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Pickled Cherries

Source of Recipe

From "Handmade Gifts from the Kitchen" by Alison Walker


Recipe Introduction

"Make these super-useful cherries for yourself or a friend who hankers after a sweet-and-sour cocktail, as a grown-up accompaniment to roast meats, especially pork and game, or to serve with cheese."

List of Ingredients

â—¦  2 ¼ pound cherries
â—¦  2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
â—¦  1 â…” cups distilled white vinegar
â—¦  One ¾-inch piece ginger root, sliced
â—¦  6 cloves
â—¦  1 cinnamon stick, broken in half


Recipe

Prepare the cherries. Whether you pit the cherries or not is up to you; I prefer to keep them in, as the pits impart a pleasing, subtle almond flavor. I also keep the stalks intact because they look prettier on the plate. If you decide to keep the pits, pierce each cherry two or three times with a skewer.

Put all the remaining ingredients, except the cherries, in a deep pan and heat gently to dissolve the sugar. Add the cherries to the pan, cover, and poach for about 5 to 7 minutes until just tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cherries to hot sterilized jars, leaving a ½-inch gap at the top.

Cover the fruit with the poaching syrup, tucking the ginger and cinnamon pieces into the jars too, and seal. Leave in a cool, dark place for a month before giving away or eating.

Makes about 2 ½ pounds