Cornelian Cherries is a traditional British recipe for a classic method of air-drying cornelian cherries for later uses. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Cornelian Cherries.
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Today, dried Cornelian Cherries are mostly produced in Iran as the fruit of the Cornelian Cherries ripens on the bough there. Indeed, the country is the largest producer of dried Cornelian Cherries. However, dried seeded Cornelian Cherries were used in British cuisine at least from Elizabethan to Victorian times and the fruit was valued for its acerbic nature as an intestinal tonic. Whether the medicinal benefits have any merit, this is still an useful dried store-cupboard staple, especially as so many gardens have Cornelian Cherry hedges. Typically Cornelian Cherries dry at a ratio of 4:1, so that 4kg of ripe barberries yield 1kg of dried fruit. Please note that for this recipe you need the fully ripe fruit which have a ruby red colour. In Britain, however, they do not ripen fully until they have fallen from the tree. Collect them when they have fallen, place on newspaper in a box and set on a sunny windowsill to ripen.
The fruit themselves (from the wild and ornamental plants) hang in bunches and it's quickest to collect them this way. When you get home, break off the tails of the stem as close to the fruit itself as possible. Take each fruit and extract the seed from the centre (easiest done by splitting the fruit down the side) then spread the seedless fruit out on a clean surface (I tend to spread newspaper on a table and spread them out there). Allow to dry our completely (they must be completely dry, or they will not store) then either freeze in bags (they will keep indefinitely) or place in a clean jar and store in the refrigerator (they will keep for several months). As you dry the fruit turn them over every few days to ensure complete drying (wipe with a cloth as well — this will remove and stop any fungus from developing).
As well as being used as replacement for more common fruit in cakes you can add these to trail mixes, eat them as snacks or use as toppings for salads. Barberry fruit are very high in vitamin C and make an excellent winter supplement.
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