MOUNT RAINIER CHERRIES JUBILEE

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Yields: 6 Servings

Comment:
When it comes to choosing the best cherries for making the classic cherries jubilee dessert, I always begin with the hand-picked cherries from Mt. Rainier, Washington. Not only are they beautiful with their multi-colors, but they are wonderfully sweet and adapt well to any liquor. The Bing cherries found in most stores are also a great substitute. This dish is generally credited to Georges Auguste Escoffier, who prepared the dish for Queen Victoria’s Jubilee in the 1880s. The most famous variation since Escoffier’s time is bananas foster.

Ingredients:
1 pound Mount Rainier cherries, rinsed and pitted
6 baked Pepperidge Farms® puff pastry shells
1½ cups orange juice
1 tbsp grated orange zest
¾ cup white sugar
2 tbsps corn starch
¼ cup water
¾ cup cherry brandy or liquor
6 scoops French vanilla ice cream

Method:
Bake pastry shells according to package directions then remove tops. Set aside and keep warm. In a heavy-bottomed sauté pan, combine cherries, orange juice, orange zest and white sugar. Bring to a rolling boil then reduce to simmer. Cook until juice has reduced by half volume and cherries have softened slightly, stirring occasionally. In a small mixing bowl, combine corn starch and water, stirring to dissolve thoroughly. Set aside. Once liquid is reduced, remove pan from heat then add cherry brandy or liquor and return pan to heat. NOTE: Use caution when returning the pan to heat as liquor may ignite. If this happens, simply swirl the pan on the burner until the alcohol burns off and the flame is extinguished. Return contents to a low boil and add corn starch mixture, stirring constantly. Simmer until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. When ready to serve, place 1 scoop of ice cream in each of the warm pastry shells then top with an equal portion of jubilee sauce.