Wine dark red: Cherry Kanten

That first bag of cherries, carefully chosen and cradled home as the precious cargo it is, must be one of the great celebratory, seasonal rites. Cherries and Christmas in the southern hemisphere are inextricably linked and, seeing them heaped in a near-black, glossy pile at the market, set out in a small wooden crate on the counter, a place reserved for Very Special produce, makes me suddenly aware (and, it must be said, slightly nervous) that it very nearly December.

Heat-hazed, shimmering days and the clear, glittering nights of summer are not far away.

Along with their fuzzy-cheeked cousin the apricot, cherries are the first stonefruit of the season. Their arrival seems to make everyone at the market rather happy. I'm always chuffed when the waxen white cherries return, but the Homerian wine dark kind, bleeding beautiful, slightly gruesome juices when cut, have far more going for them flavour-wise. They need precious little to make them shine. 

The formula given for successful kanten-making often reads as follows:

1 tablespoon of agar flakes + 1 cup of chosen liquid = jelly

Which will indeed make you a jelly, an excellent one, but one set as solidly, as rigidly, as that which sits at the bottom of a petri dish in a science lab. Not what springs to mind when I think jelly. For a softly set jelly, the kind that glitteringly, quiveringly, begs you to break its glossy surface, sink in a spoon, and lift it, wobbling all the way, to your lips, the formula needs re-jigging:

1 teaspoon of agar flakes + 1 cup of chosen liquid = really delicious jelly

Do as you prefer and, most of all, experiment; have some fun. This post will guide you well. Agar has no calories (hooray!)and will set most anything (hooray!) but foods that are high in oxalic acid. So no spinach, no rhubarb and, thankfully, no chocolate. I can think of any number of better uses for the latter...as, I am sure, can you.

Cherry Kanten (Jelly) – feeds 4-6
Cherry juice is, granted, not easy (nor cheap) to come by in Australia. You could juice your own I suppose, but can you imagine how tedious that would be? Instead, use all apple or something else that takes your fancy – grape juice, pear or even a little thinned apricot nectar. Sets at room temperature in 1 hour.

1 cup cherry juice
2 ½ cups apple juice
¼ cup Grand Marnier or Kirsch
2 tablespoons of agave syrup or sugar
3 ½ teaspoons of agar flakes
1 cup of cherries
1 peach

Heat juices, alcohol and agave syrup in a small, non-reactive saucepan. Bring to a boil, skimming any scum that rises to the surface. Reduce heat to a simmer and sprinkle the agar over the surface. Simmer, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until agar has dissolved.

In between stirring your jelly, halve and pit the cherries. Peel, stone and slice the peach. Distribute the fruit evenly between 4-6 small bowls or teacups – something pretty that you will be serving them in.

Ladle the hot liquid into each bowl and leave, at room temperature, to set.

  

Susan, The Well-Seasoned Cook, is this month’s host of the wildly successful Sugar High Friday. She requests your glitteringly best sweet things as we head into the Silly Season.   

Comments

[Laurie Constantino]

Oh my, the sky is reflected in the Kanten. Absolutely gorgeous.

[Johanna]

I almost bought cherries this weekend - so wonderful to see them in the shops again - they will be in my kitchen (and stomach) very soon - and am wondering about this recipe - sans the cherry juice - maybe pomegranate juice would be a good alternative?

[another outspoken female]

I so want to go and make some 'jelly' now!

What do you reckon about a pinch of salt? The original recipe I used was macrobiotic - they love a bit of salt in everything but it can enhance the flavours, even the sweet ones.

[Rosa]

I'm only just discovering the joys of agar, and I agree that a little goes a long way. I love it in jelly of fresh orange or grapefruit juice, but will have to wait a few months to try this beautiful cherry version!

[Ricki]

I can't even begin to imagine the work involved in juicing all those cherries! But the dark red kind are, as you say, so gorgeous that they really deserve the attention. I've never been a fan of jellies, but maybe the problem WAS that they were too dense; your softly jiggling version is much more appealing.

[Shula]

Any suggestions where to buy agar flakes?

[Lucy]

You know darls, I do.

Tofu Trek at Vic Markets definitely stock it (in the Deli Hall - they also have the best selection of tofu around AND stoc Natto Miso, which if you like salty things is really good!) but good health food stores usually stock it too.

If all you can find is the powdered stuff, that's absolutely fine too, but use only 1/3 teaspoon per cup of liquid 'cos it's way more concentrated. You can buy it bars (much like sheets of gelatin), but I'm yet to tackle it that way.

You guys will like this, I reckon and you really can use any juice and fruit you like.

[Lucy]

Hmmm...I'm always leave out the salt, working on the assumption that my palate (sp?) isn't quite so perfect as some, but next time I will add it and see if I can taste the difference.

Next agar post? Those amond milk pannacotta's. I'm getting excited just thinking about them again. Love me some homemade almond milk.

[Lucy]

Pomegranate may be very, very good, Johanna. I like your thinking! I've found a great apple-strawberry juice from Select Harvests recently and am thinking that with strawberries may be delish too.

[Lucy]

Thanks, Laurie!

[Lucy]

A little does go a long way, Rosa. Citrus jellies in winter - how gorgeous.

[Lucy]

I know, love. Utter madness.

Those rock-solid kanten's actually make me feel quite unwell. The last one I made bounced as it hit the compost heap...

[Shula]

It sounds gorgeous. I thought jelly was over for me once I gave up meat
(although with the house in such disarray, I'm eating whatever I can get at
the moment). It would appear not.

xo

[another outspoken female]

Shula - not sure what part of Melbourne you are living in but this morning I was in Piedemontes supermarket in St Georges Rd, Nth Fitzroy and noticed they had lovely packets of agar on display. Its in their healthfood section and they were clipped on to the front of the shelves.

[Maria]

We're going cherry picking on the weekend, and that recipe look perfect to try out. Thanks for the inspiration!

I don't think I will juice my own cherry's though, that looks like too much work for me!

[Lisa]

Oh Lucy, how gorgeous. I do envy you those fresh cherries.

[Callipygia]

I do believe that Jell-o has grown up! But thank goodness not so much that it won't budge. Kinetic Kanten...

[chelsea]

Mouth. Watering.

[Wendy]

Cherry jelly. How much fun is that to say?
Haven't come across cherry juice before but shall be looking out for it now. Really do fancy a teacup of this.

[lisa from dandysugar]

Simply gorgeous.

[Susan]

I can see the clouds cast in the reflection. Such a delicate, minamalist dessert. I adore how it shapes itself to the vessel, as if it was born there.

Thanks for your SHF offering.