Jam of Kentish or Flemish Cherries
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Pit the cherries and weigh them.
Cook the cherries
Heat the cherries slowly to draw out the juice before boiling.
Stew the cherries until tender, then boil quickly for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring constantly.
Add sugar and finish
Gradually stir in ½ lb of sugar for each pound of cherries until dissolved.
Continue boiling rapidly for about 20 minutes, skimming off any scum that forms, and stir constantly to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan.
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, juice and body that form the jam.
- Powdered sugar
- Adds sweetness and, once boiled down, helps the jam thicken and keep.
The step that matters
Gradually stirring in the sugar and boiling it down. Sugar added all at once can sink and scorch on the pan base, and undissolved sugar leaves grainy patches. Adding it gradually and stirring until dissolved lets it blend evenly. Continued rapid boiling then concentrates the fruit and sugar so the jam thickens, while constant stirring keeps it from sticking and burning.
“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.
More cherry jam recipes
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.