Sweet Cherries in Red Wine

     This is a new recipe for me and I'm looking forward to trying the finished product soon. The recipe is adapted from one in the cookbook "Well Preserved" by Eugenia Bone. A great book that not only has the preserving recipes but supplementary recipes on how to use them. Perfect. I used all the ingredients, slightly different quantities and a different technique. For her unaltered recipe, buy the book, you won't be disappointed.

     Cherries and red wine pair together very well. Throw cherry juice into Sangria and see for yourself. Add in orange and cloves and you got me sold.

Cherries in Red Wine

Ingredients

2 pounds of pitted sweet cherries

1 750 ml bottle of wine (a regular sized bottle, I used the stuff we made earlier in the year)

1 cup of orange juice

1 cup of sugar

8 long pieces of orange zest

6 250 ml sterilized jars with lids and bands

Directions

Place three whole cloves in the bottom of each of your jars.

In a large stock pot, combine red wine, orange juice and sugar.

Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Add the cherries, reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes until cherries are tender but not mushy.

You're poaching them, not cooking them down, so you want them to keep their body.

Remove cherries with a slotted spoon and place into sterilized jars.

Add orange zest to the remaining wine mixture and reduce to about half the volume.

It takes about 15-20 minutes to reduce, or at least it did for me.

You are concentrating the flavour of the wine mixture and incorporating more orange with the zest.

Strain the hot wine mixture and fill the jars of cherries leaving 1/4 inch headspace.

Cover with sterilized lids and tighten bands to fingertip tightness.

Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and let stand an additional 5 minutes.

Remove from canner and let cool.

Check your seals, tighten the bands and store in a cool dark place.

Allow a week to ten days before using to allow the cloves to develop.

     Because this is a new recipe and I changed it, this might not be everything I want it to be and there may be adjustments for next year.

     This would pair really well with duck or just about any game fowl. It would also be good with lamb and she suggested beef tenderloin. You can also use it with whipped cream as a dessert parfait and I think it would go well as the topping for a flourless chocolate cake or a dense cheesecake. Time will tell and I'll keep you posted.