Zoğal mürəbbəsi

Step 1: Pick over the 2 ¼ lb cornelian cherries, discarding soft or split fruit, pull off the stems and rinse. Leave them whole with their stones.

Step 2: Bring the 2 ¼ lb white sugar and 1 ¼ cups water to the boil in a wide pan over a medium heat, stirring until clear, then simmer 3 minutes.

Step 3: Add the cherries, bring back to a gentle boil and cook for 5 minutes, shaking the pan rather than stirring. Skim the foam, take off the heat and leave for 6–8 hours.

Step 4: Return to a gentle boil for another 5 minutes, skim and rest again for 6–8 hours; the fruit drinks up the syrup and stays plump.

Step 5: Sterilise the jar and lid: wash in hot soapy water, rinse, then set the jar upside down in a 250°F oven for 10 minutes (or boil jar and lid for 10 minutes). Let it cool and dry completely; jar, lid and every spoon you use must be bone dry. Use four 350 ml jars.

Step 6: For the third boil, cook for 8–10 minutes with the 1 tbsp lemon juice until the syrup is thick like runny honey and the cherries look glassy.

Step 7: Ladle the hot preserve into the hot jars. Water-bath for room-temperature storage: fill the hot jars to 1 cm from the top, wipe the rims, close, stand them on a rack in a deep pan of water that covers them by 3 cm, bring to a rolling boil and boil for 10 minutes (add 1 minute per 300 m above sea level). Lift out and cool undisturbed; the lids should be pulled down. Any jar that does not seal goes in the fridge.

Step 8: Sealed jars keep in a cool, dark cupboard for a year; once opened, keep in the fridge for 2 months and use a clean, dry spoon. Throw it away if you see mould, if it fizzes or smells of alcohol, or if the lid bulges or leaks.