Seasonal Preserves From Provence

I am reading a captivating book about the regional traditions of French Cuisine. It was written by none other than Elizabeth David in 1960. France was a simpler time then. Charles De Gaulle was Prime Minister and he was a strong leader. Now times are troubling with a socialist prime minister. No one would have thought in 1960 that you would have a socialist as a prime minister. Such are the sad times economically the country has gone through. Many would like to go back to 1960.



 So for those of you who would I suggest reading her book. You will begin to understand what is at the heart of french regional cooking and Provence has a tradition of really fantastic preserves. It is a family affair where grandmothers and numerous family members argue over a large copper pot steaming and bubbling with fresh seasonal fruits. Cherries are in season and with the winds of Provence spinning in my head I thought I would attempt to make their famous cherry jam.




I made two batches of jam. One with Rainier Cherries and one with Bing Cherries. You can use this recipe for either one. Do not mix the varieties however. You can even make a bitter pie cherry jam using this recipe. You will just need to slowly increase the sugar content to your liking.

French cherry jam has brandy in it. For the Rainier Cherries they pare nicely with Disaronno a almond liquor. For the bing I use a combination of Grand Marnier and Courvoisier a cognac.




Pitting cherries is something you do by listening to some wonderful music or watch a interesting TV show. There are some great equipment for cherry pit removal, I used a very simple hand one. You will need two and one half pounds of fresh cherries.

This recipe will make about two pints.

6 1/2 cups of cherries pitted
1 1/4 cups of sugar
1 lemon juiced
1/4 cup of pectin powder
1 airport size bottle of brandy

Bring all the ingredients with the exception of the pectin to a boil and refrigerate over night. Now strain the cherries from the juice and set aside. Boil the juice and add the pectin. Add the cherries and cook until you get the consistent you like. I then pour the jam in canning jars. Process the jars for ten full minutes in boiling water. You will hear the clink and then they are sealed. I love this jam over ice cream, in crepes, and even over cheese cake.

Asparagus is in season too. Pickled asparagus is great with Prosciutto. The French would pair with a lovely French Ham and if times where better white asparagus Aigre-Doux.

Enjoy!