Grandma’s cherry jam: the best recipe.

Wash and pit the cherries.

In a saucepan, pour in the sugar and just enough water to dissolve it, barely to the level. Bring to a boil while stirring a little. When the syrup starts to thicken a bit, dip a skimmer into it, let the syrup run off, and blow through the holes of the skimmer; the syrup is ready when sugar bubbles escape through the holes (it looks like soap bubbles). This takes about 10 minutes.

Then add the cherries and let them poach for 10 minutes over very low heat. After this time, drain the cherries through a fine sieve. Return the syrup to heat and cook a second time, place the cherries back into the syrup and cook for 30 to 40 minutes until the jam thickens. To check if it’s ready, do the cold plate test: take a spoonful of jam and place it on a plate, then put it in the freezer for a few seconds. When you push the jam with your finger and the surface wrinkles, the jam is ready! Repeat this operation as many times as necessary until the required consistency is achieved. Skim as needed throughout the cooking of the jam.

Pour the jam into jars that you have previously sterilized by boiling them for at least 2 minutes in a large quantity of water. Seal while hot.

To finish, for those who use a thermal probe, the syrup for the soufflé is obtained at 120°C. You can enhance the cherry jam by adding a bit of cherry brandy at the end of the cooking process.