Pickled Cherries
User Reviews
5
Pickled Cherries
Description
Fresh whole cherries, optionally stemmed but pitted to remain, are immersed in a syrup made by dissolving sugar in white wine vinegar with warm heat, then boiling down to reduce volume and concentrate flavor. Spices like cinnamon stick, whole cloves, and star anise are added to provide a warm, aromatic complexity to the pickling liquid. After syrup reduction, cherries are added to the pan off heat to cool and absorb flavors. Once cooled, the mixture is packed into a jar and sealed for storage in a cool, dark place.
The pickled cherries combine tartness from vinegar with sweetness and spice notes, creating a distinct flavor that can enhance desserts, cheese boards, or cocktails. The texture remains pleasantly firm since the cherries are kept whole with pits intact.
Ingredients
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 2/3 cups white wine vinegar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 clove whole
- 1 star anise
- 4 cups cherries whole fresh, examples Bing, Rainier, or other sweet variety
Instructions
- If desired, remove the stems from the cherries. Do not remove the pits.
- Combine the sugar, vinegar, and spices in a large saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves, 5 to 7 minutes. Increase the heat and boil rapidly until the liquid has reduced by about a third, 10 to 15 minutes.☞ TESTER TIP: To easily gauge when your mixture has reduced by 1/3, use a wooden skewer or popsicle stick as a depth gauge. Simply stick it in the pan at the beginning and make a notch at the depth of the liquid. Then, as you boil the mixture to reduce it, take the pan off the heat every 5 minutes or so to let the bubbles calm down and check the depth, continuing on until sufficiently reduced by about a third according to your measuring stick.
- Remove the pan from the heat, add the cherries, and let cool to room temperature, 1/2 to 1 hour.
- Pour the contents of the pan into a 1-quart glass jar with a lid and a rubber seal using a funnel. Close the lid and set aside in a cool, dark place for at least 2 weeks before opening. The contents should remain dark or bright red, depending on the type of cherries used, and the cherries will become wrinkled, somewhat similar to raisins.
- Once opened, your jar of pickled cherries can be stashed in the fridge and will last for up to a month.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 16servings | 4 cups
Amount Per Serving
Calories 35 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 0.25cup | |
| Calories | 35kcal | 2% |
| Carbohydrates | 9g | 3% |
| Protein | 0.4g | 1% |
| Fat | 0.1g | 0% |
| Saturated Fat | 0.02g | 0% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 0.02g | 0% |
| Sodium | 0.1mg | 0% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 8g | 16% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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