Brandied Bing Cherries
¾ cup sugar
½ cup water
2/3 cup cherry brandy or brandy
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise
1 bay leaf
1 pound Bing cherries, stemmed and pitted (keep cherries whole)
Combine all ingredients, except the cherries, in a
saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve
the sugar. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Add cherries and
simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and strain cherries from
the cooking liquid, reserving both the cherries and the liquid. Remove
and discard cinnamon stick, vanilla bean and bay leaf.
Return the cooking liquid to a saucepan and bring to
a boil over medium high heat. Then reduce heat and simmer the liquid
8-10 minutes until syrupy. Remove from heat and pour hot syrup over the
reserved cherries. Allow cherries to cool, then cover and store in
refrigerator until ready to serve over ice cream. Makes 1 quart.
Grilled Peaches
4 peaches, cut in half and pitted
2 tablespoons sugar
Fire up the grill over medium direct heat. Sprinkle
the cut sides of the peaches with sugar. Brush the grill grates lightly
with vegetable oil. Grill the peach halves until they feel slightly soft
to the touch, about 5 minutes. Place the grilled peaches in bowls and
serve immediately with ice cream. Serves 4.
Blackberries in Mint Syrup
Instead of mint, you could make this syrup with lemon verbena, sweet
cicely, rose geranium, or lemon balm.
½ cup sugar
½ cup water
1 small bunch mint, leaves picked (reserve a few for garnish if desired)
1 pint blackberries
Vanilla ice cream
Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over
medium high heat, and bring to a boil. Boil for a few minutes, stirring
to completely dissolve the sugar. Add the mint leaves and remove from
the heat. Cover and allow the mint to steep for 20 minutes. Strain,
discarding the mint leaves. Allow the mint syrup to cool, then cover and
store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
To serve, spoon the blackberries into 4 bowls.
Drizzle each bowl of blackberries with mint syrup. Top with scoops of
vanilla ice cream. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.
Serves 4.
