Our family recently took a trip to the Balkans. My little sister lives in Sarajevo running The Doctor's House hostel (top ranked of its kind in the city, I might add!), and she got married to a great local guy last month. We all went to be part of the special day. We really loved all the culture and history we experienced there and throughout the region. We ate so many wonderful, local things, but one treat was some slatko, a type of fruit syrup, made by my new brother-in-law's mother. So at the reception I had her teach me her ways (she doesn't speak any English!). While I tried her strawberry slatko, I was told her cherry was even better. Since strawberries are already gone here and since cherries are still everywhere, I decided to try my hand at it with cherries. Let me just say. This stuff puts any pancake house version of a fruit syrup to shame. It's yummy drizzled over biscuits, buns, pancakes, yogurt, bagels with cream cheese, ice cream….the little cherries are a fun treat, too. The process takes time, but don't be intimidated--its just a lot of sit time and hardly any work time. If you've still got cherries around, give this syrup a try!
Cherry Slatko: Bosnian Fruit Syrup
1 kg cherries
1 kg granulated sugar
1 lemon
Begin by washing and removing pits from all cherries. There are fancy cherry pitters for this but I don't have one, so I used my hands.
The cherries I had were large enough I could get the pits out without tearing up the flesh of the cherry too much.
Place the prepared cherries in a pot and cover them with the sugar (about 4 3/4 cups). Allow to sit for 8-10 hours (or overnight).
Gently stir the cherries and sugar and place over a medium heat. The juice and sugar will begin to cook out more. Gently stir periodically until the sugar is incorporated. Once its lightly boiling around edges, cut heat to low and allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat. Allow to sit a few minutes, then skim the foam off the top of the syrup.
You won't be able to get every little bit, but most of it is good.
Stir in 5-6 slices of lemon, with seeds removed. Cover the pot with a dish towel (something that can breathe) and allow to sit another 8-10 hours or overnight.
Prepare about 4-5 pint-sized jars. Ladle in some of the cherries to fill the jars about halfway. Put one lemon slice in each jar as well. Fill the rest of the way with the syrup.
You can preserve these by canning if you like to do that. Or just gift them right away since its more than you probably need for yourself if not canned! If you do not seal them, you should refrigerate. Enjoy!!
Cherry Slatko: Bosnian Fruit Syrup
1 kg cherries
1 kg granulated sugar
1 lemon
Begin by washing and removing pits from all cherries. There are fancy cherry pitters for this but I don't have one, so I used my hands.
The cherries I had were large enough I could get the pits out without tearing up the flesh of the cherry too much.
Place the prepared cherries in a pot and cover them with the sugar (about 4 3/4 cups). Allow to sit for 8-10 hours (or overnight).
Gently stir the cherries and sugar and place over a medium heat. The juice and sugar will begin to cook out more. Gently stir periodically until the sugar is incorporated. Once its lightly boiling around edges, cut heat to low and allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat. Allow to sit a few minutes, then skim the foam off the top of the syrup.
You won't be able to get every little bit, but most of it is good.
Stir in 5-6 slices of lemon, with seeds removed. Cover the pot with a dish towel (something that can breathe) and allow to sit another 8-10 hours or overnight.
Prepare about 4-5 pint-sized jars. Ladle in some of the cherries to fill the jars about halfway. Put one lemon slice in each jar as well. Fill the rest of the way with the syrup.
You can preserve these by canning if you like to do that. Or just gift them right away since its more than you probably need for yourself if not canned! If you do not seal them, you should refrigerate. Enjoy!!
Do you know the trick of using a bobby pin to get out a cherry pit? Pull off the cherry stem, stick in the rounded end of the pin, and pull the pit out.
ReplyDeleteFor other fruits would we do the same process?
Yes, Katherine, I've heard of that trick but I don't have any bobby pins! Wondering if a large safety pin could work in similar way? It wasn't too bad by hand. Yes, Strawberries are same method and these are the 2 most commonly made by Bosnians. I plan to try blueberry soon! :)
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