Cornelian cherry jelly is made by simmering tart Cornelian cherries with their pits, allowing the juice to drain through cheesecloth without pressing, then boiling the juice with sugar. Unlike jam, it contains no fruit pulp: the jelly in the jar is ruby red and clear enough to let light through, with a sharper tartness than jam. The fruit’s acid and pectin set the jelly without lemon or added pectin, as long as the juice is left to drain without squeezing.
Remove the stems from the Cornelian cherries and discard any crushed or darkened fruit. Rinse the rest in cold water and drain.
Add 1250 ml of water to the Cornelian cherries and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat with the lid slightly ajar for 30 minutes. When the fruit splits and the flesh separates from the pits, gently mash it against the side of the pot with the back of a spoon; do not try to break the pits.
Pour the mixture into a strainer lined with damp, wrung-out double-layer cheesecloth, or into a cheesecloth bag suspended over a wide bowl. Let it drain on its own. Do not squeeze the cloth; squeezed juice will cloud the jelly. Measure the juice in the morning; it should yield about 900 ml.
Bring the strained juice to a boil in a wide pot. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved, then boil over high heat, skimming off the foam. Remove from the heat when it reaches 104–105°C / about 220°F, or when a drop placed on a cold plate wrinkles when pushed.
While the jelly cooks, wash the jars and lids in hot, soapy water and boil them for 10 minutes. Keep them in hot water until ready to fill. Pour the hot jelly into the hot jars, leaving 0.5–1 cm of headspace. Wipe the rims with a clean, damp cloth and close the jars. For jars intended for pantry storage, process them with the lids on in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes.
Let the fruit drain through the cheesecloth for 8–12 hours; this waiting time is not included in the recipe duration. Do not squeeze the cloth. The jelly needs 24 hours to set fully in the jars.
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