How To Candy Cherries

On Thursday Whole Foods sent a friendly e-mail to inform me that cherries were going on sale on Friday. Since I can't resist buying cherries for $1.99/pound and since Collin Murray and I can only eat so many, I figured I better get busy and find something to do with all three pounds of 'em. Having recently purchased David Lebovitz's new book, Ready for Dessert (a sort of greatest hits of the pastry chef's favorite recipes), I was delighted to find a recipe for Candied Cherries to use up my stockpile!


CANDIED CHERRIES
Adapted from David Lebovitz's Ready for Dessert

2 cups cherries, pitted
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and simmer for about 25 minutes or until the syrup takes on the consistency of warm honey.


Pitted cherries bobbing in their sugar water

Cool cherries in their syrup and transfer to a jar and refrigerate for up to six months. Use as a topping for ice cream or chop the cherries and add them to vanilla ice cream or chop the cherries and add them to cookies or brownies. Just be warned, they are super sweet so use them sparingly.


Cooled cherries camping in their new home