Cooking with Chef Jo: Planning My Fruitcake- Maraschino Cherries

Maraschino cherries have a bad rep. Mainly because of the commercial processing. It's true all the bleach, fructose, sugar, and red dye #40 will make most people keel over and die, but not my version.

2L from Amazon

The only deterrent to my recipe is the alcohol I put in them to flavor and preserve them. It's clear and a bit costly as it's imported from France. No red dyes here. The distilling into alcohol kills all the nastiness that comes with commercial farming operations. I also bring it to a boil after adding it to my syrup mixture to reduce the alcohol in my maraschino cherries. It's the only preservative I use and it's all natural. Of course you could make a super adult version of this with vodka and brandy, or whiskey. I prefer to keep mine PG-17 and simpler. Be aware that this process is two weeks long instead of 3 months long with other liquors.

My Maraschino Cherries
4-Qt jars (4 will last us two years)

What you'll need
4 lb Cherries, sour if you can get them*
3 tsp almond extract
2 cup sugar
2 oz lemon juice,freshly squeezed
3 cup water
4 cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
3 cup Cherry Kirsch

Note* I have a friend that grows Romeo cherries. He's the one who convinced me to plant the Romeo and Juliet cherry trees in my own orchard.  In two years I should have my own cherries to make this with.


Putting it together

• Wash and pit the cherries
• Put sugar, water, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks and grated nutmeg in a saucepan
•  Over medium high heat, stir until sugar is dissolved and the syrup is at a rolling boil.
• Add the kirsch and the cherries. Turn heat down to medium, bring back up to a boil.
• Boil for two minutes, and then remove from the heat.
• Remove the cinnamon sticks. They've done their job.
• Pour the cherries and liquid into sterilized quart mason jars.
• I water bath these jars for 20 minutes to seal.
• Let sit and get happy for two weeks before using.

I use my maraschino cherries for something special like on top of banana splits, to top certain desserts like black forest cakes, or in my chocolate covered cherries, or Christmas cookies, and of course my fruitcakes. These plus my extracts and wines used in cooking are my only break I have with 'no alcohol passes between my lips' being a 33-year recovering alcoholic. They are further cooked to reduce the alcohol content to almost nonexistent.

Summer is a busy harvest time for us. I'll be canning and dehydrating a bunch of food stuff. I'll put about a pint worth of my maraschino cherries on a tray to dry them out. I'll be making six full loaf pans and assorted mini loaves of my fruitcake to enjoy, entertain, and gift giving at Christmas week.

While I'm dehydrating the cherries on one rack, peaches, apricots, pineapple, white grapes, and figs are dehydrating on the other racks. Some of these are also be going into my fruitcake. The rest go into the stores building for other uses. Late summer is the time for cracking nuts. I used to use walnuts, but they've gotten so darn expensive. I have another friend who grows no chemical, paper shell pecans. He'll let me pick them up and charge me $2.00 a lb. Or, if I bring him my pecan maple cakes $1.50 in a pound for pound trade. It's wonderful having locals to barter within our county.

Now, that we have all the fruity and nutty ingredients done, it's on the the batter and baking of my fruitcakes plus why they go into the refrigerator by Halloween is for next week.

Y'all have a blessed day!

Cockeyed Jo