My Mother’s Cherry-Raspberry Conserve

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OK, the freesia is in bud and the orange tree covered with blossoms. But it’s cold and rainy here in San Diego, and my thoughts turn towards summer, especially summer fruit. I love this old-fashioned recipe,  “My Mother’s Cherry-Raspberry Conserve” . Basically, a conserve is a simple chutney with nuts, something you can whip up and serve along with a fish or chicken entrée. As an alternative, stir  some into softened  cream cheese for a snack with  crackers or crisp veggies.

There will be no fresh, local sweet cherries in the stores or markets until June, perhaps. I decided to experiment by using a bag of frozen sweet cherries from Trader Joe’s. Fresh raspberries are always available and I added  grated fresh ginger root for some snap. The framboise is optional, of course, but adds a nice depth of flavor to the conserve.

My mother only made this in the height of summer in eastern Pennsylvania. I still remember opening the family fridge and wanting to dive into all that glorious fruit, especially the raspberries, our favorite fruit.

Yields 4 cups

  • 2 cups fresh or frozen sweet cherries, pitted
  • 1/2 cup dried cherries
  • 1 cup fresh red raspberries
  • 1 navel orange
  • 1 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 2 1/2 cups white sugar
  • zest and juice of 1 Meyer lemon
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons Framboise (raspberry liqueur)

1. Thaw the cherries, if using frozen fruit.

2. Using a medium-sized pot, mash the cherries and allow them to cook over medium-low heat until tender.

3. Add the dried cherries and fresh raspberries. Cook over low heat until mixture begins to thicken.

4. Chop the orange, including the peel, into medium dice pieces. Add to mixture.

5. Add the walnuts, sugar, lemon zest and juice and the ginger. Cook over medium heat until thickened, about 15 minutes.

6. Off the heat, stir in the framboise.

7. Store in fridge or ladle into sterile jars according to safe canning procedures. Place jars in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

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22 Responses to My Mother’s Cherry-Raspberry Conserve

  1. apuginthekitchen February 17, 2012 at 2:12 pm #

    Wonderful recipe, I so enjoy your Mom’s recipes. This is particularly delicious and can imagine how wonderful it is with fresh summer fruit.

    • lizthechef February 17, 2012 at 2:14 pm #

      Thanks so much. I often wonder what my mother would think of her recipes being in a food blog, or if she even knew what a blog was!

      • apuginthekitchen February 17, 2012 at 2:18 pm #

        I think she would be honored and delighted, my Mom thank goodness is still with me and is tickled when I tell her I post her recipes. She doesn’t even use a computer and just got a cell phone a few months ago.

        • lizthechef February 17, 2012 at 2:41 pm #

          I hope so – she didn’t “get” email but liked to see what I would do on the computer.

  2. Mary Constant February 17, 2012 at 2:14 pm #

    This recipe has my name on it!!! I love, love the combination and can imagine how delicious it would be right now.

    • lizthechef February 17, 2012 at 2:42 pm #

      Yes, this is a “Mary” recipe for certain!

  3. TasteFood February 17, 2012 at 2:54 pm #

    This sounds fabulous. So full of flavor!

    • lizthechef February 17, 2012 at 2:58 pm #

      Thanks, Lynda – enjoy the weekend.

  4. Toni February 17, 2012 at 5:26 pm #

    looks like it would be good over ice-cream and it was a beautiful summer day today.

    • lizthechef February 17, 2012 at 5:50 pm #

      Ice cream sounds good…Say,I love my new lime thyme and Irish lace thyme. Experimenting growing them in pots.

  5. Sunchowder - Wendy Read February 17, 2012 at 6:11 pm #

    This looks delightful Liz, I too am a fan of your Mom’s recipes 🙂 I love cherries and raspberries together and I am going to try it with my Chambord which I always have on hand.

    • lizthechef February 17, 2012 at 7:03 pm #

      Strange, Wendy, I had forgotten until now that she loved Chambord! She visited me when Charles and Diana were married and we had a toast at 2 in the morning – with your Chambord!

  6. Mary Constant February 17, 2012 at 6:20 pm #

    @Lizthechef I love the combination of cherries and berries…this sounds soo delicious!

  7. Oui, Chef February 18, 2012 at 4:03 pm #

    This recipe sounds gorgeous, and I know exactly how I’m going to use it. Love the idea of cherries and raspberries together.

    • lizthechef February 18, 2012 at 4:04 pm #

      Wonder what you will do with it, Steve?

  8. Jayne February 19, 2012 at 3:47 am #

    I was lucky enough that you shared this recipe with me before and I can vouch for how delicious it is! I left out the nuts to make it husband friendly and he too enjoyed it, in fact both of us are fans of your Mother’s recipes!

    • lizthechef February 19, 2012 at 7:42 am #

      Thanks, Jayne – she would be so pleased to know I have a good friend in London, just about her favorite place.

  9. Georgia | The Comfort of Cooking February 20, 2012 at 9:55 am #

    Love this recipe, Liz! So simple, versatile and I bet absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing. You have a very nice blog and I’m glad to have found you!

    • lizthechef February 20, 2012 at 12:36 pm #

      Thanks – looking forward to visiting your blog now!

  10. The Wimpy Vegetarian February 24, 2012 at 5:55 pm #

    This is right up my alley! With all of our traveling, I’ve been mostly offline this month – so catching up now. I’ve bookmarked this to try soon. It looks sooooo good. You are so lucky to have all these great food memories! xo

    • lizthechef February 24, 2012 at 6:06 pm #

      This worked so well with frozen cherries – I couldn’t taste the difference, Susan. Thanks – glad you are back in your kitchen.

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