Ammiji likes jam on her toast now and then – especially with a cup of sugarless chai. She’s never really made her own jam though. When asked why, she sniffed and said, “English grandmothers make jams. Indian grandmothers make chutneys.” (Yes, she makes us roll our eyes on a regular basis.) She has firmly disassociated herself with any jam we make, but she’ll lift up the jar and inspect it with her hawk eye when it is presented to her.
So it was with this jam. “What do you mean by ‘brandied’?”, she asked. When we told her that the jam had a bit of brandy, her only answer was to put the jar down on the table with a definite snap. “Do what you want with your English jams and English grandmothers!”, she said. We’re taking that as grudging permission. 😀
Summer means that the market is flooded with beautiful, ripe summer fruit. And the most attractive of these (besides the much-loved mangoes) are the cherries – sweet, plump, juicy cherries, glistening a bright red or a deep maroon. So we took those cherries, soaked them in brandy overnight, and cooked a chunky jam out of it!
Our Brandied Cherry Jam has the perfectly spreadable consistency and each bite will give you a few pieces of juicy, sweet cherries in your mouth. It’s slightly boozy from the premium brandy and we’ve let the sweet tartness of the cherries shine through by limiting the amount of sugar we put in it. The fragrance is heady with brandy with a touch of pure vanilla. The texture is achieved by letting the fruit slow-cook and release its own pectin. There is no added packaged pectin or preservatives. What you get is real fruit, turned into a jam in small batches, the old-fashioned away.
The cherry jam tastes fantastic spread on toast, achieves excellence when served with scones and hits sublime when paired with cheese and crackers. Layer your cakes with it or dollop it onto ice-cream sundaes. What you do with it is totally you!
Note: Seasonal item. Will be available only till the fruit is available!
Ingredients: Cherries, sugar, brandy, lemon juice, vanilla extract.