Yes, yes. You read that right, cherry ketchup. I recently found myself with some excess cherries and instead of going the boring jam route, I thought I would mix it up a bit. This cherry ketchup has a rich and spicy flavor you won’t find in a Heinz bottle; you’ll want to use it on everything.

This recipe makes a small amount (only a 8 oz.), but it could easily be doubled or tripled if you wanted to make a big batch. And believe me, you will.

Cherry Ketchup Recipe

1/2 Pound Stemmed and Pitted Cherries
1 Dried Ancho Chile – Cut into pieces
1 Clove of Garlic – chopped
1/4 t Salt
1/2 t Allspice
1/8 t Cinnamon
1/8 t Black Pepper
3 T Cider Vinegar
1/3 C Brown Sugar
1 1/3 C Water
1 T White Vinegar

1.Toasty – Heat the tablespoon of olive over medium heat and add the garlic, ancho chile, allspice, cinnamon, salt and pepper to the pot. Cook everything for a minute or two. This will wake all of those flavors up so they are at their maximum for the finished product.

2. All In- Add the cherries, brown sugar, water and cider vinegar. Stir to combine everything and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 1 hour. This will break down the berries and soften the pepper so that we can blend everything in the next step.

3. Chameleon (Get it, a “blender”) -  After simmering, set the mixture aside for 20 minutes so that it can cool. Don’t be a dumbass and put hot shit in a blender, OR YOU WILL PAY! Once it’s cooled, pour the mixture into a blender and puree until smooth.

4. Play Moses - Pour the ketchup back into the pot and cook on medium-high until it has reached the thickness you would like. If you’ want ketchup consistancy, you should be able to run your spatula through the pot and see a nice big line, like in the picture above.

5.Push it Real Good - If you’d like a perfectly smooth ketchup (the cherry skins and ancho seeds can be a little obnoxious on the teeth) run it through a strainer, but be sure to push some of the solids through. If you don’t, you’ll be leaving half of your ketchup in the strainer, and you’ve worked so hard. You deserve better.

6. Finishing Touch – Right as your about to be done with your ketchup, add the white vinegar. This will give it a nice fresh taste and bit of tang that can be lost after all the simmering. You can store your new favorite ketchup in the fridge for a month or two without any problems. Or if you’re feeling adventurous, you can make a big batch and can it for long-term storage.