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Cherries in Red Wine Syrup

Source of Recipe

From "Not Your Mama's Canning Book" by Rebecca Lindamood


Recipe Introduction

"Consider this an indispensable luxury item for your kitchen. Very much a grown-up version of maraschino cherries, these spirited cherries can be made with the pit intact to maintain their gorgeous shape or pitted for ease of eating. Fruity red wine pairs beautifully with sweet cherries and bring a complexity to the summer fruit. Top sundaes, cakes and milkshakes with these versatile beauties, or use in a pan sauce for beef or game meats."

List of Ingredients

• 1â…“ cups granulated sugar
• 4 cups red wine
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 6½ cups cherries, with pits and stems intact
• 2 Tbsp kirschwasser


Recipe

Place a stainless steel or non-reactive stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the sugar, wine, and balsamic vinegar to the pot and stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring the syrup to a boil. Boil vigorously for 8 minutes, or until the syrup is reduced by about one-third. Add all of the cherries immediately. Return to a boil while gently stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and allow to remain at a gentle boil for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Using a slotted spoon and a wide-mouthed funnel, transfer the hot cherries from the hot syrup into half-pint jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace. If you are using cherries with the pits and stems intact, take care to turn the stems downward so they don't poke up above the syrup or interfere with closing the lid on the jar.

Return the pan to the burner over high heat and return the syrup to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in the kirschwasser, then spoon or ladle the hot cherry syrup into half-pint jars, maintaining the ½ inch headspace.

Insert a chopstick or skewer down the insides of the jar to remove air bubbles. If necessary, add more cherry syrup to keep that ½-inch of headspace. Wipe the rims of the jars, fix lid assemblies in place and tighten appropriately.

Use canning tongs to transfer the jars to a canner full of boiling water that covers the jars by 2 inches. Put the lid of the canner in place, return the water to a boil and process it for 20 minutes. Carefully transfer the jars to a towel-lined counter or wire cooling rack and allow them to cool completely, preferably overnight, before removing the rings, wiping the jars clean and labeling. Store the jars in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.


Makes about 6 cups.