Amarena Cherries
Last Sunday, I was perusing Brooklyn Larder (an amazing store in Park Slope focused on cheese, handmade prepared food, and specialty grocery) with friends when I came across these Amarena cherries. I happened to read about them just the week before, so I was giddy that fate intervened and there they were right before me. The thrill of food discovery on a random afternoon at my fingertips, I nabbed a bottle, cracked it open in the store (after paying of course…) and plastic spooned a few of them into my mouth. HEAVEN.
Amarena cherries are small, dark, sour cherries from the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy. They are preserved in a tart, sugar syrup, and this particular brand includes ingredients like clove, cinnamon, lemon peel and sweet almond oil, a truly spectacular combination. There is another brand that is a bit more popular, Fabbri, with a nearly hundred-year-old tradition, a cool porcelain bottle and (of course!) a secret syrup recipe…
In my opinion, these cherries are everything a cherry should be – sweet, a bit tart, soft but still toothsome, with a robust cherry flavor. My mind has been racing with ways to use these in cooking; I feel like I have to really highlight their taste, so look out for recipes in the coming weeks. Otherwise, these make an incredible topping for ice cream or panna cotta. I envision them in a simple champagne cocktail or spooned over a sponge cake with whipped cream for a cherry shortcake of sorts. It’s completely legal as a breakfast food, so I can only imagine how incredible these would be on top of hot, cinnamon waffles.
Unfortunately, these luscious cherries are not cheap because they are imported from Italy and a high quality product. BUT they are completely splurge-worthy! and I’m sure they go a long way if you are not opening up the fridge, cracking off the top and spoon feeding yourself at intervals like I am…