Fresh cherries are here; any fresh ideas to make them last?

[MarkinHouston]

I have frozen, pickled, and made into jam the abundance of cherries in past summers. Any other ideas? I was thinking along the lines of a chutney or some other savory creation that could be preserved and used throoughout the year. I suppose brandied cherries would work in a pinch, but for some reason this year I would like to branch out from the sweet to the spicy profile. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Chris Hennes]

I just started a batch of the cocktail cherries in Katie Loeb's new book, so that's one option: not your standard brandied cherries, but still on the sweet end of things, unfortunately.

[Lisa Shock]

Not exactly what you're asking for, but, the pits can be infused into vodka or everclear to use in cocktails and as an extract.

As for savory, they could be used in sauce making from frozen.

[kayb]

I picked up cherries at the market this morning. I've been playing with flavored simple syrups (well, I guess if it's flavored it's not simple, is it?). So I used about a cup of cherries and boiled them with some sugar and water. I'm going to use some, with some of the whole cherries, with some brandy and some sparkling water to make a cocktail.

I'd think cherries in white vinegar, with a little sugar, and a bunch of chipotle, would be good.

[Chris Hennes]

I forgot all about it: there's a cherry vinaigrette in Modernist Cuisine that they serve on a lentil salad, but is really good in its own right, so you could play around with something like that.

[Paul Bacino]

Rainier?

[laharre]

Making a cherry wine would be great if you have a large amount of cherries. I'm sure it'd be a great addition to dessert recipes as well and should last a long time in the bottle.

[LindaK]

Hmm, this is a good question, cherries are plentiful and relatively cheap at the moment, and I never thought about savory. According to Eatyourbooks, here are some recipes on my shelf that sound appealing:

cherry mustard marmalade -- Modernist Cuisine

cherries as olives (Cerezas como aceitunas) -- Made in Spain, José Andrés

sweet and sour cherries -- Cooking of SW France, Paula Wolfert

cherry vinegar -- the Improvisational Cook, Sally Schneider

plus many recipes for cherry cordials and liquors, if that interests you

[Paul Bacino]

Nothing new..But I think I'm pitting and freezing mine on a silpat.. then bagging them

[MarkinHouston]

I ended up making aspicy Cherry Ginger chutney, tart pickled cherries, and IQF for a cobbler when cherries are $6/lb!

I have a few pounds left so Paula's sweet and sour cherries could fit the bill. Thanks.