Slatko - a very sweet Serbian jam

Slatko (serbian for "sweet") a balkan speciality is a preserve in which fruits are kept whole in a thick and very sweet syrup. Traditionally guests are welcome with a spoon of slatko and a glass of water.
(even if it seems that not many people do that in these days anymore, since it never happened to me and I was in quiet a few housholds and in different regions of Serbia)

Slatko is not only wellknown in former Yugoslavian Countries but e.g. also in Bulgarian Cuisine (sladko) and in jewish kitchens. The difference to Western style jams is, that the fruits are kept whole and it's much sweeter. For best results, prepare "slatko" in small quantities and don't overcook it!

How to cook it:

1. Prepare the fruits
Pick the nicest fruits, wash them, eventually stone them and bigger fruits like apricots and plums are stoned and cut in quarters. Soft fruits (like strawberries and raspberries) must be sparkled with lemonjuice before cooking so that they will keep their shape Fruits like cherries or sour cherries, after washing and stoning are put beforehand in a casserole in alternating layers of cherries and sugar, and after 12 hours standing they can be cooked without adding water. Fruits like quinces or apples are washed, quartered and cooked over high heat. Only then they are added to the thickened syrup.

2. Cook the fruits
Whichever fruit is used the method is the same.

For each cup of fruit use 1 cup sugar and 1/4 cup of water.

Bring sugar and water to a boil and boil on low heat until mixture spring a thread or in other words you get a thick syrup. Then drop in fruit and cook only long enough for fruit to be cooked through.
To not crush the fruits avoid stirring, but just shake the casserole often. Remove all foam. Mixture should be rather thick. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and gently mix. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand for 12 hours. If the slatko has become watery in this time, boil it again for a short time.

3. Pour in sterile jars and seal. Slatko is served in an attractive jam jar.