Warm Skillet Sour Cherries with Vanilla Ice Cream: 2000s Recipes + Menus : gourmet.com

2000s Recipes + Menus

Serves6 (MAKES 3 CUPS)

Active time:20 min
Start to finish:30 min

July 2000

Sour Cherries make a sweet finale for a summer meal. Spiked with lemon and kirsch, they harmonize beautifully with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

We found a significant difference in the amount of liquid exuded by fresh versus frozen sour cherries when cooked. If your cherries give off a lot of liquid, you may have to reduce your syrup a little longer.

1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 lb fresh or thawed frozen sour cherries, pitted (2 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons kirsch
Premium vanilla ice cream

Accompaniment:

bakery butter cookies

Rub together sugar and lemon juice in a 12-inch heavy skillet with your fingertips until mixture resembles wet sand. Heat over moderately high heat, swirling skillet slowly, until sugar is melted and pale golden, 5 to 6 minutes. Add butter and swirl skillet until incorporated, about 30 seconds (mixture will bubble up). Add cherries, swirling skillet to coat, and bring to a boil (cherries will exude liquid; caramel will harden). Cook cherries, swirling skillet, until caramel is dissolved, 5 to 8 minutes. Pour through a medium-mesh sieve set over a bowl, then return liquid to skillet and boil until reduced to about 3/4 cup, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat, then add cherries and kirsch. Return to stove and boil 30 seconds.
Spoon warm cherries into shallow bowls and top with scoops of ice cream.

Cooks’ note: Cherries can be cooked 3 hours ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature. Bring to a boil just before serving.

Recipe by Lillian Chou and Paul Grimes

Photograph by Mikkel Vang