Alton Brown's No. 1 Cherry Dessert Is Embarrassingly Simple

There are many reasons why we love no-bake desserts. They’re usually simpler to make than baked ones. In the hotter months, opting to make a no-bake dessert means keeping the kitchen cool and saving on energy. Probably most appealing is that no-bake desserts are often chilled, a factor we all crave in warm weather.

It comes as no surprise to us that no-bake treats, such as our mini no-bake cheesecakes, are some of our most popular recipes in the summer. No-bake peanut butter pie and no-bake chocolate eclair cake are also reader faves in the summer, and year-round.

But celebrity chef and food-world personality Alton Brown, who shares genius hacks for things like the fudgiest brownies ever and lets the world know he’s just like the rest of us with his love of Kraft Grated Parmesan, recently shared a photo of a summer dessert he enjoyed that is so simple, it’s almost embarrassing.

Only Two Ingredients—One Is a Bowl of Ice

On Instagram, Brown shared a photo of a bowl of cherries, still with pits and stems. The cherries rested on top of a pile of ice. His caption? “Best dessert I’ve had in a long time: perfectly ripe cherries on ice.” He enjoyed the oh-so-simple dessert at NYC’s Lower East Side’s Casetta, a recently opened cafe and wine bar.  

Since it’s peak cherry season in many parts of the U.S. right now, we wanted to share this simple Alton Brown-approved dessert idea with you, in case you’re looking for the best—and simplest—dessert you’ve had in a long time.

Brown doesn’t identify what kind of cherries are on ice in the photo, but they’re dark and look like they may be Bing or Tulare varieties. While a few commenters were curious about how much the simple dessert would cost in New York City (Brown didn’t reveal that info), most were in love with the simple dessert.

“Simple things, done well,” commented @semper_foodie. And @claire_or_lora said, “I love that that’s a restaurant dessert choice!”

The one thing that could have kept this dessert just as simple but perhaps made it a little better, according to some commenters, was using Rainier cherries in addition to, or instead of, the ones in the photo.

“Very nice,” said @maximusantonius, “maybe they have some rainiers running around there as well. Good contrast.”