Sweet cherries are delicious as a cake filling and make a luscious topping for cheesecake.

Ingredients

　　1 (10-ounce) bag frozen organic sweet cherries

　　1/2 cup water

　　1/3 cup light agave nectar

　　1 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water

　　2 teaspoons lemon juice

　　Defrost the cherries and cut each one in half, checking for pits. Place the cherries, water, and agave nectar into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and decrease the heat to a simmer. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Pour the arrowroot powder slurry into the simmering cherries. It should immediately thicken. Stir well, remove from the heat, and stir in the lemon juice. Chill thoroughly before using. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

　　Reprinted with permission from Baking with Agave Nectar: Over 100 Recipes Using Nature's Ultimate Sweetener by Ania Catalano. Copyright © 2008 by Ania Catalano; photography © 2008 by Lara Hata. Published by Celestial Arts, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.Ania Catalano is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet School of Cooking in New York and the owner of the Gourmet Whole Foods Catering and Cooking School in Milford, Connecticut.