Pork chops get a quick cherry pan sauce that comes together while the meat rests. This shelf is bare, so we build the dish from staples and a couple of fresh proteins, letting the cherries shine in a bright, tart glaze that won't stick around long.

Serves 2. 20 minutes, 18 at the stove.

About 320 calories a serving, 23 g protein, 8 g carbohydrate, 22 g fat. From USDA figures for 80% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

You need 1 handful, pitted cherries, 2 tablespoons butter, to taste salt, to taste pepper, 1 tablespoon oil, 2, about 1 inch thick pork chops, 1 small shallot.

1. Pat two pork chops dry with paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering, then lay the chops in the pan without moving them until they release easily, about 4 minutes.4 min
2. Flip and cook for 3 more minutes, then transfer to a plate to rest while you make the sauce.3 min
3. In the same skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Mince 1 small shallot and add it to the pan, stirring until soft, about 2 minutes.2 min
4. Add a handful of pitted cherries and stir gently until they warm through and begin to collapse, about 1 minute. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.1 min
5. Spoon the cherry sauce over the rested pork chops and serve right away.

Note Swap pork chops for chicken breasts if you prefer. Leftovers keep in the fridge for two days; reheat gently. Serve with rice or crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

Cherry gastrique is a tart-sweet sauce that sings with duck. This is restaurant cooking on a weeknight, and half a punnet of cherries gives you exactly enough to make a glaze that feels both special and fast.

Serves 2. 35 minutes, 15 at the stove.

About 80 calories a serving, 1 g protein, 8 g carbohydrate, 6 g fat. From USDA figures for 75% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

You need half a punnet [about 100g] cherries, to taste salt, to taste pepper, 1 tablespoon butter, 2, skin on duck breast, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar.

1. Score the skin of each duck breast in a crosshatch pattern without cutting into the meat. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Place skin-side down in a cold skillet and set over medium heat.
2. Cook the duck skin-side down until it renders and browns, about 12 minutes, pouring off fat as it pools. While the duck cooks, pit the 100g of cherries and halve them.12 min
3. Flip the duck and cook skin-side up for 3 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a plate and let rest.3 min
4. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan. Add the pitted cherries and 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, scraping the browned bits from the bottom. Simmer until the cherries break down and the sauce thickens slightly, about 4 minutes.4 min
5. Stir 1 tablespoon of butter into the cherry mixture until it melts and coats the cherries. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper.
6. Slice each duck breast and spoon the cherry gastrique over it, dividing between two plates.

Note Swap the duck for a thick pork chop or salmon fillet if you prefer. The gastrique keeps, covered, for two days in the fridge; reheat gently before serving. Serve with crusty bread to soak up the sauce, or alongside rice or greens to balance the richness.

A few stray cherries become the soul of a quick pan sauce for chicken thighs, tart and lightly sweet. This is what you cook when you want them gone and dinner on the table.

Serves 2. 30 minutes, 25 at the stove.

About 410 calories a serving, 30 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, 30 g fat. From USDA figures for 80% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

You need handful cherries, 2 tablespoons oil, to taste salt, to taste pepper, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon butter, 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs.

1. Pat 4 chicken thighs dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high until shimmering, then lay the thighs skin-side down. Let them sit until the skin crisps and releases easily, about 8 minutes, then turn and cook the other side until golden, about 6 minutes more.14 min
2. Transfer the thighs to a plate. Pour off all but a thin film of fat from the pan, then add 2 minced garlic cloves and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Halve your handful of cherries and add them to the pan with 1 tablespoon butter, a pinch of salt, and a grind of pepper. Crush the cherries lightly as they warm, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom, until they collapse into a loose sauce, about 3 minutes.3 min
4. Return the thighs to the pan, turn them skin-side up, and spoon the cherry sauce over them. Cook until the thighs are cooked through at the thickest part, about 3 minutes more.3 min

Note Swap cherries for halved raspberries if you have them. Leftovers keep covered for 3 days; shred the meat and warm gently with the sauce to serve again. Spoon the pan sauce onto crusty bread or rice alongside the thighs.