Tart Cherry & Meyer Lemon Marmalade

When tart meets tart, the result is extra sweet.

It’s no secret I adore Meyer lemons, and tend to go on somewhat of a Meyer-binge during the late-winter months when they are in season. Nine times out of ten that excess of citrus will ultimately become marmalade.

Rather than making plain Meyer lemon marmalade (not that plain Meyer lemon marmalade isn’t amazing, but you know, I just don’t do plain. Often, that is) I decided to think outside the fruit box.

One of the main steps of marmalade making is the overnight soak, where the citrus is soaked in water to coax out the pectin. I figured, why use water when you can use something far more flavorful and beneficial? Enter tart cherries (or, in this case, tart cherry juice, which is readily available in most major grocery stores year round) which, as it turns out, are the perfect match for this seasonal citrus.

Oddly, the resulting jam tastes surprisingly like an extra tart blood orange.

Meyer lemon tart cherry = blood orange? Go figure.

The Meyer lemon and tart cherry combo is simply magical, resulting in a marmalade that is perfectly sweet and sour at the same time. Not to mention this is one of my most versatile preserves yet: perfect for breakfast (smeared on toasted whole grain bread), for lunch (layered with roasted turkey and arugula for one heck of a sandwich), as an appetizer (spread on a cracker with creamy ripe brie cheese), for dinner (the finishing glaze on your perfect Easter ham), and even for dessert (drizzled atop a creamy panna cotta custard). How ’bout them apples cherries?

This is one jam you’re going to want to make right away, while Meyer lemons still grace the supermarket shelves. Because unlike tart cherries which are available in juice form year round, once the Meyer lemons are gone (at least for the 81.5% of us that DON’T live in California or Florida) it’s a long 8-month wait until they come around again.

(And psst! Be sure to click through to the end of this post to download the FREE printable jar labels!)

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