Pit Stop

Image courtesy of Frederica Simoni.

Frederica Simoni's compositions are peaceful and dreamy though preoccupied by suspense. The Paris- and Milan-based photographer has worked with brands and publications alike—and has published two photo books featuring  texturally rich images taken during her travels to Barcelona and Mexico. One can easily imagine Simoni photographing someone rolling a cherry between their pointer finger and thumb before placing it on the mouth of a glass bottle and puncturing it swiftly through with a chopstick, pitting it perfectly—as per the instructions for her pickled cherries. “Although the pitting part will make your kitchen table look like a crime scene, I can assure you it will be worth it,” she says of her Kill Bill-reminiscent method.

‍

Ingredients

• 3¾ cups of cherries
• ¾ cup rice wine vinegar
• ¼ cup of brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon whole coriander seed
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 vanilla bean, slit down the middle
• Fresh herbs (tarragon or bay leaves) 

Instructions

1. Begin by pitting the cherries. The easiest way to do it is by placing the single cherry on top of the mouth of a glass bottle (small beer bottles work fine). With a chopstick, punch through the top of the cherry down, so that the seed falls into the bottle. (If you’re sensitive to waste, you can also use the pits to make vinegar or infuse any sauce.)
2. In a saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, herbs, and split vanilla bean. Bring to a medium high heat. 
3. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
4. Remove the vanilla bean and set aside. Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the liquid and solids through the strainer. Discard the solids. Transfer the brine liquid and vanilla bean back to the saucepan.
5. Add the pitted cherries to the brine and simmer until tender (3 to 5 minutes). Transfer the cherries to a jar. Tuck the vanilla bean into the jar and fill it with the pickling liquid. Let them cool to room temperature, then seal tightly with a lid and refrigerate overnight.

Image courtesy of Frederica Simoni.