Cherry & raisin jam
Sweet

Cherry & raisin jam

You can use frozen cherries in this recipe that are available all year round and the tartness offset the sweetness of the raisins beautifully.

Ingredients

2 cups / 300gms raisins (pref seedless & the juicier kind) 

2 cups frozen (or fresh cherries) 220 gms

1 pear, peeled, cored and grated (about ½ a cup)

½ cup dry red wine

½ cup water

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (or half orange and half lemon juice)

½ cup sugar


Option 2 *extra recipe* 

All sultana jam with cinnamon & star anise

2 cups / 300gms seedless golden sultanas

1 pear, peeled, cored and grated (about ½ a cup)

1 cup apple juice

½ cup lemon juice

1 cup water

1 stick cinnamon

3 star anise

½ cup sugar

Instructions

Cherry & raisin jam

Roughly chop the raisins in a food processor to break the skins thereby allowing the dried fruit to break down more easily into the jam. Add all the ingredients except the sugar to a post and bring to the boil. Continue to boil over a medium heat for 10 minutes. 


Add the sugar and carry on cooking for about 30 minutes until most of the liquid has evapourated off and the jam thickens. Using a potato masher press down to break up the cherries while they are cooking. 


Allow to cool and further thicken before decanting the jam into a sterilized jar.


Option 2 *extra recipe* 

All sultana jam with cinnamon & star anise

Roughly chop the raisins in a food processor to break the skins thereby allowing the dried fruit to break down more easily into the jam. Add all the ingredients except the cinnamon, star anise and the sugar to a pot and bring to the boil. Continue to boil over a medium heat for 20 minutes. 


If you have a heat proof stick blender, immerse it into the jam in the pot and blend until it is smooth. Alternatively allow the liquid to cool a little and process through a blender or food processor. Return it back to the pot and bring it back to the boil. Add the sugar, cinnamon stick and star anise and continue to cook over a gentle heat for 30 minutes and until the jam has thickened. 


Allow to cool and further thicken before removing the spices and decanting the jam into a sterilized jar.