This dish, a very specific and perhaps very limited moment in time (mid-summer only, sorry) is something that happens in my kitchen with a regularity I don’t apply to almost anything else. From the moment cherries come into season to the moment they disappear (which, in New York, is usually just a few weeks in July), I’m eating them with burrata, toast, pistachios, olive oil, and sometimes, a little vinegar or salt. Most often, I just mash them with a fork and throw them on top, not much fussier than a tomato, which is what I’m usually having with burrata and toast.

But this year, I was thinking about how much of my cooking and eating has become something to write about, something to photograph, to try to coax into a recipe to share, and sometimes that feels less like it’s for me, and more for the internet, and I hate that. So I resolved this year that there are many things I’ll continue to cook off the cuff and for myself. This one, however, I just couldn’t keep to myself because it’s so good it deserves to be shared, just in case you, too, are going to spend the next few weeks trying to capture all the deliciousness of this too-short season.

But just for you, a little less casual: instead of smashed cherries, I’ve chopped them in chunks, added a little vinegar for acidity and salt and a touch of something sweet to ensure that even if your cherries aren’t perfect, the finished dish will be.

Serve it as an appetizer, a brunch, a light lunch, or even an odd dessert. You’ll be happy to make its acquaintance, I promise.

Previously: Pan Bagnat and The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies (Reboot)

Burrata with Crushed Cherries and Pistachios

Loosely adapted from Food52

• 1 pound fresh cherries, pitted (about 2 cups once pitted)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar (or sherry or balsamic)
• 1/4 cup shelled pistachios, chopped
• 1 to 2 (8-ounce) balls of burrata (or fresh mozzarella)
• For serving: toasts or crusty bread, baguette, crackers

Pit the cherries. Cut each in half, or into rough 1/2-inch pieces. (If you’re feeling less formal, a rough mash with a fork will also do.) Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the sugar, olive oil, salt, and vinegar. Stir in most of the pistachios, reserving a tablespoon for garnish.

Slice the burrata (or mozzarella) onto a plate and arrange the cherry mixture and any juices over it. Garnish with the remaining pistachios. Serve immediately with toast or crackers.

Do ahead: Cherries can be pitted, chopped, and mixed with everything except the pistachios up to 1 day in advance and kept in the fridge.