, so they're especially good with vanilla ice cream. Semolina flour in the dough is optional but adds complexity and crunch.