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Sour Cherries with Bourbon

Source of Recipe

From "Preserving by the Pint" by Marisa McClellan


Recipe Introduction

"I was on the road a lot, teaching canning classes, during the summer of 2012 and missed most of cherry season in the Philadelphia area. By the time I got home and was ready to can, I could only scare up a single quart of sour cherries. In pondering the highest use for my solitary container, I settled on this preserve. It lets the cherries play the starring role, with just a little bourbon for enhancement. Add them to cocktails in place of a sickly sweet maraschino; or spoon them over vanilla gelato."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 dry quart sour cherries (about 1 ½ pounds)
â—¦ 1 cup granulated sugar
â—¦ 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
â—¦ 2 tablespoons bourbon


Recipe

Prepare a boiling water bath and two half-pint jars. Place two lids in a small saucepan of water and bring to a gentle simmer.

Remove the pits from the cherries while doing your best to keep them mostly whole. Place in a medium bowl and add the sugar. Stir to combine and let sit until the sugar has mostly dissolved, about 15 minutes. Scrape the fruit into a medium saucepan and add the lemon juice and bourbon. Set the pan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring regularly, until the cherries soften a little and a goodly amount of syrup has developed, 4 to 6 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and funnel the cherries and syrup into the prepared jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Makes 2 half-pint jars