RECIPE : GLACE CHERRIES
This recipe will use whatever fresh cherries you have available and will work with dark, sweet cherries as well as bright sour ones. Since I don't have a tree I just used whatever are in the shops in early July. I would say they were the sweet cherries as you could eat them raw without wincing.
Equipment Needed : Cherry Stoner, large pan, large sieve or colander. A food dehydrator is highly recommended but is optional.
Ingredients :
Cherries (any type) - 450g
Water - 570ml
Sugar - 750g
The recipe can be scaled up as much as you like. Using the suggested amount of cherries will yield about the same amount as you would find in a supermarket tub so I would suggest scaling up several times and using a larger pan.
Day 1 - Wash and pit 450g of cherries. Check all stones have been removed as there is a chance with a ripe cherry that it will get pushed sideways inside the fruit rather than down and out. Discard the stones.
Place the cherries in a medium saucepan with 570ml water. Heat to just before simmering for one minute. All you want to do is warm the water to soften the skins but not cook the fruit.
Drain the cherries and reserve all of the liquid. Return 425ml of the liquid to the pan and discard the excess. Add 250g of sugar and bring to a simmer to fully dissolve the sugar. Pour the hot syrup over the cherries, cover and leave 24h.
Day 2 - drain the cherries into a bowl and return the syrup to the pan. Add 60g sugar and simmer to dissolve. Pour hot syrup over cherries and leave 24h.
Day 3 - repeat Day 2.
Day 4 - repeat Day 2.
Day 5 - repeat Day 2.
Day 6 - repeat Day 2.
Day 7 - repeat Day 2.
Day 8 - Transfer all cherries and syrup to a medium saucepan. Add 85g sugar to the syrup without draining the cherries. Bring the cherries and syrup to a low simmer to dissolve sugar. Simmer for 3 minutes then set aside for two days.
Day 10 - Add remaining 55g sugar, simmer cherries and syrup for 3 minutes then set aside for 4 days.
Day 14 - Drain the heavy syrup from the cherries and keep it to put over ice cream and cakes. Spread the cherries out on a tray in a warm, dry place for 2-4 days or put in your dehydrator on 115F / 45C for 24h till slightly dried. They will remain slightly sticky and pliant.
They will not be bright red and they will not be in the sticky syrup that the supermarkets have got us used to.
Transfer the cherries to an airtight jar and keep in a cool dark place. They are ready to use immediately.
NOTE : The leftover cherry syrup is delicious over homemade vanilla ice cream, chocolate cakes, yoghurt and even porridge. Once you have put the cherries in the dehydrator, wash and warm some jam jars in the oven. Bring the cherry syrup to a brisk boil, allow to cool slightly. Skim off any scum then pour into the clean, hot jars. It will keep in a cool dark place exactly the same as jam.