Cherries jubilee is an old school classic French dessert though it was invented in England. It’s super easy to make and utterly delicious. The recipe is credited to the great French chef Auguste Escoffier, who created the dish in honour of the the Queen Victoria’s diamond Jubilee celebrations in 1897.
The dish is made with cherries and liqueur typically Kirsch or Cassis, which is flambeed and usually served as a sauce over vanilla ice cream. It’s also known as cherries flambée…
Recipe for Cherries Jubilee
1 tablespoon of arrowroot or cornflour
2/3 cup/ 150ml Creme de cassis
Grated zest and juice of 1 large orange
2 ¼ cup/ 500g/ 18oz Whole cherries- pitted and stalks removed
3 cups/ 500g/ 14oz Vanilla ice cream
½ cup/ 100ml Water
4 tablespoons brandy
Method
Mix 1 tablespoon of the arrowroot/cornflour with 2-3 tablespoons of the water to form a paste.
Add the rest of the water to a pan with the cassis, orange zest and juice. Bring to the boil and add the paste. Stir until thick and clear.
Add the cherries and heat for 3 minutes.
Remove the cherries from the heat, pour in the brandy and light it (with a long lighter, safely). It will create a whoosh of flame which then dies down to a blue flame. Shake the cherries gently and make sure they don’t burn. This reduces the raw alcohol and caramelises the sugar.
Allow it to cool a little and pour over the ice cream!
Delicious!
Find more deliciously fruity French recipes in the deserts section, including:
Tarte Reine-Claude – easy to make and plum lovely!
Apple and blackberry clafoutis – resistance is futile…
Apple tart like maman used to make by top chef Daniel Galmiche
French lemon tart by 3 Michelin star chef Gérald Passedat
