Cherry Love: Chef Michael Symon’s Pickled Cherries

Chef Michael Symon loves to pickle things.  In his cookbook “Live to Cook”, he devotes an entire chapter to it, with recipes for pickled ramps, chilis,  onions, tomatoes, kraut and more.   The chef says “what began at Lola as a way to preserve the best food we could find became part of the defining style of our dishes.  It’s not only allowed us to deliver dynamic flavor, but also has enhanced and deepened our relationships with local farmers by making it possible to buy more of their produce during their growing season and use it throughout the year.”

Michael recommends serving these refrigerator pickled cherries as a sweet and sour condiment with duck, pork belly, foie gras, or a blue veined cheese and bread.  Another option would be to dice the cherries,  add chicken broth and reduce via simmer for a saucier topping for poultry or pork.    Note that the cherries may be kept in the fridge for up to a month, they may have a touch of color fade or wrinkling, but will still taste delicious.

Buy the book here (check the rave reviews!), and follow Michael on Twitter here.

Pickled Cherries
Chef Michael Symon
Makes about 2 quarts

Ingredients:
2 pounds bing cherries
2 cups red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 strips orange zest, removed with a vegetable peeler
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 bay leaf

Instructions:
Prick each cherry with a fork several times and put them in a nonreactive jar or container.
Mix the vinegar, sugar, salt, orange zest, black peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds, and bay leaf in a nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so the liquid simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cook for 10 minutes.
Pour the liquid over the cherries (they should be completely submerged). When the concoction is completely cool, seal or cover the cherries, and refrigerate for up to 1 month.

Craving more cherry recipes?  Check out Chef Bugher’s Cherry Basil Pasta recipe, and Chef Ben Davis’s Cherries with Chianti recipe.