Tag: Alchermes home made

Marmellata di cigliege (Cherry jam) and Zuppa Inglese

Marmellata di cigliege (cherry jam) happens in one of those moments when someone comes home from the market with far too many cherries. The glossy, firm cherries with fresh green stems go straight into a bowl on the table, while the rest become a fragrant, ruby-red jam to enjoy in many delicious ways.

This batch of cherry jam was especially good – so good that I used some as a topping for a creamy Zuppa Inglese, the iconic Italian dessert. It is also perfect spooned over gelato or even churned into homemade ice cream.

Preparing the Cherries

Remove the stems, wash the cherries and discard any blemished fruit. Weigh the cherries and transfer them to a heavy-based saucepan.

Using a potato masher, crush about two-thirds of the cherries to release their juices.

Add the zest and juice of one lemon (for 500g of cherries—use more if you are working with a larger quantity). Cook over low to medium heat until the cherries soften.

Adding the Sugar. How Much Sugar to Use

Many traditional cherry jam recipes use equal quantities of fruit and sugar, and commercial jams may use even more. I prefer a less sweet, more fruit-forward jam and typically use half the weight of sugar to fruit—for example, 250g of sugar for 500g of cherries.

Add the sugar and cook over moderate heat for around 20 minutes, stirring until fully dissolved and thickened.

Test the setting point by placing a small amount of jam on a chilled saucer and drawing your finger through the centre. If it holds its line, the jam is ready.

Remove from the heat and rest for 10–15 minutes.

Sterilising and Bottling

Choose glass jars with airtight lids and sterilise them. I usually pour boiling water into the jars and submerge the lids in boiling water. A dishwasher cycle can also work well as long as its timing aligns with your jam being ready.

Ladle the hot jam into hot jars, seal, and allow to cool.

Zuppa Inglese with Cherry Jam

Zuppa Inglese is one of the most decadent yet simple Italian desserts. But there is one non-negotiable: without Alchermes liqueur, it cannot truly be Zuppa Inglese. This deep red, ancient Florentine liqueur perfumes the entire dessert and gives it its unmistakable character.

The components are straightforward:

  • Savoiardi (sponge fingers)

  • Rich egg custard

  • Alchermes liqueur

Like a trifle, Zuppa Inglese is layered: biscuits dipped in Alchermes, custard, more biscuits, and more custard—three generous layers.

Finish with a cloud of whipped Chantilly cream (whipped cream with caster sugar and a touch of vanilla) and spoon over a few glistening cherries from your homemade marmellata di cigliege.

Perfect, celebratory, and wonderfully Italian.

Top with  a layer of whipped cream (with a little caster sugar and vanilla = Chantilly cream)… and the cherries.

See more detailed recipes for:

ZUPPA INGLESE, a famous, Italian dessert

LONG LIVE ZUPPA INGLESE and its sisters

ALCHERMES/ALKERMES (The liqueur used to make Zuppa Inglese)

ALCHERMES/ALKERMES (The liqueur used to make Zuppa Inglese)

Alchermes (or Alkermes) is the iconic Italian liqueur traditionally used to make Zuppa Inglese, Italy’s answer to the classic English trifle. This vibrant, red Florentine liqueur has a long and fascinating history, and for many Italians its flavour is inseparably linked to one of the country’s most beloved desserts.

Alchermes and Alkermes.. same liqueur , different spelling
Zuppa Inglese and Its Origins

Just as trifle remains a nostalgic favourite in English kitchens, Zuppa Inglese has never gone out of style in parts of Italy. Recently, while enjoying a beautifully made trifle with friends, I was surprised to discover that many seasoned travellers at the table had never tasted its Italian counterpart.

Literally translated as “English soup,” Zuppa Inglese layers sponge biscuits, crema pasticcera (crème anglaise) and liqueur. It is believed to have developed in the late 18th and 19th centuries, possibly introduced by wealthy English visitors living in Italy. The “soup” reference may describe the moist, soaked texture—or may come from the verb inzuppare, meaning “to soak.” Instead of jelly or jam, Italians added something far more characterful: the liqueur Alchermes.

The Story of Alchermes

Alchermes is a strong, ruby-red liqueur originally associated with the Medici family.

The modern Alchermes is likely to be the development of an eighth century tonic which as well as rose-water, cinnamon, sugar and honey, was said to contain ground pearls, leaf gold, raw silk, musk, ambergris (produced in the digestive of system of sperm whales and used in perfumes).

The modern version is simpler but still intensely aromatic, defined by spices, citrus peel and floral notes.

When I was growing up in Trieste in the late 1950s, Zuppa Inglese was a fashionable dessert in many restaurants. Like most Italian families, we rarely baked sweets at home—desserts were purchased from a trusted pasticceria. When we moved to Australia, my mother began making Zuppa Inglese for special occasions, and the tradition has happily continued in my own kitchen.

Zuppa-Inglese-copy-300x201

Making Alchermes at Home

For years Alchermes was difficult to find in Australia. My mother and I substituted Maraschino, which worked well enough, but lacked the intensity of the real thing. Eventually, in the 1980s, I began making my own liqueur using methods similar to Sicilian rosoliu, a traditional homemade infusion dating back to the 15th century.

In Sicily, the ingredients are steeped in alcohol before being sweetened with sugar syrup. My aunt, zia Niluzza, is a master rosoliu maker, and I follow much the same process.

As a Sicilian saying goes:
“Quannu ‘na cosa piaci, nun fa dannu.”
When one likes something, it can’t do any harm.

In Italy, pure grain alcohol is readily available, but in Australia I make Alchermes using vodka or grappa. The quantities below are approximate, as I rarely measure spices precisely.

Homemade Alchermes Recipe
INGREDIENTS
  • 700ml bottle vodka or grappa (use around two-thirds)
  • 3 cinnamon sticks
  • Peel of 1 orange
  • 1 heaped tablespoon each of fennel, cardamom, coriander and cloves, lightly crushed
  • 1 tablespoon mace or nutmeg
  • ½ vanilla bean or a generous pinch of saffron
  • ½ teaspoon cochineal, or more to colour
  • 1 tablespoon rosewater
  • 500g sugar
  • 1 litre boiling water

PROCESS

  1. Place the alcohol and all aromatics except cochineal and rosewater into a wide-mouth jar and seal.
  2. Store in a cool, dark place for at least 14 days.
  3. Dissolve sugar in the hot water and cool.
  4. Add cochineal and rosewater to the syrup.
  5. Pour the syrup into the steeped alcohol.
  6. Strain through cheesecloth.
  7. Bottle and seal. It keeps indefinitely.

Alchermes is available in some specialty wine shops, but at certain times,  I do still like to make my own.

Homemade Alchermes won’t be as brilliant in colour as commercial versions, but the complexity of flavour is incomparable. You can add more Cochineal if you prefer a deeper colour.

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Homemade Alchermes is not the vibrant red colour as the commercially made one

Zuppa Inglese continues to be glorified in my present household.

For Christmas time celebrations, I am often asked to make and bring a trifle. I of course make a  Zuppa Inglese and am often nervous about presenting this variation. But I needn’t worry – is it the Alchermes that does it, and keeps everyone happy.

Great for Birthday celebrations as well.

See: How to make Zuppa Inglese, a famous Italian Dessert.

ZUPPA INGLESE revisited

Marmellata di cigliege (Cherry jam) and Zuppa Inglese

LONG LIVE ZUPPA INGLESE and its sisters