Italian-Style Cherry Preserve (Amarena Style)

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This Italian-style cherry preserve is made in the spirit of traditional Amarena preserve, using fresh sweet cherries to create whole fruit suspended in a rich, glossy syrup

Jam or a Jelly

Here’s the deal: we’re in a bit of a jam – pun totally intended – figuring out what label to slap on this creation of ours. It’s like we’ve got a puzzle with missing pieces: doesn’t quite fit the jam mold since the cherries do not get crushed, yet it’s not the classic jelly either, given the whole cherries that are floating luxuriously in a sea of jelly goodness. Whether you’re cheering for Team Jam or waving the Jelly flag, we’re putting our money where our mouth is – you’re absolutely going to love the endgame.

Whether you have already made this preserve or are just planning to make it, please let us know in the comments what shall we call this creation – a jam or a jelly?

Cherries used in this recipe

We used sweet Bing cherries for this recipe, but any other sweet cherries will work well too. You can choose to pit the cherries or not. We kept the pits when we made this jam.

Less Sugar

Our preserves have low sugar but stay fresh on the shelf. How? The secret lies in properly preparing the jars and lids. Make sure you follow the instructions on sterilizing the jars in this recipe.

Amarena Style Cherry Preserve

Not quite jam – cherries aren't crushed. Not classic jelly either – whole cherries afloat. Whatever the label, easy to make and delicious. We used sweet Bing cherries for this recipe, but any other sweet cherries work too. You can choose to pit the cherries or not. We kept the pits for this one.

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Resting time 8 hours hrs

Ingredients  

• 2 ½ lb cherries
• 2 cups sugar
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup powdered pectin any brand

Equipment

• wooden spoon
• colander
• heavy-bottomed pot
• potholders, oven mitts, trivets for hot dishes

Method 

Preparing the Cherries

• Discard any berries showing signs of browning or bruising, and remove the stems.
• Thoroughly wash the remaining cherries, then let them dry in a colander.

Cooking the Cherries

• Grab a large, heavy-bottomed pot and combine the cherries, sugar, pectin, and water. Mix everything together.
• Place the pot over low heat and gently bring the cherries to a boil.
• Reduce the heat even more and let the cherries simmer for 5-6 minutes.
• Turn off the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and allow the cherries to steep for 6-8 hours.
• Once steeping is done, return the pot to the stove over low heat.
• Slowly bring the jam back to a boil. Once it’s boiling again, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.
• Let the jam simmer for an additional 40 minutes.
• (!) While the jam is cooking, begin preparing the Mason jars. It's important to have your jars ready at this point, because the next step, filling them with piping hot jam, must follow immediately.

Servings 1 x 1-liter (32 oz.) jar.

Preserve Type: Jam

Cuisine: European

Diet: Gluten Free, Kosher, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keywords: Black Cherry Jam, Canned Cherry, Cherries, Cherry Jam, Cherry Jam Canning, Cherry Jam Recipe, Cherry Jam Recipe with Pectin, Cherry Jam without pitting, Cherry Jelly, Cherry Preserve, Easy Cherry Jam, Homemade Cherry Preserve, How to make cherry jam, Recipe for Cherry Jam, Simple soft set Cherry Jam

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