How to make
Wash the cherries and remove their stems. They are pitted over a dish to preserve the juice, which has been released.
Arrange them in an enamel or glass dish, by sprinkling sugar between each row and finishing off with it.
Cover the dish with cling film and put it in the fridge for 24 hours.
The next day, leave them for about 1-2 hours to temper and release their syrup.
Carefully separate the fruit and place them in an enameled tray. Put the sugar and the separated juice in a pot with a glass of water.
Boil the syrup on a low heat for about 20 minutes, until the sugar melts and the liquid reduces a little. Flavor it with vanilla.
Pour the prepared syrup over the cherries and place the tray in the preheated oven.
Bake at 360°F (180°C) for the first 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 300°F (150°C), until the homemade jam is ready.
During the heat treatment, stir with a wooden spatula, by trying to preserve the integrity of the fruit.
Check test the thickness on a plate, which is taken out of the freezer. As soon as the drop does not spread all over the plate or the syrup forms a path, the jam is ready.
10 minutes before removing it from the oven, add the citric acid dissolved in a tablespoon of hot water.
Distribute the hot jam into dry jars. In two or three of them I add 1 tbsp. of dark rum and the amount of jam should a finger below the rim.
I label jars, whose flavored fruit I use in cakes or other desserts.
After closing them, turn them with the lid upside down. Cover them with a towel, so that they cool down more slowly.
Store them in a dark and cool place!
Tip: The flavors in the jam are up to you and your taste. Vanilla adds a delicate, subtle aroma. If desired, you can replace it with geranium leaves or leave the cherry jam with a natural flavor.
The Baked Cherry Jam is ready.
