Cherry, Vanilla & Spiced Rum Jam | In Cold Blood
The cider-tart odour of spoiling apples. Apple trees and pear trees, peach and cherry: Mr Clutter's orchard, the treasured assembly of fruit trees he had planted.
In Cold Blood
Truman Capote
It feels like this year has passed within a single week. In comparison to the rest of the world Australia is quite lucky at this moment in history. We’ve successfully implemented lockdowns to stop the spread of COVID19 and are now slowly returning to a somewhat state of normality as Summer has begun. I have to admit that there is a hint of joy in this for me, while I am at heart a lover of Winter, the appeal of breezy Summer days has its appeal to me. Excuses to go on impromptu picnics, trips to farmer’s markets to stock up on whatever is in season.
In Cold Blood from Truman Capote is not exactly a Summer novel - but the language within it feels as though it has hints of warm, sweltering months within its pages. I didn’t expect to love this book quite as much as I did. I had little prior knowledge of the plot before I picked it up - I perhaps wasn’t quite expecting a crime thriller. Which feels a little silly now knowing that it is one of the most prolific crime novels of all time.
There are a range of different foods mentioned within the pages of this novel, cinnamon buns, pancakes, or even the last meal consumed by the two titular characters. With the days heating up however, and the cloyingly sweet smell of summer fruits beginning to drift across the streets as one makes their way to the local market, it was hard to pass by the table full of cherries.
This jam is delicious - the addition of the spiced rum takes away the overly sweetness that can be overpowering in a lot of fruit jams. Instead the rum emphasises the taste of the ripe cherries and the vanilla laced throughout it. It is so good, and anyone you gift this jam to will be in your debt.
Cherry, Vanilla & Spiced Rum Jam
Makes approx. 4 300ml jars of jam
Ingredients
3kg cherries
1kg jam sugar
1 lemon, juiced and zested
130ml of spiced rum
3 tsp vanilla paste OR 3 vanilla beans, sliced open
The night before, place a small plate into the freezer - you can use this to check when the jam is ready! Now is a good time to sterilise all your jars as well.
De-pit all the cherries - this may take a good few hours, and yes - it’s incredibly tiresome but worth it!
Place all the ingredients into a large saucepan on a medium heat. As it begins to boil make sure you give it a stir every 5 minutes or so to prevent any sticking at the bottom. It should take around 50 minutes to an hour to cook properly. You can test when it’s done by dropping a spoonful onto the plate from the freezer. Let it sit for 20 seconds before dragging the spoon through it. If it wrinkles - it’s ready to be jarred!
Carefully jar your hot jam into the prepared jars, label and date it and enjoy! It should last for around 6 months in a cool, dark place. If you can keep your hands off it that long.