Diana Henry’s Sweet Pickled Cherries

By Diana Henry
Viva
A jar of these plump cherries will keep for a year and make a magic addition to any meal. Photo / Supplied

Not really Turkish at all, but French – cerises au vinaigre – these work brilliantly with lamb, yoghurt and goat’s cheese, so they’re perfect with this meal, and make it special. It’s better if you prepare these cherries a little in advance – a week, if possible – though I’ve often just made them the day before I want to serve them. Packed in a sterilised jar (see below) with a vinegar-proof lid, they will keep for a few years.

SWEET PICKLED CHERRIES

Fills a 1 litre jar
500g cherries

325ml white wine vinegar

450g granulated sugar

½ cinnamon stick

6 black peppercorns

2 cloves
  1. Prick each cherry with a skewer or darning needle (this stops them bursting), but keep the stalks on if you can, as they look good.
  2. Heat the vinegar with the sugar and spices, stirring a little to help the sugar dissolve.
  3. Add the cherries to the mixture and simmer gently for 4 minutes. Lift the cherries out with a slotted spoon into a clean, warm jar (if you plan to keep these rather than use them all for this meal, you should use a sterilised jar, see below). Jars should have vinegar-proof lids.
  4. Remove the spices and boil the vinegar liquid until it becomes slightly syrupy; it will thicken more as it cools. Once cool, pour it over the cherries, leaving a few centimetres of space above the level of the liquid and the top of the jar. Screw on the lid. to sterilise jars
  5. Put the jars and lids through the dishwasher and use while both are still hot, or wash them in soapy water, then dry in a low oven for 30 minutes.

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