"Boozy" cherries

My new Portmerion spoons from the UK.

They're everywhere! Coming into a market near you. New crop of cherries......shiny, gleaming, rich dark red. If you tried the French clafoutis and want another quick dessert, what can you do differently with cherries this season?

How about a really simple yet elegant dessert popular in Tuscany, Italy. Leftovers can be used wrapped into thick Greek yogurt for breakfast. They can even be tossed with fresh cut strawberries, a few red raspberries, a handful of blackberries, and a fistful of blueberries for a beautiful red and purple-hued fruit bowl.

Cherries Simmered in Red Wine

(Ciliege Al Vino Rosso)

6 servings

2 lbs. ripe cherries, stemmed and pitted

4 cups (1 bottle) dry red wine

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange peel

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Using a heavy large saucepan, add wine and sugar and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add the cherries and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to stand 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cherries to a medium bowl and set aside.

Gently boil down the liquid until until reduced to 2 cups, about 25 minutes. Mix in orange peel, almond extract and nutmeg. Cool. Pour syrup over cherries, cover and chill until cold. (Can be made a day ahead). Spoon cherries into small bowls - perhaps top with whipped cream or sweetened mascarpone for special occasions.

Note: I used a bottle of Charles Shaw Shiraz (Trader Joe's great bargain wine - $2.99 here in the East). Recipe doesn't require expensive wine and of course the alcohol is boiled away during cooking!

FYI - If you wanted the scone recipe I omitted in the last post, I've now added it to that post.