DIY Boozy Sour Cherries

Every time, I’ve decided to do some canning this summer I am reminded of my grandmother and my mom.

When I was growing up in Nebraska, these two matriarchs would spend countless hours in the kitchen preserving our garden’s apples, cherries, peaches and pears. I remember the canning process being a hot mess in the kitchen. Come winter though, I certainly didn’t mind having a bowl of preserved peaches for dessert.

It's the very end of cherry season at Hala Mirowska.

But I know my grandmother never would have thought about making a batch of boozy cherries like I did. For whatever reason, I decided I wanted to preserve some cherries and started looking for recipe ideas online. My husband likes making Manhattans now and then, so homemade maraschino cherries sounded like a good recipe.

Yet, most of the recipes I found called for ingredients that I don’t have such as:

Pomegranate juice

Pure cherry juice

Almond extract

Italian maraschino liqueur made from Marasca cherries

Sure, I’ll run right out to my nearest Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. Oh, like 5,000 miles away from Poland! Maybe some of the ingredients can be found here, but I don’t know yet.

The Poles do make their own cherry liqueur, but the flavor reminds me a bit of cherry-flavored Nyquil. I don’t mind this liqueur as a shot now and then, but I didn’t want to steep a batch of fresh cherries in it.

So, let’s talk about commercial maraschino cherries. Have you ever looked at the ingredient listing on the back? It’s pretty disgusting! The label reads: cherries, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural and artificial flavors, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, FD&C red #40 (a petroleum-based product for that neon red color) and sulfur dioxide. (You can read how American maraschino cherries are basically bleached and processed here.)

I even found neon green and blue processed cherries at the store. Yuck!

So I found a way to make my own boozy cherries using whiskey. Bourbon would work well too. I don’t like drinking Manhattans, but I did like the flavor of these delicious boozed-up cherries. The recipe couldn’t be simpler too, I promise!

Hmm….I’m wondering how these cherries would taste as an ice cream topping?

Cheers! Şerefe! Na zdrowie!

Boozy sour cherries are the perfect garnish for a Manhattan cocktail.

Boozy Sour Cherries
Yields: 4-5 pints

500      g.         (16 oz.)            sour cherries (pitted) (Frozen ones would work here.)
Juice from                               1/2 a lemon
1          ea.                                vanilla bean, split2

1-2      ea.                                cinnamon stick
220      g.         (1 c.)                granulated sugar
500      ml.       (2 c.)                whiskey or bourbon

In a medium-sized pot, combine your booze of choice with the sugar, vanilla bean, cinnamon stick, sugar and lemon juice. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. If you have a gas burner, be very careful so your pot doesn’t flame up.

Place cherries in the jars. Ladle hot liquid into the jars, leaving a ¼-inch headspace. Seal.

You can either refrigerate the jars now, or proceed with canning. Place jars into boiling water and process for 10 minutes.

Once canned, let cool. Age in a cool, dark place.

So, who wants a jar of boozy sour cherries for Christmas?

More recipes:

DIY Maraschino Cherries

This NY Times recipe for Maraschino Cherries is popular.

More cherry ideas from a fabulous preserving site called Punk Domestics.

A scientific approach for Cocktail Cherries.

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Roasted Turkish Figs with Polish Honey

Imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon Turkish figs at a gourmet grocery store here in Warsaw.

What?

Yep, I found several boxes of sublime, purple figs from Antakya, Turkey, at my neighborhood Piotr & Pawel, which is kind of like a local Whole Foods store. Antakya is a city in southern Turkey, near the Syrian border, and is located more than 3,000 km away from Warsaw!

Ecstatic, I purchased several of these luscious, rare treats at 1 PLN each (60 Turkish kuruş or .30 U.S. cents). In Istanbul at the pazar, I normally could buy a whole kilo of these for just 5 TL! Still, the price here in Warsaw is much better than what I would pay on the East Coast back home.

August and September always seemed like peak fig season in Turkey. The pazar stalls would be filled with perfectly stacked figs. This year, I’m missing out since we moved to Poland. However, to keep looking on the bright side, I have enjoyed the bountiful berry season in my new home. I try to keep my complaints at a minimum.

Once home, I was unsure what to do with my precious fig cargo. Dessert or salad?

