Cherries with Basil and Vanilla Ice Cream

First, I have to say that pitting cherries is extremely daunting, but definitely not as tedious as I had hyped it up to be.  I pitted about three pounds in less than 15 minutes.   Not bad, I say. 

Since the delicious Rainer cherries have been in peak season the past few weeks, we've been eating them up constantly.  However, I wanted to make something that we could freeze in order to enjoy these cherries all year round.  I stumbled across this recipe at Sweet Preservation. I didn't follow the recipe exactly as I only had three pounds of cherries compared to eight, but I basically just modified it for my amount.  Also, I chose to freeze my cherries, rather than can them, since, again, I only had 3lbs versus 8lbs. 

The recipe itself turned out delicious.  The hint of basil makes these cherries excellent for sweet and savory foods.  For example, the cherries paired with vanilla ice cream is truly delectable.  I also plan to try them with French toast, pancakes, and salmon.  If you were wondering what to do with all the luscious cherries at your local grocer or farmer's market, this is it!

Don't they look beautiful!

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