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Black Cherries
- Thread starter firchf1
- Start date
Personally I would use Cherries by them selves fruit wise to keep their flavor, Orange can overpower the flavor.
Cherry and reapers work very well, Pexpeppers make a good sauce with them.
But I wouldn't mix orange in that. I don't know it feel weird...
But I wouldn't mix orange in that. I don't know it feel weird...
cone9
Extreme Member
I like fruit based sauces and I'll offer what I would considered for a black cherry sauce.
You want think about what ingredients will compliment your base, not compete or overpower it.
Black cherries will give the opportunity for a beautiful purple-red color in your final sauce.
- onions will soften the color, red onions will offer a little more of the purple-red.
- orange carrots will shift you to an orange tint in your purple-red sauce. I would use white carrots (if you can find and afford them!) or parsnips
- I like some garlic in most sauces, but don't overpower the black cherries
- a little sweetness will help bring out the cherry flavor. I'd start with just the cherries themselves (a lot of sweetness in them). White sugar or agave nectar are fine, but you may also want to think about white raisins as an alternative
I don't have a recipe for black cherries but here is how I'd shoot-from-the-hip and pencil it together (I like to let any new batch sit a few days, taste and adjust as I see fit before bottling).
1 1/2 - 2 c pitted black cherries - this will give you a strong cherry presence
1 c diced onion
1/2 to 3/4 c parsnip (or white carrot)
1 or 2 cloves of garlic - I'd go easy on garlic against black cherry or leave it out
8 to ?? diced and seeded reaper &/or red scorpions - here the quantity is wide open. Eight scorpions will give you a mild sauce (by THP standards - not great aunt Mary's), two cups of reapers will be pretty hot (by my standards!). So, the choice here is yours.
More peppers will raise the presence of the pepper flavor in your sauce as well as the heat.
1/2 t salt
8 - 10 whole peppercorns
zest of one large lemon
3/4 c water
1/4 c packed diced white raisins (or 1 t white sugar) - if you want to start with some sweetener
optional spices you may consider: 1 whole allspice, a couple cardamom pods, 1/4 t ginger root, and/or some coriander seed. IMO you want spices tucked well in the background behind the base and pepper flavors.
mix all the above, raise heat to boil then simmer 5 minutes covered
add:
1 c white vinegar
juice of one large lemon
Puree - and sample. You can sweeten here if you would like to. White sugar and agave are easy to mix. I like to start with white raisins but find (with my mid level equipment) that it can be difficult to blend new solids to the same grain size when added to already pureed sauces - that's just my experience. Same would apply to adding more peppers if you want more heat/pepper flavor. Don't adjust other seasonings until the sauce has rested a couple days. If you add more solids - heat, simmer and cool before you taste.
If you plan to bottle for shelf storage check to ph first.
Hope this helps and wasn't too windy.
You want think about what ingredients will compliment your base, not compete or overpower it.
Black cherries will give the opportunity for a beautiful purple-red color in your final sauce.
- onions will soften the color, red onions will offer a little more of the purple-red.
- orange carrots will shift you to an orange tint in your purple-red sauce. I would use white carrots (if you can find and afford them!) or parsnips
- I like some garlic in most sauces, but don't overpower the black cherries
- a little sweetness will help bring out the cherry flavor. I'd start with just the cherries themselves (a lot of sweetness in them). White sugar or agave nectar are fine, but you may also want to think about white raisins as an alternative
I don't have a recipe for black cherries but here is how I'd shoot-from-the-hip and pencil it together (I like to let any new batch sit a few days, taste and adjust as I see fit before bottling).
1 1/2 - 2 c pitted black cherries - this will give you a strong cherry presence
1 c diced onion
1/2 to 3/4 c parsnip (or white carrot)
1 or 2 cloves of garlic - I'd go easy on garlic against black cherry or leave it out
8 to ?? diced and seeded reaper &/or red scorpions - here the quantity is wide open. Eight scorpions will give you a mild sauce (by THP standards - not great aunt Mary's), two cups of reapers will be pretty hot (by my standards!). So, the choice here is yours.
More peppers will raise the presence of the pepper flavor in your sauce as well as the heat.
1/2 t salt
8 - 10 whole peppercorns
zest of one large lemon
3/4 c water
1/4 c packed diced white raisins (or 1 t white sugar) - if you want to start with some sweetener
optional spices you may consider: 1 whole allspice, a couple cardamom pods, 1/4 t ginger root, and/or some coriander seed. IMO you want spices tucked well in the background behind the base and pepper flavors.
mix all the above, raise heat to boil then simmer 5 minutes covered
add:
1 c white vinegar
juice of one large lemon
Puree - and sample. You can sweeten here if you would like to. White sugar and agave are easy to mix. I like to start with white raisins but find (with my mid level equipment) that it can be difficult to blend new solids to the same grain size when added to already pureed sauces - that's just my experience. Same would apply to adding more peppers if you want more heat/pepper flavor. Don't adjust other seasonings until the sauce has rested a couple days. If you add more solids - heat, simmer and cool before you taste.
If you plan to bottle for shelf storage check to ph first.
Hope this helps and wasn't too windy.
cone9
Extreme Member
Hi Grant, I'd gladly send along a bottle if I had some. I'd like to taste that myself.
It just occurred to me as I read your post that the OP said black cherries and my mind I was thinking Bing Cherries!
Now, that's a flavor difference and a significant sugar difference. So, my musings above would sure need more sweetening, wouldn't it?
Plus there would be a lots of pits to deal with, better to juice up the cherries first.
It just occurred to me as I read your post that the OP said black cherries and my mind I was thinking Bing Cherries!
Now, that's a flavor difference and a significant sugar difference. So, my musings above would sure need more sweetening, wouldn't it?
Plus there would be a lots of pits to deal with, better to juice up the cherries first.