Kitchen Curious: When life gives you cherries, make slushies
When sweet cherries arrive in a crimson wave rolling across the country from the Northwestern U.S., my fingers soon turn red. Red from pitting dozens of cherries.
Pitted cherries will keep a few days in a covered container in the refrigerator. Easiest snacking ever. When you tire of eating them straight out of the jar, toss some into a fruit salad or bake a cherry upside-down cake (add a squeeze of lime juice for a little burst of tartness). With a jar of pitted cherries in the refrigerator, all things cherry are now within your grasp.
But the highest calling for a batch of pitted cherries may be a cherry-lime slushie. There’s a reason Sonic Drive-In’s Cherry Limeade Slush is a fan favorite. Copycat recipes online call for maraschino cherries and lemon-lime soda. Tasty, no doubt, for some, but not the fresh drink I’m craving.
It was Lyn Deardorff of the Learning Kitchen who taught me to make her version by pureeing fresh cherries with a bit of sugar and lime juice, then turning it into a slushie with the addition of ice. It’s perfect for a hot summer day.
And ripe for customization. Less sweet? More lime? You are in control here. Add more cherries for a thicker drink. More ice for a thicker slush. It’s up to you. If you want a cocktail, add a tablespoon or two of vodka or an aged rum.
The bonus, for those who love to squeeze out every last bit of flavor from their produce, is transforming those cherry pits into cherry syrup with the help of some sugar and time. The result is a rich red, deeply flavored syrup perfect for drizzling over ice cream (move over maraschino cherry on top) or to sweeten a glass of sparkling water.
- 3/4 cup water, more if needed
- 20 pitted fresh cherries
- Juice from 1 lime, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, or to taste
- 1 cup ice
- In the jar of a blender, combine water, cherries, lime juice and sugar. Puree. Add ice and process until mixture is the texture you prefer. Add more water if needed. Serves 1.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 170 calories (percent of calories from fat, 2), 2 grams protein, 40 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, trace fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 8 milligrams sodium.Adapted from a recipe provided by Lyn Deardorff.
- 1 heaping cup cherry pits (from about 100 cherries or 2 pounds)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- Shell of 1/2 juiced lime
- Pinch of salt
- In a pint jar, combine cherry pits, sugar and lime half. Toss until well combined, then cover tightly and set aside for 24 hours. Periodically shake jar to toss the pits around and help the sugar dissolve. Strain syrup through a fine-mesh sieve, season with a pinch of salt. Transfer syrup to a clean jar and refrigerate for up to 1 month. Makes 1/2 cup.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per tablespoon: 53 calories (percent of calories from fat, 1), trace protein, 13 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, trace fat (no saturated fat), no cholesterol, 18 milligrams sodium.Adapted from a recipe at seriouseats.com.
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