Cherries in Red Wine Syrup

from david leibowitz

Makes 2 cups (500g)


I used bright-red sweet cherries, but feel free to mix in some of the multi-hued varieties, such as Queen Anne (incongruously called 'Napoléon' cherries in France) and Ranier. If you can get sour cherries, a mix of those with the sweet ones is cherry paradise.


1 pound (450g) fresh cherries, stemmed and pitted
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (130g) sugar
1 1/4 cups (310ml) red wine (any fruity merlot, pino...)
2 teaspoons corn starch or potato starch
2 tablespoons red wine or balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
optional: 1/2 tablespoon kirsch


1. Put the cherries and sugar in a large, wide saucepan.


2. Mix one tablespoon of the red wine with the corn or potato starch in a small bowl until it's dissolved and set aside.


3. Add the rest of the wine to the saucepan. Bring the heat up to a boil, then reduce the heat so it's at a low boil and cook, stirring frequently, for about 12 minutes, until the cherries are completely wilted and softened through.


4. During the last moments of cooking, stir in the starch slurry and let the mixture boil the additional minute or so, to thicken the juices.


5. Turn off the heat and stir in the almond extract and kirsch, if using.


Storage: The cherries will keep up to one week in the refrigerator. They can be frozen for up to six months.