Jam of Kentish or Flemish Cherries
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Weigh the stoned cherries.
Beat the cherries slowly to draw out the juice before boiling.
Make the jam
Cook the cherries until they are tender, stirring frequently, for about 45 minutes.
Remove from heat and gradually stir in ½ lb of sugar for each pound of cherries.
If the cherries are very acidic, add an extra ounce or two of sugar.
Once the sugar is dissolved, boil rapidly for another 20 minutes, skimming off any scum.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Cherries
- Provide the fruit, flavour and body of the jam as they break down during cooking.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness, helps the jam thicken and set, and helps it keep.
The step that matters
Dissolving the sugar before the rapid boil. Sugar must dissolve fully before the rapid boil. Undissolved sugar can crystallise and make the jam grainy, and the high sugar concentration is what helps the jam set and keep.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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