Serve this confit as a speedy but impressive dessert or with the cheese course. Serve over ice cream, to accompany a simple cake or fill small cooked tart cases with mascarpone and place a spoonful on top. It is also delicious served with a vanilla panna cotta or on toast with soft goat’s cheese or cream cheese.
INGREDIENTS
350 grams firm, unblemished cherries
½ vanilla pod
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup water
wide strips of lemon peel from 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
1 cinnamon stick
To serve
1-2 whole ricotta, I used Clevedon Valley Buffalo Ricotta
METHOD
Halve and stone the cherries. Cut the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the tip of a knife. Put the vanilla pod and seeds in a small saucepan with all the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Don’t use a large saucepan or the liquid will reduce too quickly – the confit needs long, slow cooking. Cook over a low heat for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the cherries are glossy and the liquid has reduced to a sticky, thick syrup. A simmer mat is ideal for this. Cool then transfer to a sterilized glass jar, seal and refrigerate. The confit will keep for several weeks in the fridge. Makes about 1½ cups
Cook’s tip: To pit cherries cut around the circumference and twist the two halves in opposite directions. Pull out the pit.
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In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.