Showpiece · Flambé · Secretly fast

Cherries
Jubilee

Name: Cherries Jubilee
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 450 g sweet cherries; 50 g sugar; 1 orange; 10 g cornstarch; 45 ml kirsch or brandy; 1 good vanilla ice cream

The showstopper that's secretly fast — maximum drama, genuinely little work. The wow-without-the-woe recipe.

~15 min total 3–4 min cook full attention at the stove

Spoon cost

Time ●○○○○ Some Doing

VegetarianGluten-Free

Servingsamounts scale to match

Units

Ingredients

Never cut the citrus or the flambé. Low-acid Bings need the orange, and burning off the raw alcohol is what leaves the warm, round depth behind. Safety: clear the area above the pan, never pour spirits from the bottle into a lit pan, and keep a lid nearby to smother.

Before you start

Get these into the state the recipe asks for first — the steps that use them won't wait.

The cornstarch slurry stirred together (cornstarch + 1 tbsp cold water) and the kirsch measured into a small cup — once the cherries are glossy it moves fast, and you don't want to be mixing a slurry or free-pouring liquor near a flame
A long lighter or long match within reach, and a clear path from the pan to the ice cream — the flambé is lit off the heat and burns out in seconds — for safety as much as speed, have everything set before you start

Method

Cook's notes

Off-season you can use jarred cherries, but fresh Bings are the point here.

Safety, again because it matters: clear the space above the pan, keep the bottle away from the flame, and have a lid ready to smother if needed.

Easier, if you like

A cherry pitter turns the pitting from a stained, sticky slog into a couple of minutes — the Tool Kit has the two worth owning.
Frozen pitted cherries mean no pitting — cook them straight from frozen; they'll release juice as they warm.
Off-season, a jar of good dark sweet cherries (drained) stands in fine — fresh Bings are best, but this one is forgiving.

Make it vegan or dairy-free

Vegan / dairy-free: the cherries themselves are already dairy-free — just spoon them over a good vegan vanilla ice cream.