Preserving summer's bounty: 2 recipes for brandied cherries -- 1 sweet and 1 spicy

The winter table can look quite bleak when sticking to a small grocery budget. By preserving some of the abundance of summer, in vinegars, preserves, pickles and sauces, I have interesting ingredients to add to the menus, during those lean months of December, January, February and March. 

I also enjoy being prepared for last-minute gift-giving (hostess gifts, thank you gifts, birthdays between friends and just-because gifts). These last minute gifts just take a quick decant into a lovely bottle or jar, a ribbon bow and a pretty little handmade label.

This week, our cherry trees are ripening. In addition to simply plucking them from the branches and popping into my mouth, I like to save just a hint of summer's grand flavor.

Brandied cherries can be as simple as sweet cherries infused with a brandied sugar syrup, or for a boost in flavor, add some whole spices to your solution. We have two cherry trees in our yard, one with sweet red cherries, and the other with purple Bing-style cherries. I like to make the sweet solution for the purple cherries, and the spiced solution for the sweet reds.

For basic sweet brandied cherries:

Simple Brandied Cherries

2 lbs sweet cherries
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1/3 cup brandy
3 to 4 pint-sized jars

Sterilize jars (about 3 to 4 pints, one of which will be for leftover syrup).

Pit cherries. (I use a pitter, but every few cherries, the pit is stubborn and I have to push it out with a small straw or coffee stir stick.)

In a medium saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Add pitted cherries and simmer 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in brandy. With a slotted spoon, scoop cherries into sterile jars. Add brandy syrup to cover. Pour remaining brandy syrup in a separate jar, to use on ice cream, crepes, cake, or in trifle.

Refrigerate for a month before using. Will keep in the fridge for a year.


For a heavier brandied cherry, with a spicy note, these Spiced Bandied Cherries make a nice gift, or a holiday table addition.

Spiced Brandied Cherries

1  1/2 to 1  3/4 lbs sweet cherries
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
small pinch (about 8 seeds) of cardamom seeds
1 cup brandy
1 quart jar with lid

Sterilize jar.

Pit cherries, set aside.

In a medium saucepan bring sugar, water, lemon juice and spices to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and add brandy and cherries. Toss cherries well in syrup.

Spoon cherries and spices into jar, covering cherries completely with spiced brandy syrup. If I am short of syrup, I mix up equal parts of brandy and water by the tablespoon, to top the cherries (or I just eat several cherries right then and there).

Cap the jar, and give it a gentle shake. For the first month, every few days, the jar needs turning, to insure all of the cherries are infused with the brandy solution. Store in the refrigerator for 6 weeks before consuming.

If gifting these, after the "ripening" process, I decant into pretty little 1/2-pint or 1-pint jars. I add 1 fresh cinnamon stick to each jar, more for looks than flavor. And I make sure to include "keep refrigerated" on my label, along with suggestions for use.

Spiced Brandied Cherries are delicious spooned over vanilla ice cream, plain cake squares (vanilla or chocolate), in triffle, dipped in chocolate, or simply in a dish on the dessert buffet during the holidays. My personal favorite is chocolate-covered cherries. I drain the cherries well, then dip in melted dark chocolate.


Either of these recipes can also be processed in a hot water bath, for 10 minutes, if you wish to store them in a cupboard or pantry.

Homemade baking powder

If you look at the label on your commercial baking powder, you'll most likely see that it's double-acting. This means that it becomes active at two points during baking, once when exposed to liquids and again when exposed to a heat source.

Homemade baking powder is single-acting. It activates upon exposure to liquids. Any products that you bake with single-acting baking powder will need to move from mixing to cooking/baking right away. This effect is more pronounced with something like a cake, than a batch of pancakes. (My last pancake in a batch comes out just as fluffy as the first.)

That said, there are some good reasons to mix up your own baking powder.

• you may have run out of baking powder and don't have time to rush out to buy more
• your baking powder may be past expiry and you don't want to "risk it" (to test, stir 1 teaspoon of baking powder into 1/3 cup of hot water; you should see very active bubbling right away)
• if you buy your ingredients smartly (in bulk, not those tiny little jars), you may save money by making your own baking powder
• you can avoid ingredients that you wish to minimize in your diet (aluminum and corn products, for example)
• the flavor in baked goods is better (some commercial baking powders leave a slight bitter after-taste)

The basic recipe for baking powder is:

1 part baking soda
1 part starch *
2 parts cream of tartar

* the starch can be corn starch, potato starch, tapioca starch or arrowroot. Make sure you are using "starch" and not "flour", for this part of the recipe.

I use arrowroot or tapioca starch, whichever I happen to have in my cupboard at the time. The addition of starch allows you to store your homemade baking powder for several months. Starch absorbs moisture, preventing activation of your baking powder while in the cupboard.

You can also make a substitute without the starch, one recipe at a time ( 1/4 teaspoon baking soda + 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar = 1 teaspoon baking powder).


To have homemade, aluminum-free /corn-free baking powder on hand, I make about 1/2 cup at a time, following these measures:

1/8 cup baking soda
1/8 cup tapioca starch or arrowroot (potato or corn starch also works well)
1/4 cup cream of tartar

In a small bowl, I add the baking soda. I mash the lumps out of the baking soda with the back of a spoon. Then I whisk in the starch and cream of tartar.

For a uniform product, I then pass all of this through a sifter (a sieve or mesh strainer will also work). Use this measure per measure in recipes.

Store in an airtight jar. Homemade baking powder maintains it's maximum effectiveness for about 6 months. 

I occasionally find soft lumps in the baking powder. But these smash out with the back of the measuring spoon, as I'm scooping out what I need for a recipe.