Raspberry Jam

I’m playing catch up with my posts — I didn’t envision writing about jam this late into September, but alas that’s what has happened.

Jam making has been a tradition in my family for a long time — my grandmother made it for as long as I can remember, and now my aunt is following suit. I have always wanted to make it, but city living + lack of equipment and resources (more the latter) has held me back until now. I confess that I am a complete canning novice. Prior to the jam I’d never done it before, although especially within the past 1-2 years it’s definitely something I’ve become more interested in.

There are two ways to make jam (as far as I am aware of anyway) — the old-fashioned way of boiling berries and sugar, or with pectin. We did the latter (and used Certo — even if you’re familiar with it, please check out the website, which looks like it came from 1998!). Essentially, the jam has to gel and stabilize, and the pectin does this without the necessity of boiling for hours. I confess that, usually, taking shortcuts is not really something that appeals to me in the kitchen. However, this is the way my grandmother did it, and it’s quick and easy so I am on board! 🙂

Here’s how to make it. Note that this is just the basic formula — you’ll need to follow the instructions as to measurements depending on how much you want to make. We used 8 cups of berries which made 14 jars.

1. Prepare all equipment first by disinfecting the jars & lids (we put the jars in the oven and boiled the lids).
2. Crush the berries lightly and place in a pan with the sugar.
3. Heat gently, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved.
4. Then bring the pot to a full rolling boil and boil rapidly for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in the Certo. Skim off any foam, if necessary.
6. Ladle the jam into jars immediately — close the lids but don’t screw them on too tightly immediately as it still has to set (we did this the next day).

Raspberries stewing!

Jars disinfected & ready to go

Finished jam 🙂

Someone wasn’t very interested in jam-making.

Dark Chocolate Brownies with Goat Cheese & Raspberry Swirl

If that sounds like a mouthful, it is! My lovely boyfriend recently celebrated his 29th birthday and I made these for him. 🙂 I found the recipe in the Guardian’s weekly Cook section which I am beginning to like more with each passing week.

No, the berries are not local/in season, but I made an exception and also managed to find them at my local fruiterers (such a British word!) so at least I did not give my money to a chain.

As I read through the ingredient list right before making them, I realized I’d forgotten to get cream cheese. Based on this I decided to modify the topping: I halved the ingredients, added a bit of plain Greek yogurt, and tried to spread it only on half of the brownies in case it failed (as you can see from the picture, that didn’t really work). I was a bit nervous, but surprisingly everything turned out well.

The brownies were definitely a hit — even for me, and I do not have a sweet tooth! They’re not too difficult to make, look impressive, and are a rich, luxurious occasional treat, perfect for a birthday.

 

YUM

Lemon Yogurt Tart

It’s been an extraordinarily busy few weeks and I’m behind on some posts — I made this tart nearly a month ago (on the same day that I made the raspberry galette).

This is a very easy dessert — even easier if you buy pre-made crust, which I did — and something cool and refreshing for a hot summer’s day. To make, all you do it mix together the ingredients for the filling (more detailed instructions and recipe here), fit the mixture into the pie shell (important: if you are using a pre-made shell, be sure to bake it first!), and then chill in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours to set. Is this a lazy dessert? Possibly.

The photo on the original recipe looks a hell of a lot better than mine. I added a few raspberries on top but you could use any fruit, and whipped cream too if you like. This tart is not too sweet and a great snack or dessert on a summer’s day.