Claiborne Williams Mildé

 tipsy sour cherries

Tipsy sour cherries

Adapted from Zuni Café Cookbook and Chez Panisse Fruits

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ripe but firm sour cherries, washed, stems ends trimmed

• 3/4 cup granulated, fine sugar (I use the natural kind, which takes longer to dissolve)

• 2 cups good quality but not too expensive brandy 

• Water

Instructions:

Sterilize jars: boil gently in a large pot of water for a few minutes, then set out on a clean towel to dry. Simmer lids to soften rubber seals. Once jars are cooled and relatively dry, pack cherries into them carefully, filling to just below "shoulders" of jars. Dissolve sugar into brandy by heating gently in a pot on the stove, dribbling in a little bit of water. Whisk together. Using a spouted measuring cup or pitcher, pour brandy into jars until it just covers the cherries (should reach just to bottom of rim). Tap each one to release air bubbles, then screw lids on tightly. Put in a cool, dark place, occasionally turning jars upside down to re-distribute any sugar crystals that settle out. Leave them there for about a month to allow the flavors to meld, then refrigerate for up to a year.

To enjoy, Rodgers recommends leaving cherries out for a bit to disperse alcohol, if you are serving them raw. Or, pit and stem them and cook, sautéing or roasting briefly for game dishes (wild duck in the fall), or sautéing in butter with a bit of their syrup and serving over ice cream. They would be dreamy with creme brûlée and other custard desserts, equally nice with cheese or pâté–or in cocktails, as grown-up maraschino cherries.