Cherries In Red Wine Food

CHERRIES SIMMERED IN RED WINE

Steps:

• Stir wine and sugar in heavy large saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add cherries. Bring to boil. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer cherries to medium bowl.
• Boil cooking liquid until reduced to 2 cups, about 25 minutes. Mix in orange peel, almond extract and nutmeg. Cool. Pour syrup over cherries; toss. Cover; chill until cold. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.) Spoon cherry mixture into bowls and serve.

FILET MIGNON WITH CHERRY-BALSAMIC REDUCTION

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a small heavy metal or ceramic saucepan. Add shallots and cook until they are soft and wilted, not browned (about 3 minutes). Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the wine, preserves, vinegar and cherries. Increase the heat to bring the sauce to a light boil, stirring occasionally. Let the sauce reduce to half the original amount (about 10-12 minutes). It should get thick and syrupy.
• When the sauce is almost done, preheat broiler. Pat steaks dry and sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the steaks. Broil to the desired level of doneness.
• For rare steaks: cook 2 1/2 minutes per side; for medium rare, cook 3 minutes per side; for medium, cook 3 1/2 minutes per side; for medium well, 4 minutes per side.
• To serve, serve steaks on a serving platter and sauce on the side. Or you can spoon sauce over each steak served on individual plates.

CHERRIES IN PINOT NOIR WINE

Steps:

• Rinse and drain cherries.
• Discard stems and pit the cherries.
• In a medium saucepan, add water and brown sugar; bring to a simmer.
• Add red wine and lemon zest.
• Bring back to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• Add the pitted cherries; let mixture return to a simmer for 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat, cover with a lid, and let cool to room temperature.
• After mixture has cooled, refrigerate over night.
• Spoon cherries and liquid into individual serving bowls.
• Serve with your favorite wafers, cookies or ice cream.

POACHED CHERRIES WITH RICOTTA

Steps:

• Place cherries in a large, shallow, heat-proof bowl; set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine wine, sugar, vanilla bean and seeds, basil, and lemon zest. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Pour hot liquid over cherries. Set aside until mixture is room temperature and cherries are slightly soft, about 1 hour.
• Drain cherries, reserving the poaching liquid. Discard basil, vanilla bean, and lemon zest. Return cherries to large bowl. Place reserved poaching liquid in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; continue to boil until liquid has reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes. Pour hot liquid over cherries. Chill for a minimum of 1 hour or overnight. Serve in shallow bowls, topped with a spoonful of ricotta.