Moroccan Cherry Preserves

CHERRIES ARE BACK... 

YES..they're expensive.  they aren't quite as dark, plump and sweet as they are when they are in perfect season, but they are worth it for jam and preserves.  Fabulous add to your Holiday breakfasts, brunch, dinners or desserts AND a little jar of this is a much better gift than the last minute scarf or pair of socks.

this recipe lends itself to the sweet AND the savory.  yes, it's delicious on a nice hot scone, but fabulous paired with any main dinner course.  i'm going to serve it along side my Christmas ham.

but for this post i just so happened to be grilling some salmon for a recipe i intended to be about the Beluga Lentils.  when the plate came together for the photo, i thought the preserves were absolutely the star of the show.

it dawned on me...i forgot to post about this fabulous cherry concoction.

so here it is...another jam/preserves recipe.  this one is a winner.

i found the Moroccan spice mixture from a great blog called Anja's Food For Thought.  she has all kinds of healthy interesting goodies, so please visit her site.  Anja used the spices for some delicious looking roasted mushrooms.  my brain was in jam mode, so i quickly bought up a pile of sweet cherries and went to work.  the end result has received rave reviews form my taste tester guinea pigs...i say guinea pigs with love intended.  i don't know what i would do without my faithful (sometimes daring) friends.

MOROCCAN SPICE MIX

from Anja's Food for Thought

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 chili powder

1/2 sweet paprika

1/2 ground cinnamon

1/4 ground ginger

1/8 ground clove

MOROCCAN SPICED CHERRY PRESERVES

2.5 pounds TOTAL pitted cherries

1 lb. whole pitted cherries...approx.  3 cups

1 lb. 8 oz. halved pitted cherries...approx. 4 cups

6 slices granny smith apple...approx. 3/4 of apple

juice from 1 lemon and 1 lime

zest from 1/2 lemon and 1 lime

5 cups sugar...4 would be okay

cheesecloth pouch with seeds and membrane of lemon and lime

1 chipotle pepper in adobo with seeds..fine mince pepper only...no seeds

1 tsp dried rosemary, chopped as fine as possible...(might want a little more)

1 Tbsp Moroccan spice...(might need to add more after taste test)..recipe above

if you are canning...get all your mise en place ready.  small plates in freezer, big stock pot on the stove heating for the canning, sterilize your jars and keep them warm.  for more info on the specifics please visit my Tips and Tricks post or check out Pick Your Own.org.

in a large stock pot add all the pitted cherries, halves and wholes.  add sugar and let sit while you are getting the other stuff done.  they will macerate a little.  zest and squeeze your citrus right into the pot.  make a small cheesecloth pouch with the citrus seeds and membrane (seen here).  cut apple slices and remove seeds.  slices should be at least 1 inch thick.  you will be removing them when jam is ready.  add the chipotle, rosemary and Moroccan spice.  keep some of these last 3 on hand if you need to add some after your taste test when jam is almost done.

start pot on low-ish heat to get things going.  when cherries have released a lot of juices you can turn the heat up to medium high.  don't go far from the pot.  it can start to bubble over.  you should stir a bit every now and then to keep an even heat.  when the jam begins to thicken and it reaches 220 degrees, do a plate test.  DO A TASTE TEST, but beware it is molten HOT!  add extra spices if you see fit.  when the jam looks like it is set to your liking, remove from stove and fill sterilized jars.
proceed with canning process...or seal jars and let come to room temp and refrigerate.