Sour Cherry Jam & Choc Chip Biscuits

For the sour cherry jam:
Add pitted sour cherries to a large pot. Begin cooking over medium-high heat, and use a potato masher to gently mash, leaving some cherries in large pieces. Stir in butter and almond extract. Once butter has melted, stir in powdered fruit pectin. Bring mixture to a boil.

Add all the sugar at once and mix well. Bring fruit back up to a boil. Boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat and scrape off any foam with a metal spoon.

Return to a full boil. Boil hard for 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim off foam with a metal spoon.

Ladle the hot jam into sterilized half pint jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Wipe jar rims and add lids. Process jars in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool on wire racks.

For the chocolate chip biscuits:
Preheat oven to 450ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add lard and, using a pastry cutter or two knives, gently cut in lard until it resembles coarse oatmeal.

Add lightly whisked egg and milk, and use a fork to combine most of the wet and dry ingredients together. Stir in chocolate chips. Do not over-mix. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and use your hands to shape it into a flattened disk shape. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 3/4-inch thick.

Cut out biscuits with a floured cookie cutter that is about 2 inches in diameter. Do not twist the cookie cutter when cutting out the biscuits—go straight down and then straight back up. This will ensure that biscuits rise up when baking.

Place biscuits on the parchment-lined baking sheet and brush tops with melted butter. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 10–12 minutes.