Cherry jam

Cherry jam

Ingredients:

1 kg of cherries
500 g sugar

Optional flavors:
1 vanilla pod
1 tablespoon dark rum
1-2 cloves
1 small cinnamon stick

Preparation:

Wash and pit the cherries. Place in a deep saucepan with the sugar. Boil over medium heat for about 10 minutes. When the sugar has melted, and the juice of the cherries has come out, add the flavors. Split the vanilla pod and grate the seeds with the blade of a knife, putting the pod itself as well.

Continue cooking until the juice thickens. Check with a drop on a cold plate whether the jam is ready. If it tends to freeze and not follow the inclination of the plate, remove from heat. Take out the empty vanilla pod, the cinnamon stick and the clove.

Pour the cherry jam in warm clean jars (boiled just before). As it is still hot, seal tightly with the lids (soaked in boiling water). Let cool putting the jars upside down on their lids. The curved part of the lids must get sucked in when the jars cool completely.

The same recipe can be used to make white cherry or sour cherry jam. Furthermore, should you have just a little cherries (like 200-300 g pitted), you could still make this jam and use it directly in desserts (an idea), appetizers (an idea) or as a sauce for grilled meat.