Spiced Brandied Cherries
Updated June 30, 2015
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1 cup sugar
2 whole cloves
1 2-inch piece cinnamon stick
4 cardamom pods
1 quart sweet cherries, stemmed and pitted
½ cup Cognac or other aged brandy
Nutritional analysis per serving
27 grams carbs; 123 calories; 1 gram fiber; 2 milligrams sodium; 26 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and spices with a cup of water. Bring to a simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Step 2
Turn off heat and add cherries and brandy to pot. Let cool, then store mixture in a jar in refrigerator for at least 2 days before eating, and up to several months. These are great over ice cream.
Private Notes
Comments
I make these every year, using sweet Bing cherries, unpitted, and without cooking. Once the jar is stuffed with cherries, I add the whole spices, 1/4 cup sugar for each pint, and enough brandy to come up to the top of the cherries. In a couple of weeks, the brandy is a vivid, flavorful red, and the cherries are crisp and juicy.
I discovered that using a cherry pitter on frozen cherries is much easier and less messy. I immediately froze our cherry harvest, then take out what I need for recipes.
This was delightful. The recipe didn't say if the spices should be removed after cooking; I did, fearing bitterness and too strong a flavor, but I wonder if it would have been spicier to have left them to marinate.
A Mediterranean olive pitter works well for pitting the cherries.
I use this recipe to make a rif on a cherry bounce cocktail since it has a good bit of extra syrup with the cherries. I do equal parts syrup from this recipe and vodka shaken with ice. Garnish with a brandied cherry.
Incredibly good and easy. I pitted the cherries with a bottle and a chopstick - put the cherries on top of the opening and push the chopstick through to push the pit out. Also added a whole star anise to the spices. Next time will add more!
SO good. Excellent on cherry ice cream. Use the pits to make cherry whipped cream!