Cherries Jubilee

CJ brought Shanice to Sunday dinner.

I had been preparing for this all week, not by cleaning the house — the house is always clean — but by deciding what to cook. The meal a woman makes for the first time she meets her son's intended is a statement. I thought about it too much probably. I considered pot roast because it's what I make when I want a house to smell welcoming from the driveway. I considered gumbo because it requires patience and says something about who I am. I settled on pot roast, a pan of yeast rolls, and a peach cobbler, because peaches are in season and there is nothing more honest than a cobbler that came from fruit you picked yourself.

Shanice Carter is small — I expected that somehow, though CJ hadn't described her that way — with a calm way of holding herself that reminded me a little of how Bernice used to sit, like she was comfortable in whatever room she was in. She brought flowers. She shook my hand and then without being asked she went to the kitchen and asked what she could do to help. I handed her the colander of snap beans and watched how she handled them — automatic, practiced, a woman who was raised working in a kitchen. That told me a lot.

We talked through dinner. She asked questions and listened to the answers, which is rarer than it should be. She asked about Marcus and I told her about the pork chop lessons over the phone and she smiled at CJ in this private way that he received without embarrassment. I watched my son be looked at with love and I had to look away for a moment.

She ate everything on her plate, including seconds on the cobbler, and she didn't say she was full, she just let herself enjoy it. That was the detail I kept coming back to on Monday morning. A woman who eats without apology at someone else's table is a woman who is not performing — she is actually here. I think Shanice Carter is actually here. I think she might be exactly what my son has been waiting for.

I’ve been thinking about that cobbler all week — not the recipe itself, but what it meant that Shanice took seconds without a moment’s hesitation. There is something about a warm fruit dessert that strips the pretense away; you either let yourself have it or you don’t. In that spirit, I want to share a recipe that lives in the same neighborhood as that cobbler: a Cherries Jubilee that comes together fast but arrives at the table like it has been simmering all day, the kind of thing you serve when someone has already proven they belong in your house and you want the dessert to confirm it.

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 cans (14.5 oz each) pitted dark sweet cherries, drained, juice reserved
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/3 cup brandy or kirsch
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 quart good vanilla ice cream, for serving

Instructions

Make the cherry syrup. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the reserved cherry juice, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble, about 5–6 minutes.
Add the cherries. Stir in the drained cherries and reduce heat to medium-low. Let the cherries warm through in the sauce for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until glossy and heated through.
Flambé (optional but worth it). Remove the pan from heat. Add the brandy and vanilla extract. If flambeing, carefully tilt the pan or use a long match to ignite the brandy. Let the flames subside on their own, about 30–60 seconds. If you prefer to skip the flame, simply stir the brandy in and return briefly to low heat to cook off the alcohol, about 2 minutes.
Serve immediately. Scoop vanilla ice cream into individual bowls or dessert dishes. Spoon the warm cherry sauce generously over the top and serve at once, while the sauce is still glossy and hot against the cold ice cream.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cherries Jubilee — The Dessert I Make When Someone Has Earned a Second Helping