Cherry Port Preserves
You made it to Wednesday...so lets make Cherry Port Preserves!! We have Allison Duffy, author of Preserving with Pomona's Pectin. She tells us the difference between Jams and Preserves so make sure to listen to Tonia as she gets this one of a kind recipe. 
Tune in below and listen to Allison Duffy as she discusses her recipe for Cherry Port Perserves.
Having trouble? Click here to listen to the interview.
Recipe
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Cherry Port
Preserves
Combining luscious sweet cherry
flavor with the depth and complexity of port wine, this gorgeous, deep-red
preserve is just heavenly. It’s a perfect addition to a special-occasion brunch
and makes a wonderful gift. Or, spoon it on a slice of lemon pound cake and top
with fresh whipped cream for a simple and elegant dessert.
Before You Begin:
Prepare
calcium water. To do this, combine 1/2
teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona's pectin)
with 1/2 cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well. Extra calcium water may be stored in the
refrigerator for future use.
Yield: 4 half-pint
(8-ounce, or 236 ml) jars
1. Wash your jars, lids, and bands. Place jars in canner, fill canner 2/3
full with water, bring canner to a rolling boil, and boil jars for 10 minutes
to sterilize them. (Add 1 extra minute of sterilizing time for every 1000 feet
above sea level.) Reduce heat and allow jars to remain in hot canner water
until ready to use. Place lids in water in a small sauce pan, heat to a low
simmer, and hold until ready to use.
2. Rinse cherries,
remove stems, and then slice in half and remove pits. (For more information,
see “Painless Pitting” on page 74.)
3. Combine cherry
halves with the 1/2 cup (120 ml) of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over
high heat, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Remove from heat, add port, and mix well.
4. Measure 4 cups
(946 ml) of the cherry mixture (saving any extra for another use), and return the
measured quantity to the saucepan. Add lemon juice and calcium water, and mix
well.
5. In a separate
bowl, combine sugar and pectin powder. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
6. Bring fruit
mixture back to a full boil over high heat. Slowly add pectin-sugar mixture,
stirring constantly. Continue to stir vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve
pectin while the preserves come back up to a boil. Once the mixture returns to
a full boil, remove it from the heat.
7. Can Your
Preserves: Remove
jars from canner and ladle hot preserves into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch (6 mm)
of headspace. Remove trapped air bubbles, wipe rims with a damp cloth, put on
lids and screw bands, and tighten to fingertip tight. Lower filled jars into
canner, ensuring jars are not touching each other and are covered with at least
1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) of water. Place lid on canner, return to a rolling
boil, and process for 10 minutes (adjusting for altitude if necessary). Turn
off heat and allow canner to sit untouched for 5 minutes, then remove jars and
allow to cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Confirm that jars have sealed,
then store properly. Yield: 4 to 5 half-pint (8-ounce, or 236 ml) jars
1 3/4 pounds (794 g) sweet
cherries
1/2 cup (120 ml) water
3/4 cup (175 ml) port wine
1/4 cup (60 ml) lemon juice
2 teaspoons (10 ml) calcium
water
1 cup (200 g) sugar
11/2 teaspoons (4.5 g)
Pomona’s pectin powder
Customize it!
Looking
for something new? Try using lime juice in place of the lemon juice in this
recipe.
