C.J. Olson Cherries in Sunnyvale, CA
In addition to my recent gastronomic adventures in New York, I also have to let you know that I ordered two 10" cherry pies from C.J. Olson Cherries for Thanksgiving, and boy, were they good. Written up a year ago in the New York Times (Marion Burrows, "Stand Aside, Rudolph: The Mouse Will Lead," November 24, 2004), I'd discovered this fruit stand on my own a long time before.
C.J. Olson is one of those old-timey fruit stands (since 1899!) with pastries, fresh and dried fruits, and fruit confections. These types of full-service fruit stands are more prevalent on the East coast than on the West, when I talked to one of the owners, he was delighted that I wanted the pies for Thanksgiving in New England.
Since they only ship the 6" pies, and since shipping costs are "astronomical" - their word, not mine - I decided to pick up the pies myself and to drag them on the airplane (I found out later they weren't available for shipping anyway until this week). When I arrived to pick up the pies, the person manning the counter went into a refrigerated room, and came back with a huge, well-insulated package. I realized I couldn't possibly fit the pies into the airplane overhead bin, so I unpackaged and repackaged everything tidily into a smaller bag. I used a lot less insulation, but the pies made it to the East coast unscathed.
The pies were pricey (about $22/each), but were well worth it. In that 2004 article, Marion Burrows said, "Find summer in December with an old-fashioned flaky double-crust pie stuffed with cherries." That's just the basic description. Made with whole, fresh, bing cherries, these pies are a marvel. They're meaty and rich, and have a flaky pastry crust. They don't have any of that cloying cherry goop inside most commercial pies. Honestly, they're more savory than sweet.
If you're in the area, stop by and get one of those pies. They also generally have a ton of free samples lying around, like chocolate-covered fruits, nuts, dried fruits, etc. Good stuff.
C.J. Olson is one of those old-timey fruit stands (since 1899!) with pastries, fresh and dried fruits, and fruit confections. These types of full-service fruit stands are more prevalent on the East coast than on the West, when I talked to one of the owners, he was delighted that I wanted the pies for Thanksgiving in New England.
Since they only ship the 6" pies, and since shipping costs are "astronomical" - their word, not mine - I decided to pick up the pies myself and to drag them on the airplane (I found out later they weren't available for shipping anyway until this week). When I arrived to pick up the pies, the person manning the counter went into a refrigerated room, and came back with a huge, well-insulated package. I realized I couldn't possibly fit the pies into the airplane overhead bin, so I unpackaged and repackaged everything tidily into a smaller bag. I used a lot less insulation, but the pies made it to the East coast unscathed.
The pies were pricey (about $22/each), but were well worth it. In that 2004 article, Marion Burrows said, "Find summer in December with an old-fashioned flaky double-crust pie stuffed with cherries." That's just the basic description. Made with whole, fresh, bing cherries, these pies are a marvel. They're meaty and rich, and have a flaky pastry crust. They don't have any of that cloying cherry goop inside most commercial pies. Honestly, they're more savory than sweet.
If you're in the area, stop by and get one of those pies. They also generally have a ton of free samples lying around, like chocolate-covered fruits, nuts, dried fruits, etc. Good stuff.
posted by epicure | 1:22 PM
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