An elderly cherry tree in the front yard produced a bumper crop of dark, sweet fruit this year. By mid-June heavily laden branches pummeled the top of my car demanding to be picked as I drove beneath them . A highly motivated team of locals went to work picking, pitting and eating their fill. As we harvested, dreams of cold cherry soup, cherry liqueur and cherry pie danced in our heads. I came up with a Sugar Free Cherry Jam Galette just for you.
Unlike most fruit preserves, this cherry jam is naturally sweet. The choice of a fruit sweetener requires a bit of improvisation which I welcome. All three editions of my preserving cookbook contain a small No Sugar Jam chapter. Although I’ve updated other chapters, this one hasn’t changed since 1984 when Gourmet Preserves Chez Madelaine was published. (It's current title is Artisanal Preserves) What the French call a ‘relook’ is long overdue.
The main innovation in my new sugar free jams is the addition of Medjool dates. This ancient fruit from Morocco wasn’t on my radar forty years ago, but it makes an ideal silent partner in several ways. Dates are overwhelmingly sweet but neutral in flavor. Their high fiber content makes them an ideal thickener. Despite their sweetness dates, have a low glycemic index so they are healthful as well. Apples both diced and as a frozen juice concentrate are the other naturally sweet ingredient in these jams. Best of all, small batch, sugar free jams take under 30 minutes to prepare.
It takes willpower to resist eating homemade jam straight out of a jar, but wait! This cherry jam deserves to be framed in a buttery pastry crust. Scatter on a few raw, chopped cherries before placing the galette in the oven and sprinkle on crushed pistachios before serving. Enjoy!
A cherry picker's view of the harvest
