These sticky, sweet-tart preserves are delicious spooned on Greek yogurt or vanilla ice cream. But my favorite way to enjoy them is this: Toast a slice or two of good Italian bread. Spread fresh ricotta on top and then spoon the fruit on top of that. Heaven.

1 1/2 pounds (680 g) fresh sour cherries (about 4 C.), pitted with pits reserved
1 C. (140 g) dried sour cherries
2 C. (400 g) vanilla sugar (see page 57)
2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 vanilla bean

3 sterilized 1/2-pint jars and their lids
Tight-weave cheesecloth
Kitchen twine
Basic water-bath canning equipment

Combine the fresh and dried cherries, sugar, and lemon juice in a nonreactive heavy-bottomed saucepan or preserving pot. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them to the pan, along with the pod. Let the cherries macerate for about 1 hour. Tie the reserved pits in a piece of cheesecloth with the twine and add the bundle to the pot. Set the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Cook at a lively simmer, stirring often, until the mixture has darkened and begun to thicken, 20 to 30 minutes. Continue to boil until the mixture reaches 220°F and you can drag a path along the bottom of the pot with a silicone spatula. Remove and discard the cheesecloth bundle. Ladle the hot fruit into the jars, leaving V4 inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean if necessary7 with a clean, damp cloth, and screw the lids on the jars. Process the jars in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes. Remove the jars and set them upright on a clean kitchen towel. Let the jars cool to room temperature before storing in a cool, dark place for up to l year. Refrigerate after opening. Store any jars that fail to seal properly in the refrigerator and use those first. Cook’s Note To remove the pits from sour cherries, unbend a clean paper clip into a long “S”-shaped wire with two curved
ends. Gently push the smaller curved end into the cherry7 through the stem end and scoop out the pit.