Cherry season is one of my favorite times of the year because I
absolutely LOVE cherries! I’d received a nice big bag of Bing cherries,
courtesy of Melissa's Produce and, seriously, could have eaten the entire thing
until I made myself sick, that's how much I love them. Instead, I started
thinking about my grandmother, remembering her climbing up into the cherry tree
that grew in her backyard, alongside an apple and peach. When I think back on
those moments, it makes me realize, now more than it ever did back then, just how truly amazing she was. Not quite five feet
tall, and rounder than she should have been, she would climb up into the cherry
tree -- wearing a housedress no less -- gathering cherries in her apron to use
in making preserves. Aha! I thought to myself, that's what I'll do; I'll make
some cherry preserves.
My grandmother used to use an equal amount of fruit to sugar, but these cherries are so sweet that I thought that would be too much, so I cut back on the sugar. I also got to thinking about how cherries are often paired with almond flavoring, so in addition to a little hint of almond flavoring I decided to add a bigger hint of Amaretto Liqueur. Boy, is this good.
My grandmother used to use an equal amount of fruit to sugar, but these cherries are so sweet that I thought that would be too much, so I cut back on the sugar. I also got to thinking about how cherries are often paired with almond flavoring, so in addition to a little hint of almond flavoring I decided to add a bigger hint of Amaretto Liqueur. Boy, is this good.
Bing Cherry Amaretto Preserves
5 cups stemmed and pitted Bing cherries (I used Melissa's)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 box of Sure Gel fruit pectin
4 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup Amaretto
If you plan on storing your preserves, have your jars warm and sterilized, and your boiling water canner ready.
Into a 6- to 8-quart saucepan, place cherries, lemon juice, and pectin. Stir together to combine. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil, i.e., a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred, over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar and almond extract. Return to a full rolling boil, and boil exactly 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in Amaretto. Skim off any foam that may have gathered on top with a metal spoon.
Ladle into prepared jars, wipe rims and threads, place lids on and screw them down tightly. If you plan on processing the preserves, be sure to do so for at least 10 minutes.
5 cups stemmed and pitted Bing cherries (I used Melissa's)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 box of Sure Gel fruit pectin
4 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup Amaretto
If you plan on storing your preserves, have your jars warm and sterilized, and your boiling water canner ready.
Into a 6- to 8-quart saucepan, place cherries, lemon juice, and pectin. Stir together to combine. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil, i.e., a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred, over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar and almond extract. Return to a full rolling boil, and boil exactly 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in Amaretto. Skim off any foam that may have gathered on top with a metal spoon.
Ladle into prepared jars, wipe rims and threads, place lids on and screw them down tightly. If you plan on processing the preserves, be sure to do so for at least 10 minutes.
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