Ingredients
Method
- Preheat your oven to 425°F. Spread the pitted cherries on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle them evenly with sugar and lemon zest.
- Roast for 8–10 minutes until the cherries have softened and released their juices into syrupy pools around them. They should be tender when pierced with a fork but not mushy — you want some bite still there.
- Remove from the oven and stir in the vanilla bean seeds (or extract) and salt. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving, or enjoy warm straight from the pan.
- Spoon into bowls and top with whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream if you're feeling indulgent.
Nutrition
Notes
The trick is roasting them first — just 10 minutes at 425 degrees draws out their juices and concentrates their flavor so much that you barely need any sugar. The vanilla bean seeds give it something I can't replicate with extract, but if you're in a pinch, use a generous teaspoon of good vanilla.
I serve these warm from the oven as dessert after pasta, but they keep well at room temperature for a couple days and make an elegant little gift when packaged in small jars. Just be sure to let them cool completely before sealing so condensation doesn't build up inside.