The Secret To Transforming Cherries Into A Luxurious Dessert Is In Your Liquor Cabinet
A bowl of fresh cherries is one of the true joys of the season, whether you eat them with ice cream, in a fruit salad, or straight off the stem. For a more versatile way to enjoy them, soaking your cherries in alcohol will reward you with a decadent treat that can be added to cocktails, desserts, or eaten as a snack.
The trick to really elevating your desserts is to be deliberate with the alcohol you use for spiking your cherries. While brandy is a traditional choice, the truth is that any alcohol will work, leaving you room to play with flavors that will complement your sweet treats.
Try making spiked cherries with bourbon when you want to bring out caramel and vanilla, amaretto for that classic almond and cherry combination, or fireball whisky to infuse your cherries with warm cinnamon notes. You can also double down on the cherry flavor by soaking your cherries in kirsch (cherry brandy), which would be a perfect addition to this Black Forest trifle recipe.
Making and using boozy cherries
Making boozy cherries can be as simple as covering the fruit in your liquor of choice and leaving them to steep. But for a balance between tipsy and knock your socks off, we recommend soaking with 1 part alcohol to 1 part simple syrup. At this stage you can also thinking about other flavors you want to incorporate; cinnamon sticks, vanilla beans, or orange peel are all a good fit. To get those flavors mingling, leave your cherries for at least a week, or two if you can wait.
When adding spiked cherries to your dessert, remember that they are going to pack more of a punch than fresh cherries. They also have more liquid than fresh cherries, so drain well before adding to baked goods like cakes. Boozy cherries can be a good 1:1 swap for recipes that call for frozen berries or berries in syrup. If you're looking for inspiration, why not try adding rum-soaked cherries to this pineapple upside-down cake, or amping up the fruit flavor of this cherry clafoutis with cherries soaked in Chambord.