Sour cherry jam with vanilla stick

Name: Sour cherry jam with vanilla stick
Ingredients: 1 kg of pitted fruits (sour cherries; cherries; strawberries) 1 kg of granulated sugar 1 vanilla pod

Jam - Sour cherry jam with vanilla stick by Rada M. - Recipia

Sour Cherry Jam with Vanilla Bean When I prepare sour cherry jam, I choose ripe but firm fruits, checking each one before placing them in the pot. A single spoiled fruit can ruin the entire batch. The cherries remain whole if the pits are removed carefully and if the jam is not stirred frequently during cooking. The vanilla bean adds a subtle flavor without overpowering the tartness of the fruit. Quick Info Preparation time: about 30 minutes, depending on how quickly the cherries are pitted Maceration time: overnight in the refrigerator Cooking time: about one hour, but it may vary depending on the amount of liquid and the pot used Total time: approximately 12-14 hours, including maceration Servings: the final quantity is unspecified and depends on how much the jam reduces during cooking and the size of the jars Difficulty: easy to medium Recipe type: pantry jam Ingredients 1 kg pitted sour cherries 1 kg granulated sugar 1 vanilla bean Preparation 1. Select and prepare the cherries Wash the cherries thoroughly and check them one by one. Remove any bruised, moldy, or spoiled fruit, as damaged cherries can compromise the entire batch of jam. Remove the stems and pit the cherries using a special tool. Try to keep them as whole as possible. In jam, the shape of the fruit matters; unlike preserves, the fruits should not be crushed or broken by hand. Once the pits are removed, weigh the fruit. The recipe calls for 1 kg of pitted cherries. 2. Layer the fruit and sugar in the pot Use a pot with a double bottom, as thick as possible, and with a wide surface. A larger pot helps evaporate the liquid and allows the fruit to cook more evenly. Place half of the cherries at the bottom of the pot. Add nearly half of the sugar over them. 3. Add the vanilla Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a knife. Sprinkle the seeds over the layer of sugar, then add the whole bean to the pot. 4. Complete the layers and let the fruit chill Add the remaining cherries, then the rest of the sugar. Do not stir. Gently shake the pot so that the sugar settles among the fruit. Cover the pot and place it in the refrigerator until the next day. During this time, the cherries will release juice, and the sugar will moisten and start to dissolve. If the fruit sits longer, it will release even more liquid. 5. Start cooking The next day, take the pot out of the refrigerator and place it on the stove. Start with medium heat. When the fruit releases enough liquid and the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat to low. Do not add water. The cherries have enough liquid to create the syrup, especially after sitting with the sugar. Water is only needed for some ingredients that do not release enough juice, not for the fruits used here. Do not cover the pot during cooking. The jam needs to gradually lose water, and the steam must be able to evaporate. 6. Remove the foam As the jam cooks, foam may form on the surface. Skim it off with a dry skimmer or spoon and place it in a deep dish. It is important that the utensil used for skimming is dry. Continue to remove the foam as needed, without stirring the fruit vigorously. 7. Cook the jam until it reaches the right consistency Allow the cherries to simmer on low heat until their volume decreases by about half. The time may vary, but in the classic recipe, checking begins after about an hour. Try to stir as little as possible. If you do not intervene frequently with a spoon, the cherries will hold their shape better. For homogenization, it is sufficient to gently shake the pot from time to time if needed. Pour a few drops of syrup onto a cold plate. If the syrup runs immediately and very quickly, the jam needs to cook longer. If it does not spread immediately, you can turn off the heat. After cooling, the syrup will thicken and gel. Pay close attention to the color. If the syrup starts to take on brown hues, turn off the heat. This is a sign that the sugar is beginning to burn, which will affect the taste of the jam. For even cooking, use a quality pot made of stainless steel, ceramic, or enamel, with a double bottom. If the flame is strong, you can place a piece of metal between the flame and the pot to reduce direct heat. 8. Prepare the jars Wash the jars thoroughly with detergent, then rinse them very carefully. Place them on the oven rack; they can also lie on their sides. Preheat the oven to maximum temperature and leave the jars there for 20-30 minutes. After this time, turn off the oven and leave the jars inside until the jam is ready to be poured. They will remain warm and dry. The lids should be scalded for a few minutes in boiling water, then placed to drain and dry near the jars in the warm oven, but only after you have turned off the heat. 9. Fill the jars The jam can be poured cold, using the classic method, into clean, dry, and sterilized jars. I prefer to pour it hot, immediately after turning off the heat, as this method has worked well for other jams stored in the pantry. Before pouring in the entire amount, add a teaspoon of hot jam to each jar. Wait a moment to allow the glass to gradually warm up to avoid thermal shock, which could lead to breakage. Then fill the jars with hot jam and seal them tightly with the sterilized lids. Turn the jars upside down and let them sit for a few minutes. The jam will reach any small cracks or openings in the lid and seal them. After a few minutes, the jars can be turned back to their normal position. Let them cool before moving them to the pantry. Why I make this recipe often I love this jam because it keeps the cherries as whole as possible and does not require water. The preparation is simple, and the sugar and maceration time do most of the work before cooking. The vanilla rounds out the flavor but remains in the background. Additionally, the jam stores well when the jars are clean, the lids seal tightly, and the cooking is stopped at the right time. I have used this method for other varieties of jam stored in warm pantry conditions. Tips Check the cherries carefully before preparation. Spoiled fruit should not be left in the mixture, even if there seem to be only a few. Do not cook the jam over high heat. The sugar can caramelize or burn before the syrup reaches the right consistency. Do not stir often. The cherries can break, and the jam will take on more of a preserve-like texture. The plate for testing the syrup should be cold, so the result is easier to observe. Do not cover the pot during cooking. The lid retains steam and slows down evaporation. Do not add water. The fruits will release liquid as they heat up, especially after overnight maceration with sugar. Substitutions The recipe can also be made with other fruits, using the same proportions mentioned: 1 kg of pitted fruit and 1 kg of sugar. Sour cherries, sweet cherries, or strawberries are recommended. However, the cooking time may vary, as each fruit contains a different amount of water. For this variation, keep the vanilla bean. There is no exact substitute for it in the basic recipe. Variations You can use sweet cherries instead of sour cherries, making sure to pit them carefully and keep the fruits as whole as possible. With strawberries, follow the same principle of layering with sugar and refrigerating to macerate. Check the consistency carefully, as the fruits may release a different amount of juice. For a jam with whole fruits, stick to the basic rule: slow cooking and minimal stirring. Serving Ideas Sour cherry jam can be served simply on bread, alongside butter, or as a topping for desserts where a fruit garnish is suitable. It is also great for pancakes, semolina with milk, or other dishes that use it in small amounts. Frequently Asked Questions Why do the cherries sit with sugar until the next day? Maceration helps the fruits release juice before cooking. The sugar begins to dissolve, and the cherries gradually enter the syrup. Thus, there is no need to add water. Can I stir the jam during cooking? It is recommended to stir as little as possible since the cherries can break. If necessary, gently shake the pot. For jam, whole fruits are one of the desired results. How can I tell when the jam is ready? After about an hour, place a few drops of syrup on a cold plate. If the syrup does not run immediately, the heat can be turned off. The jam will thicken further after cooling. What do I do if the syrup starts to turn brown? Turn off the heat immediately. The brown color indicates that the sugar is starting to burn, which can give the jam a burnt sugar taste. Why do I put a little jam in the jar before filling it? The teaspoon of hot jam gradually warms the glass. This reduces the risk of the cold jar breaking when filled with hot jam. Nutritional Values The values below are estimates and calculated for 100 g of jam, using the quantities from the recipe. The exact value depends on how much liquid evaporates and how much the jam reduces. Calories: approximately 230-260 kcal Carbohydrates: approximately 58-64 g Sugars: approximately 55-61 g Proteins: approximately 0.5-1 g Fats: approximately 0-0.3 g The jam mainly contains sugars from added sugar and fruit. It does not contain significant amounts of fats or proteins. Storage and Reheating After the jars have completely cooled, store them in a cool, dark pantry. The lids should be tightly sealed, and the jars should not have any cracks or leaks. Once opened, keep the jar in the refrigerator and consume the jam with a clean, dry spoon. If you notice mold, an off smell, or fermentation, do not use the contents. The jam does not need reheating. If it has thickened too much in the jar, you can gently warm it for immediate use without boiling it again. It will thin out as it warms up.

