talked about here.
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/edible/msg010026341647.html

Also, some people have commented cornus kousa taste better than cornus mas.

I've also been thinking about getting some, but when their price tag is higher than the best apple varieties its hard to justify buying them.

David,
I've only sampled the fruit from unselected seedlings, so I can't comment on the 'named'/grafted selections. Very tart and somewhat astringent until dead, mushy ripe. Even then, some folks compare it to cranberry-flavored cardboard. I've not seen anyone who's grown the named cultivars indicate that they're tastier than unnamed seedlings.
Nice ornamental, due to its very early spring(Feb-March here in southern KY) bloom. Fall color is nothing to write home about - rarely even develops any color - certainly not the crimson of C.florida or C.kousa.

Dead-ripe, IMHO, they're fantastic (cardboard and cranberries would not be remotely comparable). My problem is finding them dead-ripe, so they're basically ornamentals for me too. My experience is with a variety of large-fruited seedlings from Romania.

When I was young, we always made Cornelian cherry jams and compotes.

Even though the name has "cherry" in it, it is not similar to cherries except for its color. The seed inside is large, so berry doesn't have much flesh. Don't look at photos that nurseries advertise, the berry is really not that attractive in person. The fruit is sour and flavorless. It can be eaten only when it is dead ripe, or when in falls of the bush and lays for a couple of days.

So knowing that cornus mas is not that tasty, I still like having a few bushes in my yard, because I like to have a variety of fruits, and I can always buy regular cherries at a store.

In my country in is tradition to make cornus mas liquer - very tasty :)

Oh, that gives me ideas -- vinegar!

I tried a Cornus mas as the Lehman Orchard: one out of 2 hand-fulls was excellent - same shrub-tree.

I had a single fruit off of my C. mas 'Yellow' [TM] cv. 'Yantarnii' - it was very good, and tasted very much different from the one at the Lehman Orchard.

I'm considering getting Pioneer (cv. Lykyanovskii) - as it has a very good reputation; 'Red Star' also has a good reputation, but I think it said to an unreliable cropper.

I have room for two, but for another - it might be a waste-of-space...

The variety is known as 'Black Plum' (from John Gordon): Lee Reich told me that it's his favorite, of those he's so far tried.

Anyone else try 'Black Plum' - I can see the yellow being different in taste, but I wonder if there's a difference between the selections of red-fruited and, also, black-plum.

Thanks,
Steve

Fresh cornelian cherry is... special... some like it, some not.
But preserves are very nice. The syrup is so flavorful that we used to make a manner of cold tea with it.
And it is very healthy.

We were told that you need to be careful on how much you eat. The birds and such aren't bothered by them, but they are a "spring tonic". I think I'd stick to regular cherries, and enjoy the shrub or tree just as it is for it's ornamental qualities!