Don’t feel like making your own maraschino cherries? Luxardo brand, made with Marasca sour cherries, is our jarred go-to. (Skip those gross neon-red ones.)
Ingredients
3 pounds fresh cherries, pits removed
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup Luxardo maraschino liqueur or kirsch (clear cherry brandy)
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
2 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
8 vanilla meringue cookies, broken into pieces
1 pound fresh cherries, pits removed
A heatproof 1-quart jar
Directions
Set a mesh sieve over a medium bowl. Bring cherries, sugar, lemon juice, and 2/3 cup water to a simmer in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally; cook until cherries have released their juices and are softened but still intact, 20–25 minutes. Pour cherries into prepared sieve, letting juices collect in bowl. Set cherries aside.
Return juices to same saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until liquid is reduced to 1 1/2 cups (it will be a thin syrup at this point), 15–20 minutes. Remove from heat, add reserved cherries, and stir in liqueur and almond extract. Transfer maraschino cherries to jar, cover, and chill at least 24 hours before using.
Whisk yogurt, sour cream, powdered sugar, and salt in a large bowl until smooth; fold in meringue cookies.
Layer maraschino cherries, fresh cherries, and yogurt mixture into 8 glasses, dividing evenly.
Maraschino cherries can be made 2 weeks ahead. Keep chilled.