I started thumbing through my Turkish cookbooks. In Aegean Flavours, Istanbul chef Didem Şenol, owner of Lokanta Maya restaurant, roasts Turkish figs with honey, crushed almonds and rosemary. I took that idea and simply tossed my figs with Polish honey and roasted them in the oven until they were softened.

For an afternoon tea-time snack, I took a few of these still warm figs and topped them with dollops of whipped vanilla cream and crushed Turkish pistachios.

Last night, I took the remaining roasted figs, added them to an arugula-tomato salad and drizzled them with Turkish nar ekşisi. Italian balsamic vinegar would work well here too. Unfortunately, the leftover figs did oxidize so they didn’t look the best, but still tasted wonderful.

Sometimes simplicity really is best in cooking.

Smacznego!

A delicious afternoon snack with a glass of Turkish tea at home.

Roasted Turkish Figs with Polish Honey

Figs – washed, sliced in half

Honey

Pinch of sea salt

Simply, place the halved figs in a bowl. Drizzle a few tablespoons of honey over the figs and add a pinch of sea salt.

Place in a glass baking dish or on a tray covered with baking paper. Bake at 350F/176C for 10-15 minutes until figs are softened.

Let cool slightly before using in a salad or serving for dessert.

For dessert, whip a bit of heavy cream with a pinch of vanilla or plain granulated sugar in a bowl. Place dollops of sweetened cream on top of the figs. Garnish with crushed pistachios or nuts of your choice.

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Blackberry & Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Before berry season ends, I should share this super delicious summer ice cream recipe with you!

I’ve finally figured how to work my 220v machine so I don’t blow a fuse. That way I can fulfill my marriage vows of making homemade ice cream for my husband at least once a year. He’s one lucky guy, let me tell you!

From one of my favorite foodie blogs, October Farm, I stumbled upon this recipe for blackberry & chocolate chip ice cream on another blog called Gourmandistan, written by a food-loving couple in Kentucky. This recipe caught my eye because the market stalls at Hala Mirowska have been flooded with berries.

This is how I buy my berries and eggs at Hala Mirowska in Warsaw.

I can make only so many berry-flavored vodkas as well as freeze and eat so many berries for breakfast, so of course they must be used in desserts.

I actually love making ice cream and probably could make it in my sleep. I used to make several ice cream batches a day when I worked in restaurants full-time. Now, I only make ice cream as an occasional treat at home.

Homemade ice cream is really worth the effort, especially when there's chocolate involved! I promise! 

Smacznego!

Blackberry & Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
(Adapted from Gourmandistan’s recipe)

Yields: about 1 quart

425      g.         (3 cups)           fresh blackberries, rinsed

Juice from ½                           a lemon

55        g.         (1/4 c.)             granulated sugar

180      ml.       (6 oz.)              milk

110      g.         (1/2 c.)             granulated sugar

Pinch                                       salt

3          ea.                                egg yolks from large eggs

180      ml.       (6 oz.)              heavy cream (I used 36% Polish cream.)

½         tsp.                              vanilla extract

100      g.         (3.5 oz.)           dark chocolate, chopped small

1.         In a small pot, combine the blackberries with the lemon juice and first amount of sugar. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes until the berries are softened. Then, purée this mixture with a hand stick blender or in a food processor. Strain through a fine-meshed strainer to remove the seeds. Set aside to cool.

2.         In a medium-sized pot, heat the milk, sugar and salt together until the sugar is dissolved.

3.         In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Then slowly pour some of the warm milk mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed yolks back into the pot. This is the tempering stage of making a custard...i.e. ice cream in this case.

4.         Cook the custard, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula, which takes just a few minutes. This stage is known as nappe in French cooking. If using an instant read thermometer, it should read around 170ºF (77ºC). I always do this stage by eyeballing it. If I can run my finger through the custard on the back of the spoon and the lines don’t run together, then the custard is done. Strain.

5.         Let the mixture cool slightly over an ice bath. When cool, add the blackberry puree, heavy cream and vanilla extract. I used my hand stick blender again.

