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Tall glass filled with ice cream and cherries jubilee
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Cherries Jubilee

Cherries jubilee is the easiest classic dessert you'll ever make and is one of my favorites around the holidays. This simple dessert comes together in just 15 minutes and is a great way to add a little something extra to your celebration dessert line up!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 192kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Large saucepan
  • 1 long lighter or match

Ingredients

  • 1 lb cherries fresh or frozen and pitted
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice or orange juice
  • ¼ cup kirsch cherry liquor
  • ¼ cup dark rum
  • vanilla ice cream for serving

Instructions

  • If you're using fresh cherries, remove the pits with a cherry pitter.
  • Add the cherries, brown sugar, and lemon juice to a large pan and begin cooking over medium heat. Stir occasionally while the cherries start to release their juices and the sugar begins to dissolve.
  • Once the cherries have created a syrup, add the kirsch and rum to the pan.
  • Ignite the cherries with a long lighter or long fireplace match, to keep your hand further from the flame.
  • Gently shake the pan while the flame burns, exposing more of the alcohol to the flame. Keep the cherries moving gently (don’t splash them out), until the flame extinguishes itself.
  • Stir together and immediately spoon the cherries and syrup over a scoop of vanilla ice cream and serve.
  • It's best served immediately after making, but leftover cherry jubilee can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.

Notes

  1. You can leave the alcohol out and substitute ¼ cup water and ¼ cup of orange juice, apple juice, or cherry juice if you can find it. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and just let the cherries cook in the syrup until softened, the sugar dissolves and the syrup reduces a little.
  2. Please prepare your space and clear any flammable things around the cooktop before igniting the cherries. After the large flame dies down, there will be a smaller flame closer to the surface that will continue to burn for a few more seconds. Shake or stir the pan to expose more of the alcohol to the flame.
  3. The longer the flame burns the more of the raw alcohol flavor will cook off and the sugars will caramelize and the entertainment will last a little longer! The flame will eventually extinguish when there is no more alcohol to burn. First and foremost please plan ahead and take safety precautions when working with fire. Nothing ruins a party like a burn on your hand or a kitchen fire.
  4. Fresh or frozen cherries will work for this. Frozen cherries are picked at the peak of ripeness and flash-frozen to preserve the fresh seasonal flavor. Sour Cherries, sweet cherries, and bing cherries will all work for this recipe. 

Nutrition

Serving: 2ounces | Calories: 192kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 30mg | Potassium: 214mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 175IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 0.3mg