If you know and love sour cherries, you also know that the season is oh-so-short. And so precious.
Sour cherries are also sometimes referred to as "pie cherries" or "tart cherries" and are so delicate and perishable that you generally won't find them in your neighborhood grocery store. They're most common in Michigan or Wisconsin although we've spotted them in the Northwest and Northeast when the time is right--usually late June. For some reason this year, sour cherries are popping up even earlier and we thought we'd get a head start on a few of our favorite recipes from the Kitchn archives as well as some new favorites from around the web.
From the Kitchn:
• Couscous with Sour Cherries and Pine Nuts
• Sour Cherry Almond Ice Cream with Chocolate Chunks
• Recipe Review: Sour Cherry Coffee Cake from Lottie + Doof
And Beyond:
• Sour Cherry Jam - Food in Jars
• Sour Cherry Turnovers - Food and Wine
• Sour Cherry, Coconut, and Chocolate Brownies - Citrus and Candy
• Sour Cherry Slab Pie - Smitten Kitchen
• Classic Sour Cherry Pie with Lattice Crust - Bon Appetit
• Sour Cherry Clafoutis - A Canadian Foodie
• Sour Cherry and Almond Breakfast Buns - The English Kitchen
Related: In Season Right Now: Sour Cherries
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I could have sworn The Kitchn had a recipe for Maraschino cherries that called for sour cherries but I don't see it here. Maybe it was elsewhere, but if you have it I would LOVE the link as I've been dying to make my own.
Sour cherry jam is just heaven. I have to find some this year!
Where can I buy some in Ma south shore???
@Hyacinth: I don't know about the south shore but I know Wilson's Farm's in Lexington had them last year the first week of July. You could ask your local grocer at Stop&Shop or whatever to get some for you. If the customers show and interest, those guys will special order them for you sometimes.
@Rosemarried: do you mean the original ones or the non-alcoholic. The originals are easy: pitted cherries and maraschino liqueur, leave in the fridge for a week or two. Luxardo is my favorite brand but pretty pricey.
I don't have a recipe for the non-alcoholic version but I know the commercial ones are bleached and then dyed and flavored.
you forgot sour cherry soup!
sour cherries in their juices + water + dollop of sour cream + spices (e.g., cinnamon/nutmeg, or sometimes i steep a bag of apple spice tea leaves) + sugar or sweetener. simmer for a few minutes, serve hot or cold. yummmmm.
@ Rosemarried:
The recipe is on the NY Times website. Melissa Clark did it a couple of years ago. Yum.
Last year, we made a simple sour cherry reduction (a bit of sugar, water as needed) that turned sublime as a result of 1) leaving the pits in and 2) cooking it all night. Obviously, for those concerned about the pits (either the broken tooth factor or the trace amounts of cyanide) this won't be appealing.
The argument in favor of risking the pits is that the flavor of this reduction was deep and rich, a bit like good port. I've used it all Winter: on pork, globbed generously on spinach salads, and in sandwiches (sourdough rye with natural peanut butter).