6.         Refrigerate the mixture thoroughly, preferably overnight, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

7.         When your ice cream base is almost done spinning (about 20 minutes later), add the chopped chocolate.

8.         Transfer your homemade ice cream to a plastic container and allow to harden for several hours or overnight in the freezer. (I always sample a spoonful or two before I freeze it!)

Note: We like dark chocolate, but we found the 90% chocolate bar to be too bitter. Next time, I’d stick with using 60 or 70% dark chocolate.

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Istanbul’s Bridges at Night

The Bosphorus has mesmerized and captivated me many times.

It’s one of the dozens of reasons I keep returning to Istanbul. It’s as if some mystical force keeps pulling me back in; or maybe it’s simply the pure beauty of the Bosphorus.

Whatever the reason, I’ve decided to make another visit to Istanbul later in September. Yesterday, I booked my tickets and then started looking through three years worth of photos since it was a chilly, rainy day here in Warsaw. I realized how much photo editing still remains to be done.

One of the recurrent images in these photos is the city’s bridges – the Bosphorus Bridge, Fatih Sultan Memhet Bridge (the second bridge), Galata Bridge and the lesser known ones that span the Golden Horn. At night, the first two suspension bridges always are lit up with colorful lights ranging from solid colors to a full rainbow. (Hmm...I wonder if the Turkish government will end up banning the bridge’s rainbow colors after the recent debacle around the rainbow-painted steps in the Fındıklı-Cihangir nieghborhood.)

Anyway, you’ll find hundreds of restaurants with prime locations along the water or on the city’s hilltops where you can gaze at the bridges while you eat your Turkish mezes. We often took visitors to Reina and the manmade island of SuAda for their views when we lived in Istanbul. Last year, we also enjoyed a splendid dinner at Ulus 29 for our second wedding anniversary and watched the lights change on the Bosphorus Bridge.

Looking out from SuAda to the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul.

It’s interesting to think about how many of my memories end up revolving around the city’s bridges. I never realized it until I started looking through all our photos yesterday.

Vapur rides.

Visits from family and friends.

Special dinners.

Turkish breakfasts on the weekend.

Goodbyes.

So I hope you enjoy my trip down memory lane. Soon, I’ll have some new memories from Istanbul to share with you.

The Bosphorus Bridge at dusk as seen from a park just north of Ortaköy.

The rainbow colors displayed on the Fatih Sultan Memhet Bridge.

Looking out over the Golden Horn from Mikla's rooftop bar.

View of Fatih Sultan Memhet Bridge from Tapasuma Restaurant on the Asian side.

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A Colorful Multicultural Parade in Warsaw: Photo Post

On Sunday, we set out to watch and photograph the shortest, and perhaps most colorful, parade we’ve ever seen.

The parade, part of the seventh annual Multicultural Warsaw Street Party, kicked off Sunday afternoon at Plac Bankowy in downtown Warsaw. This event is billed as a street festival that “promotes multiculturalism through joyful fun” according to the organizer’s website, Kontynent Warszawa.

I thought the parade would be fun for photos while my husband informed me that he hates parades. Guess we’ve never been to a parade in the seven years that we’ve been together. Well, I dragged him to the parade anyway with the promise of lunch and a beer afterwards.

Later on, I think hubby was a little happy he tagged along as we watched the pretty gals shake their tail feathers down the parade route. However, I suspect the majority of the women were Polish dressed up in Brazilian, African and other dance costumes. I discovered later that many of the dancers were representing local companies that offer African, flamenco, salsa, samba, tango and other dance classes.

Still it was a fun parade, and I give the participants props for their contagious enthusiasm. You couldn't help but want to dance to the vibrant beats or at least stomp your foot to the rhythm.

Hope you enjoy the photos!

 

I was impressed with these local drummers, especially the gal in front.

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Finally Finding Süleymaniye Camii in Istanbul

I don’t know why, but Süleymaniye Camii always seemed unattainable to me.

Proudly perched on one of the city’s Seven Hills overlooking my beloved Eminönü, the mosque always seemed to mock me. 

Elusive.

A view of Süleymaniye Camii from the Golden Horn.

I had trekked all over Istanbul, from Arnavutköy to Zeytinburnu, but somehow couldn’t reach the city’s largest mosque. I would weave through the maze of streets leading to the mosque, catching a glimpse of it now and then, but then it would disappear out of sight. I was always in a hurry; and thought, 'someday I'll get there.'