Preparation

1. Wash the fruits well and make sure that none of the spoiled ones remain. Altered fruits can spoil the entire batch. Remove the stems from the sour cherries and pit them using a pitting device to keep them whole. Only for jam can the fruits be broken by hand. 2. In a double-bottomed pot (as thick as possible) with a large evaporation surface, place half of the fruits, then almost half of the sugar. 3. Split the vanilla pod lengthwise, scrape the seeds with a knife, and sprinkle them over the sugar. Place the pod in as well. 4. Then add the remaining fruits and the remaining sugar. Do not stir, just shake the pot to allow the sugar to settle among the fruits. Cover it and leave it in the refrigerator until the next day to let the juices flow. The next morning, it will look like this. If you leave it longer, it will have even more juice. 5. Put the pot on the stove, starting on medium heat and then reducing to low once it releases a lot of liquid and begins to boil. 6. Skim off the foam that forms with a dry skimmer or a spoon into a deep plate. 7. Continue boiling the fruits until their quantity is reduced by half. For jam, if you do not stir too often, the fruits will remain whole. Again, there is no need for a lid. Water is only needed for those that do not contain enough liquid, such as green walnuts. Otherwise, all fruits will release juice when heated. Always boil the jam or preserves on very low heat, in quality pots (ceramic, stainless steel, or enameled with a double bottom). If necessary, place a piece of metal between the flame and the pot. Watch for the critical point when it starts to change color to brown, turn off the heat as it will acquire a burnt sugar taste. After about an hour, drip syrup onto a cold plate, and if it does not run immediately, you can stop. It will gel further after cooling. 8. While the fruits are boiling on the stove, or the next day if using the classic method, prepare the jars for the cold jam: wash them well with detergent, rinse thoroughly, and place them on a rack in the oven. They can be laid down. Turn the oven to maximum for 20-30 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave them there until the jam is ready to be jarred. I boiled the lids in boiling water for a few minutes and let them dry next to the jars in the warm oven, only after the heat was turned off. 9. The classic recommendation is to pour the cold jam, not hot like for preserves, into very clean and dry jars, with airtight lids that have been sterilized beforehand. I prefer the method from the previous recipe because it has been tested by me; this is how I did it last year with 5 types of jam, of which I still have some left. They have kept perfectly in a warm atmosphere in the pantry and have not spoiled in consistency; the taste is not altered, of course. Therefore, I recommend pouring it hot into the jars, and after sealing them well, turn the jars upside down and leave them like that for a few minutes. Any crack or opening in the lid will be immediately filled with jam and sealed. In the past, they could not turn the jars because they sealed them with cellophane. May it be of use to you! Before pouring the entire amount of hot jam into the jars, put a teaspoon of it in each jar. This way, the glass jar will gradually warm up and will not suffer thermal shock, risking breakage.

Sour cherry jam with vanilla stick

Preparation

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