Cherry and walnut jam.
One spring-summer fruit and one of the autumn.
Fresh fruit and “shell fruit”. Together they make a perfect pair.
At the market.
The fruits of the first spring month, the month of may, bring the promise of summer in their colors.
Strawberries and cherries dye the market stalls red, anticipating the juicy freshness and bright colors of summer fruit.
June opens the door to the summer holidays, and the market dresses up. The oranges of the apricots and peaches. The red of cherries and the last strawberries, the green skin of figs.
July, I love, is a phantasmagoria of colors and fragrances lit up by the sun.
The scorching temperatures reawaken the intense, sometimes disturbing, smells of fruit.
The red of watermelons cut in half, a promise of sweetness and refreshment, is an irresistible invitation. And what about melons, round and fragrant? Which to choose between the orange and cheeky one and the white-fleshed one with a delicate scent?
I dwell on the summer pears, which wear less conspicuous clothes and scents and which I find so elegant in their composure. The round queen Claudia (regina claudia variety), with its irresistible aroma, struggles to stand out among her plum sisters. She dresses in a color ranging from yellow to green, the others in a thousand shades of purple and orange.
This time around, I’ll be back with cherries, a fruit that anticipates summer, just as walnuts, well protected in their shells, are reminiscent of winter and tarnished house windows.
Cherry and walnut jam.
The voices of different seasons come together in this jam. The floral notes of the cherry embrace the woody hints of the walnut forming wonder in the jar. Don’t forget a little vanilla which enhances the cherry and doesn’t hurt the walnut.
I chose black cherries because they are sweet and juicy. And they usually have tough flesh that doesn’t completely disintegrate when cooked, leaving some fruit whole. I prefer not to leave coarsely broken walnuts alone.
This jam lends itself to many uses.
You can eat it on its own. Or add it to yogurt for breakfast in the morning, spread it on bread, fill a tart, accompany cream or ice cream.
If you have doubts about how to vacuum soil, look at the post where I have collected tips and tricks for making homemade jams HERE.
Otherwise, get your hands on the pitting tool, and follow the recipe. Here you’ll find two different methods: traditional cooking and the fast one with pectin.
Finally, I would like to remind you that you can avoid making jars and prepare an express compote or jam. Express means with a fast cooking. Before the recipe, in the Food tip, you will find the procedure.
Buona cucina, Monica
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Food tips.
To make one jar of express jam you need: 100 g pitted black cherries, 3 coarsely chopped walnuts, 50 g sugar, and the juice of half a lemon. Put everything in a pan and cook for about 15 minutes over high heat, stirring. Turn off the heat, leave to cool, and keep covered in the fridge for a week. Fruit cooked in this way cannot develop botulism; it can make some mold but, you can see that.
Traditional cooking vs. using ready-made pectin: faster cooking allows the cherries to disintegrate less.
Cherry and walnut jam recipe
for 3 medium jars
Ingredients
1 kg black cherries
about ten walnuts, coarsely chopped
300 g sugar
juice and zest of half a lemon
1 teaspoon of natural vanilla extract
optional
3 tablespoons red wine or 1 tablespoon rum
1 sachet of pectin for short cooking time
Directions
Wash the fruit and pit cherries.
Cut only some of the cherries in half, leaving the other’s whole (but all without stones, please).
Put the cherries and walnuts in a bowl, or the cooking pan if it is in the fridge, with all the ingredients (except wine and pectin), mix, cover, and leave to rest for 2 hours to overnight.
Traditional cooking:
Put the pan on the heat, bring to a boil, add the wine, stir, lower the heat to the minimum and cook for about an hour and a half, stirring occasionally.
Pour the jam into clean jars, close hermetically, and turn upside down to create a vacuum.
Quick cooking with pectina:
After the cherries have rested, add half a sachet of pectin (whole for a super gelled effect) and mix well.
Put the pan on the cooker and bring to a boil, stirring.
Add the wine, stirring constantly.
Usually, with pectin, the cooking time is quick, in the order of a few minutes.
Follow the instructions of the product you are using.