Finally, in the last weeks leading up to our move, we made a bucket list of things remaining to do in Istanbul. Visiting the Süleymaniye Camii was a priority on our list. (Seeing the Seaviews from the Sağır Han also made the list.) That someday was now.

The view of Süleymaniye Camii as seen from Atatürk Bulvarı.

Instead of trekking through the backstreets of Eminönü or coming from the Grand Bazaar, we took a public bus to the Valens Aqueduct. For whatever reason, we thought it would be easier to approach from this direction. Plus, I got some good photos of this Roman aqueduct that used to serve the citizens of Constantinople.

After a 10-minute walk through some dusty city streets, we finally reached Süleymaniye Camii, which was finished in 1557, designed by the Ottoman Empire’s greatest architect, Mimar Sinan, and named after Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. The mosque dominates the city’s Third Hill and overlooks the Golden Horn. You even have seaviews from the Bosphorus to the Asian side.

How had I missed this grand mosque?

Unfortunately, we timed our visit just before the afternoon call to prayer. We didn’t have much time to admire the interior’s detailed, painted dome and colorful, stained glass windows. The mosque underwent extensive restorations, costing 21 million TL, between 2008-2010.

Still, it’s difficult not to immediately be wowed by Sinan’s masterpiece. The mosque is beautiful.

Outside the mosque, we watched as Turks performed their washing ablutions and then strolled around the peaceful grounds. You easily could spend an hour in this area. Nearby is Sinan’s tomb as well.

After taking all the photos I wanted, we continued to stroll down towards Vefa so my husband could try Turkish boza for the first time. Let's just say that I like the fermented drink better than he does. We also found a quaint, second-hand bookstore called Labirent Kitap Evi that’s worth a stop.

Now, I think that visiting the Süleymaniye Camii and drinking boza should be on everyone’s to-do list in Istanbul.

How to get here:

You can walk from the Grand Bazaar to here; or, take any of the public buses from Taksim, Eminönü or Karaköy that are heading to Unkapanı.

Süleymaniye Mah.

Şifahane Sokak (See map)

Istanbul

• The mosque is open every day for free, but donations are suggested.
• Be sure to heed the call to prayer times which you can find here.

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Warsaw’s Saturday Market in Zoliborz

Homemade fruit preserves, ricotta and goat cheese balls preserved in olive oil.

Chorizo quesadillas and beef tacos with habanero chili salsa.

Locally grown fruits, vegetables and herbs.

Had we been transported back to hipster Brooklyn or some other NYC neighborhood? Nope, we were still in Warsaw.

On Saturday, we discovered a new open-air farmer’s market cum food truck center in Warsaw’s neighborhood of Zoliborz, just a 10-minute bike ride from our apartment. This market, called TargŚniadaniowy (Breakfast Market), is open every Saturday from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. until September 14. Only three more weekends to go!

We were surprised to stumble across this market thanks to my daily Warsaw Foodie emails; and, I was in foodie heaven!

We did a quick walk-through to see what food options were available. Ethiopian food, tacos, pierogies, Polish fruit crepes, grilled chicken, roast beef sandwiches, pastries galore and homemade popsicles were some of the options. We selected the Jakie Taco?! food truck at the end of the market for our late-morning breakfast. For dessert later, I had a homemade raspberry and yogurt popsicle.

Delicious food truck offerings in Warsaw!

This market definitely catered to the young 20 and 30-something crowd and was family friendly. Toddlers were rolling about on picnic blankets or being pushed in strollers everywhere. I also heard more English spoken here by other foreigners than I have in any other place.

Only two stalls sold fresh fruit and vegetables, but that was all I really needed. We also snagged some fresh ricotta cheese and a jar of those aforementioned goat cheese balls from a local cheesemaker.

With Targ Śniadaniowy being so close to where we live, you can bet that will be back in the upcoming Saturdays!

Just a taste of what was available at Targ Śniadaniowy.

How to get there:

The market is located in the park at the end of Aleja Wojska Polskiego. I would recommend walking or riding bikes as parking is limited. There also are several tram stops in the area.

Here's a link to Other markets in Warsaw.

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