Last week during Friday Flair I hinted to a new cherry recipe in the works and my friends, it's aaaamazing!! If you follow me via Instagram or Facebook, you've seen some sneak peaks. After a bit of research and some experimentation… I give you WhipperBerry's Velvet Cherry Sauce!
My love affair with Cherries
My love affair with cherries started when I was a little girl and this is one love affair that never waxes or wains. It's true and loyal. Not a single soul can come between my love of sweet cherries and I.
My Issues with Cherries Jubliee
The other day I went to the store and bought several pounds of Bing cherries with the desire to come up with a fun new cherry dessert. Last year I made a fun Black Cherry White Chocolate Poke Cake in a Jar which has been one of my favorites, but it's time for something new this cherry season.
I wanted a great cherry sauce for ice cream, but I have issues with the standard Cherries Jubilee. First, I don't love serving warm sauces on ice cream, I would like for my cream to stay iced while I am eating it. Second, I don't like the texture that results with the cherries being cooked. I would prefer that the cherries stay nice a sweet and firm for my ice cream dessert. Third, I don't like how thin and runny the sauce is, it's like cherry soup. I would like my sauce to have a little body and be able to stand up and stick to my ice cream rather than pooling at the bottom of the bowl. Anyone with me on this?
I started with a standard Cherries Jubilee recipe and then kicked it up a bit. I added a little of this and a little of that and created a fine cherry ice cream topping that is, dare I say it… Like VELVET! The sauce enrobes the ice cream in a velvety blanket with layers of tart and sweet, it may just be my new favorite ice cream topping.
Recipe | Velvet Cherry Sauce
4 lbs of Bing cherries
1/2 cup sugar
juice from 1/2 a lemon
large strips of lemon zest from a whole lemon
1/4 cup Sherry
pinch of fresh nutmeg
2 tbs honey
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbs corn starch
1/4 cup water
2 tbs butter
Wash, pit and stem the four pounds of cherries. Cut cherries in half and divide in half. Two pounds goes into a large sauce pan. Reserve the other two pounds for later. Along with the cherries in the sauce pan combine sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, sherry and place over medium high heat for 20-25 minutes, stir occasionally. The cherries will release their juices and create a large amount of liquid. After 20-25 minutes take the sauce pan off the heat and remove the cherries and lemon zest with a slotted spoon.
Place cherries in a strainer and press with the back of your spoon to release all the remaining juices. Pour juice into the sauce pan. Turn heat back onto medium and add nutmeg, honey and vanilla. In a small bowl combine water and cornstarch to create a slurry. Slowly whisk into the cherry sauce. Bring to a low boil to let the sauce thicken a bit. Take off heat once it reaches your desired consistency. Off the heat add the butter and stir until melted to create a beautiful silky sauce. Place sauce in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap right on the surface and chill in the fridge for one hour.
After an hour combine the remaining cherries with the cooled sauce. Serve over vanilla ice cream. Store in an air tight container for up to a week in the fridge.
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Give it a shot and tell me what you think. I LOVE it!! What are some of your favorite cherry recipes?
