I read David Lebovitz’s recipe for No-Recipe Cherry Jam and loved it from the start because it was just ratios! Usually I have to take down recipes to suit the volume or quantity of ingredients I have on hand and David’s recipe made it super easy, plus I liked his first direction: “1. Wear something red.”
David suggests to cook the cherries and measure the volume and then add 3/4 of it in sugar (apparently the sugar is required so that it doesn’t spoil, otherwise I would have reduced it).
Cherry Jam
Makes 300 mL jam.
Original recipe, please click here.
Ingredients:
- 350 g fresh Ontario cherries (you can use any old cherries, but I thought I’d give our Province a plug!)
- 400 mL cherry juice (I had some left over from cherry squares I made a few weeks ago)
- 375 mL sugar
- zest and juice of 1 fresh lemon
Directions:
- “Put on something red.”*
- Pit all of the cherries and chop about 2/3 of the cherries into smaller pieces and the remainder into halves.
- Cook the cherries and cherry juice in a non-reactive pot. David suggests a slightly larger pot because the juices bubble up. Put a plate in the freezer (this will help you determine when the jam is done).
- Add the lemon juice and zest (I used a peeler to peel large slices of lemon so that I could remove them after). Continue to cook until the cherries are soft (about 20 minutes).
- Once cooked, measure the volume you have, including the juice. I netted 500 mL so 3/4 of that is 375 mL sugar. Stir in the sugar and continue to cook on higher heat until the bubbling diminishes and the jam congeals when a drop is put on the super cold plate and returned to the freezer for a moment. Be careful not to overcook the jam it will caramelize the sugar and it will taste terrible! It’s best to test often (David suggests it’s better to test often than to overcook the jam). My volume took 20-25 minutes to the perfect viscosity. Remove from heat.
- David suggest to add a bit of kirschwasser, but I was all out so I added a tiny drop of almond extract as he advised. Stir well.
- Cool to room temperature and bottle as you would normally. He suggests this jam will keep in the fridge for several months.
*From David Lebovitz
I’ve used the cold plate method before. It sure takes out the guesswork and worry. GREG
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Right now my lunch is always a bagel and some raspberry jam on it but now you have me seeing cherries in my future! I love how special your jam is with the memories!
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That’s so funny that the first thing you need to do is wear something red! The jam looks stunning – such a gorgeous colour and a terrific consistency xx
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I love cherry jam and have beautiful memories of my Omi canning in her outdoor kitchen. Cherry jam was a favorite of hers and it’s also a favorite of mine. I’ve never tried David’s recipe, but really appreciate Marisa McClellan’s cherry butter recipe, which is almost fool proof. This looks divine — love that deep color. I can imagine in on a crunchy baguette with salted butter. Heaven.
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Yeah, when it comes to jams and preserves I’m always reluctant to reduce the amount of sugar just because of that possible spoilage thing. This looks terrific. Need to see what I can wear that’s red! 😉
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I stopped making jams since we stopped eating them (apart from the slightly tangy sugarless plum product I could call “lekvar” because it’s cooked for many many hours and doesn’t spoil for years), but cherry jam has always been among my favourite. Yours looks particularly delicious!
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I love a good chunky cherry jam with lots of whole cherries-just like this one! 😀 Did you wear red? 😉
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So, was it good????
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Igen!
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Will be making next year when cherries are in season. Great photo and styling.
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Thank you Norma, I’ll be making it again next year, it’s all gone now!
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Darn! We used all our cherries. I’ll have to remember this for next year. I love that he suggested to wear something red. Too clever and cute! I’m always happy to wear red!
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I loved that too Kristy. Cherry jam is a real treat because the store bought kind is usually just jelly!
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Oh, that looks good. Sooooo good.
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Thank you Chef Mimi.
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This looks really jummy Eva! I love making impromptu jam from leftover fruit too. Your photos are as usual, impeccable masterpieces. I do like Lebovitz’s no nonsense style of cooking too.
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You are too kind Zsuzsa, I do appreciate your kind words. With just the two of us, it’s often easier to make a small quantity of jam or pickle than a batch…we just wouldn’t go through that much.
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Eva making just a bit once in a while makes perfect sense. When my kids were growing they could finish an entire jar with freshly baked bread. Not long ago I had to discard several dozen jars of old jam. The last time I canned a larger amount was I think 3 years ago. It took me several years to ignore the annual canning fever. This year I didn’t can anything.
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Looks delicious! We love cherry jam – who knew it was so simple to make (though the fine line between making great jam and an overlooked disaster is a little intimidating…)?!
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Thank you, David goes through a very clear testing method. Test often.
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I love cherry jam … and apricot jam and quince etc. 🙂
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Ah yes, all of the European type jams are definitely high on my list too.
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It turned out so GREAT!
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Thank you so much Angie.
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