Cherry Preserves

Last week was Shabbat Hagadol- the great Shabbat, when the prophet Eliyahu shall usher in the final redemption. Shabbat Hagadol is also the culmination of learning and if you are lucky, it is punctuated with a rousing dvar Torah (word of Torah). 

The rabbi spoke about tempering not only our ego but also our self-interest. In Kabbalistic tradition, the chametz, or leavened bread, symbolizes the puffiness of our ego. The matzah, flat and often burned represents our humility.  He explained that we want to be devoid of ego and of our self interest, which has us do the right things but often for the wrong reason - because they make us feel good. He challenged us to become "the perfect matzah." This immediately made me think about making and then eating "the perfect matzah brei!" (do you think I missed the part  about self interest?)

Matzah brei is a Passover family favorite at our table - a blank canvas that can be imbued with flavors delicate and sweet, tangy or savory. Nothing is better than matzah brei in the morning with warm butter, homemade hazelnut spread, honey, or delicious preserves. Everyone has their favorite. No matter how much is lovingly made, the jars are scraped until they are bare.

More than anything I love being able to elevate a humble recipe, this bread of our affliction, to nirvanic levels. More secretly I love that I can make so many "kosher for Pesach" preserves for so little money since one outrageously priced jar of store purchased jelly does not make it through even one breakfast. This recipe is incredibly simple. People will marvel that you had time to make your own preserves. It will be our little secret. Shhhhh.....

Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs (approximately 5 cups) of frozen, pitted cherries
• 4 cups of sugar

Directions

1. Combine cherries and sugar in a sauce pan. 
2. Start with low heat. The cherries will give off liquid as they defrost. 
3. Stir the cherries; as the sugar goes into solution increase the heat.
4. Allow to mixture to slowly peculate until the liquid is reduced 50%.
5. Take the preserves off the heat even if there is still too much liquid. Allow them to sit out on the counter over night in a large, open bowl or pot. The greater the surface area, the more liquid will evaporate.
6. In the morning you will have beautiful, dark, thickened preserves.
7. Transfer to a quart mason jar.
8. Spread liberally on matzah and transform the bread of our affliction into the bread of our freedom.