Description
A deliciously sweet and tangy sauce made with frozen sour cherries, perfect for serving over vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 ounces frozen, pitted sour cherries, thawed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons kirsch, calvados, or cognac
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, combine the thawed cherries and their juices, sugar, orange juice, vanilla extract, and salt. Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved and the sauce becomes lightly syrupy, about 7 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when you drag a spatula through the sauce on the bottom of the pan and it takes a second to fill back in.
- Add the alcohol (do not pour directly from the bottle!), then immediately and carefully (do not lean over the skillet) light with a long match or long-handled lighter. Cook, shaking the pan back and forth, until the flames have died out and the sauce has thickened even more, with lots of large bubbles rising around the cherries, about 3 minutes.
- Alternatively, skip the flambé by adding the kirsch (do not pour directly from the bottle!) and letting it simmer until the alcohol has mostly cooked off and the sauce has reached a thicker glaze consistency, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let cool for about 5 minutes, then serve over scoops of vanilla ice cream.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week. Reheat gently until warmed all the way through, if desired, before serving.
Notes
- For best results, use high-quality frozen sour cherries.
- You can substitute the alcohol with non-alcoholic options if preferred.
- Great for pairing with cakes or pancakes as well!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 25g
- Sodium: 5mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 0mg