Cherries Jubilee
CHERRIES JUBILEE
Depending on what's handy on our bar, we make jubilee with bourbon, cognac, or kirsch. If you are serving bourbon Old-Fashioneds to start, the bourbon Cherries Jubilee is a nice way to round out the evening.
SERVES 3 to 4
INGREDIENTS
1 pound ripe Bing cherries, pitted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup brandy
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
1. In a heavy medium-sized skillet, combine the cherries, sugar, lemon zest, and 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice. Cook over low heat until all the sugar is dissolved, 3 to 5 minutes. Increase the heat and cook for 4 to 6 minutes more to release the juices and develop flavor.
2. Remove from the heat, add the brandy, and light with a long match. Swirl for 30 seconds or so until the flame burns off.
3. Immediately serve over vanilla ice cream.
(Note: must heat the liqueur first, then pour over caramelized bananas, then light, because of the lower alcohol percentage in liqueurs (40%) as opposed to rum (80%) will be more difficult to flame)