National Cherries Jubilee Day Date in the current year: September 24, 2025

The dessert is believed to have been invented by a famous French chef, Auguste Escoffier, who prepared it for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 1897. To celebrate National Cherries Jubilee Day, you can try your hand at making this dessert at home. Remember, however, that you need to be very careful, as flambéing can be quite a dangerous cooking process.

Wash and pit 1 pound of fresh, ripe sweet cherries. In a large skillet, combine the cherries and 1/2 cup sugar. Add 2 wide strips of lemon zest and the freshly squeezed juice from half the lemon. Stir until evenly combined. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Uncover and continue to cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and stir in 1/3 cup golden rum. Ignite the rum with a long match (if you don't have a long match, use a regular match, holding it with tongs). Swirl the pan gently until the flames die down. Spoon 1 pint of vanilla ice cream evenly into 4 sundae glasses or bowls, ladle the cherries and their juices over the ice cream and serve.