You have to try this cherry jam! It's amazingly simple to pull together.
If you prefer cherry fruit butter, cook down the mixture to a thicker (but, loose) consistency leaving out the pectin. Fruit butter can be used in a variety of ways (think cake filling, ice cream additions, oatmeal toppings - you get the idea.) I like using a small amount of pectin so that I get a gel but, not a super hard gel, I get a firm but, spreadable jam consistency. These cherries from Northwest Cherries are superb in flavor and really make this jam something you want to sit down and eat with a spoon straight from the jar!! I want to thank Northwest Cherries and The Washington State Fruit Commission for sending me such fabulous fruits as part of my 2019 Canbassadorship! Enjoy! Diane Cherry Almond Jam *small batch jam Ingredients: 1 quart chopped pitted sweet cherries 1/2 box SureJell Low Sugar Pectin (pink box) 2-4 Tablespoons almond liqueur *optional 1 teaspoon Rodelle Almond Extract 3 cups sugar, divided Directions: Place all your chopped fruit in a large bowl, add 1/4 cup of sugar, toss to coat, cover and set in fridge overnight. This will macerate the fruit (this releases the juices and deepens the fruit flavor in finished product) Take Macerated fruit, and all the juices in bowl and scrape into a large jam pot. Cook down 15 minutes on medium (keep an eye on it and stir to prevent scorching) Add in 2 & 1/2 cups of the sugar. Stir and cook down the entire mixture another 20-35 minutes (it should start to thicken as it cooks down) Add in 1/8 tsp butter, if needed. (helps lessen foaming), then use an immersion blender (or mash with a potato masher) and break up large chunks of fruit until you get the consistency of jam you prefer **do not liquefy the mixture. Take your pectin and the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and stir together in a small bowl. Raise the heat on your jam mixture to High. Add in the sugar/pectin mix and stir/whisk constantly until you are at a boil that cannot be stirred away - boil hard for one minute. I look for a 'craggy skin' to start to form around the edges of the pot/mixture...indicating gel stage has been released. Remove pot from heat, do freezer plate test to ensure gel stage has been reached, and prepare to jar jam for processing. Waterbath or Steam Can at 1/4" head-space for 10 minutes, adjusting for your altitude. Remove to a draft free area and let sit undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Wash & Label Jars. Store in Pantry up to One Year. Once opened, this lower sugar jam can be refrigerated up to 3 weeks.
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Cook Type Clear Jel can be finicky as well and expand when heated in the jar so, to avoid a mess you can leave 1/4" more headspace then called for by this recipe when filling jars, I canned up 3 quarts using the beautiful dark sweet cherries that Northwest Cherries sent me. One quart is perfect for one 9-inch pie. This recipe is Water Bath Canned. ~Enjoy! Diane
Sweet Cherry Pie Filling Simple Syrup (per One Quart) 3 1/3 Cups Sweet Cherries 1 Cup Sugar 1/4 tsp vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste stirred in) or 1/4 tsp almond extract 1/8 tsp cinnamon, optional cook type clear jel 1/4 cup 1 1/3 cold water 1 Tbs + 1 tsp fresh bottled lemon juice Quality: Select fresh, very ripe, and firm cherries. Please read Using Boiling Water Canners before beginning. If this is your first time canning, it is recommended that you read Principles of Home Canning. Procedure: Rinse and pit fresh cherries, and hold in cold water. To prevent stem end browning, use ascorbic acid solution. For fresh fruit, place 6 cups at a time in 1 gallon boiling water. Boil each batch 1 minute after the water returns to a boil. Drain but keep heated fruit in a covered bowl or pot. Combine sugar and Clear Jel in a large saucepan and add water. If desired, add cinnamon, almond or vanilla extract, Stir mixture and cook over medium high heat until mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Add lemon juice and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Fold in drained cherries immediately and fill jars with mixture without delay, leaving 1 inch headspace Process: Boiling Water Bath Can for 30 minutes *or according to your altitude. Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home Procedure by: NCHFP http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_02/can_pie/cherry_filling.html Cherries by: Northwest Cherries/Washington State I'm new to the "boozy" cherry idea. I thought I'd try making some since I had cherry brandy on hand from another recipe. Why not? right. I cannot wait until this coming Christmas to break open a jar and enjoy with the Winter Festivities. These may just make a great Christmas hostess gift too! I only made two pints this first time - to see if we need to make any future adjustments to my recipe. ~Enjoy! Diane
Boozy Sweet Cherries Syrup - enough for 1 Pint: 1 Cup water 1/2 Cup sugar To each Pint Jar add: Sweet Cherries, stemmed & pitted 1/3 cup Cherry Brandy Place sugar and water in a sauce pan on stove-top over low to medium heat and stir until all sugar is dissolved into a hot syrup. Place 1/2 cup of the hot syrup into the bottom of each hot, clean, sterile pint jar, add in cherries, shaking cherries down lightly as you fill. Place 1/3 cup of cherry brandy into each pint jar over cherries and top off using more hot syrup until you reach 1/2" head-space. Make sure to de-bubble your jars and refill with hot syrup to bring to proper head-space. I use a thin wooden skewer and poke around to release all the air bubbles I can... (an average of 11 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints) Since this is considered a 'Raw pack:' Process in a boiling water-bath for 25 minutes or according to your local altitude. Recipe and Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home Cherries by: Northwest Cherries/Washington State . Step back! Hold the phone! THIS you need to make!! I love fruit butter (resembles un-gelled jam.) this Dark Cherry Fruit Butter is excellent! Its not a runny syrup or a super thick fruit butter like my Spiced Apple Butter but, great for spooning over oatmeal, swirling into ice cream, folding into baked goods, using as a sauce, and dripping over fresh scones. ~Enjoy! Diane
Sweet Cherry Fruit Butter Ingredients: 3.25 lbs Sweet Cherries, stemmed & pitted juice of one large lemon & zest 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 cup honey 1 Tbs cherry brandy, optional Yield: 5 half pints Directions: Wash, stem and pit the cherries - you'll need 3.25 lbs after pitting. Place the cherries and 1 1/2 cups sugar in a large pot. Bring to a light boil, stirring occasionally over Medium heat.. Reduce the heat so that the mixture simmers and let the mixture cook for 60 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so to prevent scorching. Prepare your waterbath canner and jars as the mixture cooks down. After an hour, the cherries will have released their juices and softened. The mixture will be reduced and a deep red wine color. Take the pot off the heat and puree until smooth with an immersion blender. When the mixture is velvety smooth, add in the honey, lemon juice and lemon zest. Return the pot to the stove and place over medium heat. The fruit butter will start sputtering once heated back up. Let it cook for another minute or so, until the butter is thick and spreadable (it will thicken and set more as it cools). At this point, stir in Cherry Brandy if using. Ladle the boiling hot fruit butter into hot, sterile jars, filling them to 1/4" head-space. Wipe the rims, and add a new lid, band and process in a boiling water-bath for 10 minuted or according to your local altitude. The fruit butter should keep, unopened, for at least 6 months in your pantry. Recipe and Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home Cherries by: Northwest Cherries/Washington State |