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Black cherry jam

Andrew Nutter from Good Food Live
For a delicious breakfast or tea-time treat try Andrew Nutter's recipe for a fully flavoured black cherry jam

Black cherry jam

Method

1. Stone the cherries, reserving the stoned fruit and the cherry stones.

2. Crack 24 of the stones and extract the kernels. Bring a small pan of water to the boil, add the kernels, cook briskly for 2 minutes, drain and skin.

3. Place the blanched kernels, cherries and sugar in a large bowl. Cover and set aside to stand overnight.

4. Transfer the cherry mixture to a large saucepan.

5. In a separate saucepan, place the remaining reserved cherry stones. Add just enough water to cover the stones. Bring to the boil and cook briskly for 30-40 minutes; strain.

6. Add the cherry stone water to the cherry mixture, along with the citric acid. Slowly bring to the boil.

7. Boil hard for around 20 minutes until the mixture thickens.

8. To test whether the jam has reached setting point, spoon a little of the cherry mixture onto a cold saucer. If the surface wrinkles when you push a spoon across the jam then it has reached setting point. If it doesn't, boil the mixture for a further 5 minutes then test again.

9. Pour the hot jam into warm, sterilised jam jars. Cover at once with a waxed disc then set aside until the jam has cooled. Once cool, cover the jars with cellophane or lids. Store in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.