We Greeks have a great love for spoon sweets, and cherry spoon sweet is one of our favorites. This traditional delicacy, often enjoyed with kaimaki ice cream, yogurt, or simply with a spoon, holds a special place in Greek culinary tradition. Its vibrant, enticing color is a visual feast, while its unique, rich flavor offers a temptation that is impossible to resist. Each spoonful is not just a taste sensation but a journey to another time, evoking cherished memories and a sense of heritage. The process of making cherry spoon sweet, from selecting the most beautiful cherries to carefully filling each jar, is a reminder that the simplest pleasures, like cherry spoon sweet, make life sweeter...
Easy
Total: Aprox. 30 min
Α medium sized jar
Ingredients
- 1 kg large cherries, pitted
- 1200 g sugar
- 250 g water
- 2/3 tsp citric acid/ sour salt + 1 tbs water
- 1 sachet vanillin or 1 tsp vanilla extract
How to
- In a bowl, add the cherries and the sugar and after closing the bowl, refrigerate for 10 - 12 hours.
- In a pot, add the water and the cherries and boil for 10 - 15 minutes, removing the foam.
- Leave the spoon sweet in the syrup for 8 - 10 hours and then boil again for 10 minutes or until it sets.
- In the final boil, add the citric acid (dissolved in 1 tbsp water) and vanillin and stir very carefully.
- Once cooled, transfer to sterile jars and store in a cool, dry, dark place.
Note from Greek jar:
I've tried making the cherry spoon sweet with less sugar, but I ended up with this ratio. Besides the fact that the syrup coats the spoon sweet and helps with proper preservation, it never goes to waste! It goes great with yogurt and ice cream. Both the syrup and the cherry spoon sweet love kaimaki ice cream.
Old recipes mention the use of whitewash (lime and water) to keep the cherries crisp. Soak the cherries in whitewash for 2 - 3 hours and then rinse very well!!!! I avoid this and I think that my spoon sweet is quite crisp without the use of whitewash.
