Cherry Love: Cherries with Chianti

Hooray it’s finally cherry season! To celebrate we will bring you one chef or restaurant recipe daily featuring cherries for the next several days. The season is sadly a short one so enjoy it ASAP!

Today’s feature is Cherries in Chianti by Chef Ben Davis, which can be served on it’s own as a simple Tuscan dessert or served over vanilla ice cream. Chianti wine has primary notes of cherry in addition to plum, strawberry, spices and almonds, giving this dish a gorgeous harmony of flavors.

photo by bensonkua on Flickr

Cherries in Chianti
Chef Ben Davis, Tony’s Market, Denver

1/2 cups Chianti (you may substitute zinfandel or syrah)
1/2 cups sparkling water
2 cups sugar
2 strips lemon zest
3 strips orange zest
4 black peppercorns
pinch of ground cinnamon
1 pound pitted cherries (you may substitute frozen or canned)

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the liquid until slightly thickened and reduced by half, which should take close to 15 minutes.

Add the cherries and continue cooking for another 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature before storing covered in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature, enjoy!

For more recipes with cherries, explore the rest of the Cherry Love series including Chef Michael Symon’s Pickled Cherries recipe, and a contest winning Cherry Basil Pasta recipe.