Author Notes
These cherries are super easy to make and perfect if you are new to canning or have some leftover booze sitting in your pantry. Although this old Italian pantry staple is made with grappa, you can sub your favorite strong liquor (like brandy). As the jars sit, the alcohol will lose its strength and you'll be left with a rich, sweet, intensely flavored syrup that can be used in cakes, creams, custards, pudding and dessert in general. Use the cherries in cocktails, as an ice cream or cake topping, or just eat from the jar. —Valentina Solfrini
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Ingredients
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2 and 1/2 pounds
Whole cherries, possibly with stalks
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2 and 1/3 cups
grappa, or other liquor that is 45 C° or above
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1 and 1/4 cups
water
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1 cup
whole brown sugar
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1 teaspoon
vanilla extract per jar
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a 1/2 inch piece
of cinnamon bark per jar
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3 to 5
whole cloves per jar
Directions
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Sterilize the jars by boiling them in a large pot for 15 minutes, then thoroughly dry them. You can do so by popping them in an oven preheated to 120 F° for 20-25 minutes.
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To prepare the syrup, combine the water and sugar in a pot and simmer for a few minutes, until the sugar is well dissolved and the syrup looks transparent and golden. Let cool.
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Wash the cherries and dry them thoroughly. Cut the stalk short but leave it attached. Pierce each cherry with a needle, and arrange them in the sterilized jars up to ¾ of the height.
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Combine the alcohol with the cooled syrup, and fill each jar up with the liquid, making sure to cover the cherries completely. You can add a circle of baking paper in each jar to keep the cherries covered, as they will tend to float.
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Lastly, add the spices and vanilla to each jar, and close well. Leave to steep for at least 3 months, and up to 6, shaking the jars once or twice a week for the first month.
24 Year old Italian web dev, Graphic and UI designer who, like many designers, got seduced by food photography. I talk to way too many random people when in New York and to way too many random animals when I'm in the Italian countryside.
I run hortuscuisine.com, a blog about Italian, natural vegetarian cooking.
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