How to Make a Cherry Concentrate

Fresh cherries retain their vibrant flavor when they are slowly reduced to a concentrate.

You can concentrate the powerful flavors of fresh cherries by reducing their moisture content. Juicy fresh cherries contain a high ratio of liquid. Simmering away much of this water as steam leaves behind an intensified cherry flavor. Cherry concentrates can be spooned warm over ice cream or added to a glass of ice water or lemonade for a cold refreshing drink. Slowly reduce the water in fresh cherries without burning them to create a full-bodied cherry flavor.

Things You'll Need

• Pint fresh cherries
• Cutting board
• Knife
• Thick-bottom 2-quart saucepan
• Wood spoon
• 2 tbsp. sugar (optional)

Instructions

1. Dump the fresh cherries onto a clean cutting board to pull off and discard all the stems and leaves.

2. Slide the blade of the knife all the way around the pit of each cherry and pull the cherries into two sections.

3. Throw out all the pits before sliding the cherries and any juice they have released from the cutting board directly into the saucepan.

4. Place the saucepan on medium to medium-low heat and use a wooden spoon to mash and stir the cherries as they cook.

5. Taste the cherry concentrate sauce after it has been simmering for 20 minutes. Add sugar if the flavor is too tart for your taste.

6. Reduce the heat to low and allow the cherries to continue simmering as you stir until they have reduced their mass by approximately two-thirds and coat the back of the wooden spoon.

7. Turn off the heat and let the cherry concentrate cool uncovered for 10 minutes before spooning it onto a dessert or storing it in a sealed food safe container.

Tips & Warnings

• Tart and sweet concentrated cherry sauces pair well with salty and savory foods like pungent cheeses and grilled meats.

References

• Cooking Debauchery: Cherry Sauce
• Bargetto: Vanilla Tempranillo Black Cherry Reduction by Greg Flores, Chef