Cherry is downright the greatest part of the summer. It’s plump, it’s juicy, it’s sweet – if you buy sweet cherry, of course, because there is a sour cherry out there that just happens to bear the same name, but, from a culinary standpoint, it’s totally not a memory you would like to cherish for a long time (pun intended). To put it bluntly, sour cherries are for cooking, sweet cherries are for enjoyment.
Of course, one can simply gobble up a fistful of cherries, spitting out the pits, and call it a day, but why not let the fruit shine in other incarnations? Try to make a cherryade – a soft fizzy refreshing drink that could show you the difference with store-bought artificially flavoured sodas. Take 250 gr / 9 oz of the sweetest cherries and wash them, de-stalk, pit, chop in half and bruise with a back of a metal spoon in a bowl to let those juices flow. Add 4 Tbsp sugar and let the cherries macerate, then pour 100 ml / 3 oz of boiling water together with the juice of 1 lemon to make a simple syrup: let it sit and cool on the counter. Then strain and dilute with sparkling water to the desired flavour. Too easy. BTW you could also use this cherry base to enlighten your cold brews, teas, and even alcoholic drinks.
Let’s imagine you did a couple of batches of cherry syrup along with compote, jam, marmalade and whatnot. And now you are gazing at a heaping pile of pits that are usually destined to waste. But wait, give’em a second chance! Cover them with some cream and let it sit in the fridge to infuse with sweetness and richness of cherry pits aroma. Then strain your cream into a bowl when ready to whip it up. Its subtle accent will beautifully marry with some ice cream, cocoa, cherry pie, or a regular donut! Don’t want to mess around with the cream, not a big deal, we’ve got you covered. Put 1 cup of cherry pits into a pot, add 2 cup water with 2 cup honey, bring it to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Let cool, strain out the pits and enjoy the cherry pit syrup, that not only sounds fancy but also tasted great. Have you tried it with sour cream on scones?
What do you think?