Cherries Jubilee is a classic flambeed dessert making a wonderful boozy cherry sauce to top vanilla ice cream or other desserts. It's a sight to behold and makes any meal extra special. Easy to make!
1poundfresh Sweet Cherriesrinsed, destemmed and pitted (frozen, thawed sweet cherries may be substituted)
¼cupKirshwasser(cherry liqueur)
½cupGranulated Sugar
2tablespoonsLemon Juice
½cupBrandy
1pintVanilla Ice Creamor other dessert to serve on
Instructions
Combine the pitted cherries and Kirsch in a sealed container and allow to sit for an hour, turning the container periodically to douse the cherries.
Add the contents to a large, heavy shallow skillet. Sprinkle on the sugar and lemon juice and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Allow to cook for 5 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Carefully pour the brandy into the skillet and light the liquid toward the outside of the pan (by an edge) with a long match or utility lighter. It will spread across the pan on its own.NOTE:The skillet will flambé however the fire may be almost invisible. Allow the fire to burn out by itself; 2-3 minutes.
Scoop ice vanilla ice cream into 4 bowls and top with the warm cherry mixture. Serve immediately.
Notes
Adapted from The Joy of Cooking.Tips for safe Flambeeing
The key when flambeeing (pronounced flam-bay-ing) is to have an uncluttered space around the stove burner.
Cook this recipe in a shallow pan with low sides. Do not use a sauce pan or Dutch oven.
Take the pan off the heat before flambeeing.
Use a long utensil to light the liquid; like a utility lighter or a fireplace match.
Light the liquid on the side of the skillet. The flames will quickly naturally travel over the entire skillet and burn out on their own in 2-3 minutes (you don't need to light it in more than one place). Light it and stand back.
The flames can reach fairly high! Stay away from the open flame.
There can be invisible flames or a blue flame making it difficult to see. It's very important to stay out of the way of the skillet until the flame dies down.
Flambéeing a recipe does remove some of the alcohol but not all of it so this is a dessert for adults!