Pickled Sweet Cherries are not so strange. At least not to me. The older I get the more and more I like pickled things. Especially unexpected pickled things. Things like pickled sweet cherries.
But Pickled Sweet Cherries are not so strange. At least not to Thomas Keller. The older he gets the more he and I have in common. For example he’s a genius and I recognize that he’s a genius. See how much we have in common?
All teasing aside. I was first introduced to Pickled Sweet Cherries through his book The French Laundry Cookbook. He serves his pickled sweet cherries with an elegant Moulard Duck Foie Gras au Torchon. I’ve even had a similar version of foie gras served to me with pickled sweet cherries, though not by Thomas Keller. My point is, the sweet pucker of pickled cherries is a terrific replacement for for the puckery pucker of cornichons. Especially when served alongside something like foie gras– which is a rather complicated culinary achievement. But pickled sweet cherries are also excellent sitting next to very good salumi. Something you can purchase and serve at home, making for an extremely simple yet thoroughly elegant appetizer.
I’m choosing to go somewhere between the complex (and illegal in California) foie gras and the simple salumi from my butcher’s counter. I’m going to make a pâté to serve with my crimson flavor bombs. But you’re just going to have to wait for that one. You can’t expect me to put both recipes in one post. So consider the pâté a sequel in the making. GREG
P.S. I know that many people will be up in arms about the cherry pits and cherry stems. But I promise they add tannins– which really balance the acidity in this recipe.
Can be made 1 month ahead. Keep refrigerated. Strain before serving.
Ingredients
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 10 cardamom pods roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3/4 pound fresh cherries unpitted with stems, preferably
Directions
Bring the vinegar, water, sugar, peppercorns, cardamom, and red pepper flakes to a boil in a medium stainless-steel saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 5 minutes. Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain into a medium bowl; return liquid to pan. Add cherries to the saucepan. Simmer until cherries are tender, 3–5 minutes. Transfer cherries and to a pint-sized mason jar. Pour in enough pickling liquid to cover cherries. Cover and chill.
I will be making these soon! Alexis bought a jar of what she thought were sweet cherrys from Ole Smoky Moonshine. Turns out she bought SPICY pickles with cherrys. Brother, these things are spicy. I’m talking gasp to breath spicy.
Hi Greg — we served TK’s pickled cherries with foie gras last month. (Stop by and see the post if you haven’t already — May 13th). Heavenly for sure! Now we did not break the law, that says one cannot produce or sell it in our fine state, no law against eating it 🙂
LL
P.S. Looking forward to your pate post…
You are certainly right about Thomas Keller being a genius, a picky painstaking genius. I have never tasted a pickled cherry, but you have piqued my pickling curiosity. Nice pixs too.
Greg, did you just hear me catch my breath in sort of a mini-gasp?! I love cherries, I love pickled things, so what’s not to love about pickled sweet cherries, and why didn’t I think of it myself before Thomas Keller did?!
Pickled sweet cherries? Wow, I am so intrigued. Okay, I’m now running to the store for an emergency grocery run. I have to try this!
I love love lurrrvvvve this idea. I love cherries, I love pickles, and I love that this recipe doesn’t require taking the pits out.
I just bought a GIANT bag of cherries last night (super sales — gotta love em’) and I was starting to fret some may spoil before I eat them all. Not if I pickle them! Love this.