Stewed Balsamic Cherries with Carmelized Onions

by Debra Ross

I'm sorry for the imprecise nature of this recipe: I'm a publisher, not a chef.

And, as you can see from the photo, stewed balsamic cherries are not much to look at. They look like kind of a maroon mush.

But this is the most delicious (and elegant) way I've ever seen to make cherries last a long time, AND impress your friends.

1. Pit a bunch of cherries (I don't know what I did before I got my cherry pitter; I'm fine with this cheap one for only about $5-$7 or so, but there are pricier models as well).

2. Thinly slice some onions until you have about 1-and-a-half times the volume of your cherries (or more...I like onions).

3. Saute the onions in a pot the stove in some butter or olive oil or however you like to caramelize them.

4. Add the cherries to your onions.

5. Add balsamic vinegar to the mixture...about 1/4 cup of vinegar for every cup of cherries.

6. Cook them all down, stirring frequently, about half an hour or somewhat more, depending on the consistency you want for the cherries.

I love serving this with brie on toast, and also with grilled meat. And the vinegar preserves it all nicely... it lasts a while in the fridge and I've even frozen it for revitalization later in the year. Also, I occasionally throw a handful of blueberries in there if I have an overabundance of them.

© 2013, KidsOutAndAbout.com

Debra Ross is publisher of KidsOutAndAbout.com.