Sour cherry tree full of almost ripe cherries...

[dawnie2u]

I have a sour cherry tree that is brimming with cherries that are almost ripe. I picked a quart today, and will be harvesting more every day. I need some ideas and/or recipes on how to use them. I am planning on making some cherry infused vinegar and cherry infused vodka. Any other ideas? Thanks! Dawn

[Knicke]

The best milkshake I ever had: vanilla ice cream, sour cherries, a little milk, a little sugar if you need it to cut the sour.

Awesome.

[rlibkind]

If you have a big surplus, jam and preserves would be in order. I especially like a cherry preserve made with the hot pepper of your choice.

Edited June 10, 2006 by rlibkind (log)

[sanrensho]

Pit and freeze. Use later in all kinds of baking and desserts. I wish I had your problem!

[prasantrin]

Fried cherry pies. McD's (at least in Canada) used to have cherry pies, and I'm quite certain they were made with sour cherries. I miss those pies!

[ludja]

cherry clafoutis

and

pickled cherries to have with pate or roast pork throughout the year

[Gruzia]

my favorite are sour cherry vareniki - ukrainian/russian dish, think polish pierogies but stuffed with a filling of sour cherries and a bit of sugar. Serve with sour cream and sugar....mmmmmmm

[turkeybone]

brandied or bourbon'd cherries.. both the fruit and the liquid are divine.

[petite tête de chou]

brandied or bourbon'd cherries.. both the fruit and the liquid are divine.

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Absolutely. An especially nice find at the bottom of a sweet vanilla custard.

Also, consider drying them in a low oven for future use.

A sour cherry (fresh or dried) sauce with pork or venison is good.

Add the dried fruit and almonds (or hazelnuts, my favorite) to granola.

Include them in a riff on sweet and sour pork/chicken over rice.

I haven't tried it, but make popcorn balls (light caramel sauce) and add the dried fruit to them.

Brownies or fudge with sour cherries is awesome- include a bit of espresso.

Biscotti.

Lucky you!

[Eden]

a savory sauce for pork made with good stock and cognac!

I second the pickled cherry reccomendation - they're awesome!

[Jim Charles]

Actually, I’d just sit down in front of the TV and eat them. I love sour cherries.

[Shaya]

One of my favorite Persian rice dishes: Albaloo Polow: Here and Here

[snowangel]

I, a couple of months ago, made some venison sausage with sage, fennel and dried cherries. The cherries were not the sour variety, and the sausages ended up being a bit sweet for our taste. I would next time use sour cherries!

[eatrustic]

I just purchased a couple of pounds of sour cherries from my local farmer's market. They are very hard to find here (something about the trees being susceptible to blight). And very expensive.

The odd thing is that they were juicy to the point that they are swimming in liquid in their bags (and this is right at the market). They are organic and fresh and while all this vendor's other cherries were pristine these are slightly offputting with the amount of liquid.

According to the vendor/grower this is the way they are.

Is this normal for sour cherries?

[rlibkind]

I just purchased a couple of pounds of sour cherries from my local farmer's market. They are very hard to find here (something about the trees being susceptible to blight). And very expensive.

The odd thing is that they were juicy to the point that they are swimming in liquid in their bags (and this is right at the market). They are organic and fresh and while all this vendor's other cherries were pristine these are slightly offputting with the amount of liquid.

According to the vendor/grower this is the way they are.

Is this normal for sour cherries?

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They are a lot softer than sweet cherries and susceptible to oozing juice, but only when mishandled. A little wetness is okay; a lot is not. They definitely shouldn't be "swimming".

[rlibkind]

This week I made sherbert from pie cherries: pint of pitted cherries, about 3/4 cup sugar (taste and add/subtract as needed) pureed in blender with a bare squeeze of lemon juice. Mixed with 3/4 cup light cream (leftover scalded with sugar and a little vanilla from an ice cream recipe earlier in the week which was too much for my ice cream maker) just before putting into the machine. Great right out of the machine; and still smooth two-days later out of the freezer.

Edited June 25, 2006 by rlibkind (log)

[Pan]

My favorite sour cherry things: Cold sour cherry soup and sour cherry strudel, both of which I consider Hungarian or at least ate in Hungary. I don't have recipes, though.

[oceanfish]

I am planning to make some sour cherry jam. Does anyone have experience with this? I've made lots of jam before, but tend to pick fruits high in natural pectin. I have read that cherries are not. Any advice/recipe for a pectinless sour cherry jam?

[ojisan]

I wish I had access to fresh sour cherries....

I first sampled sour cherry soup in Debrecen, Hungary, and was amazed. The thought of soup + cherries sounded too strange to me (as if it should be a dessert), but I loved it.

[Nina C.]

I picked up the last quart of sour cherries at a farmer's market this morning, intending to make a pie. I was hoping it would be close enough to the right amount. Alas, I see I should have about 1 1/2 to 2 quarts for a 9" pie pan.

I was thinking I could try to make a cherry cobbler or a cherry clafloutis, but I'd love to really highlight that great sour flavor.

I also thought I could mix them with some other fruit but wasn't sure which one. Apples seem like there would be textural problems. Perhaps strawberries?

What would you do in my shoes?

[Tess]

Put them in jars, cover them with brandy, wait a few months.

[Nina C.]

Put them in jars, cover them with brandy, wait a few months.

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Small Brooklyn kitchen means nowhere to store jars of cherries

plus I have people coming tomorrow night and I'll need to make a dessert anyway.

[bluechefk]

how about sour cherry turnovers, using puff pastry sheets? you get the same effect as a pie, but don't need as many cherries for the filling.

[zoe b]

make a clafouti

[ludja]

how about sour cherry turnovers, using puff pastry sheets? you get the same effect as a pie, but don't need as many cherries for the filling.

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Great idea; I would try something like this as well to capture the best of the sour cherry flavor.