Receta Chocolate Raspberry Jam...
The British novelist, Elizabeth Russel, once said, "Bread and butter, devoid of charm in the drawing-room, is ambrosia eaten under a tree." Well, what Elizabeth didn't know is bread and butter with a schmear of chocolate raspberry jam is the epitome of ambrosia.
Try to imagine how great this jam tastes between layers of chocolate cake...it's mind-blastingly good! Last week I made a cake for a friend - a chocolate cake and just as I was about to put frosting between the layers I remembered the jar of chocolate raspberry jam I had purchased at a farmer's market...I spread it on the cake, as thickly as I could, and then added the top layer. I paid $9 for a half pint of chocolate raspberry jam because ONE taste told me I needed it. I didn't plan on using it on cake for someone else...I had planned on eating it one spoonful at a time over hot scones or biscuits...but the cake just screamed for it! And since there was no way I could taste the cake with the jam before giving it away, I had to wait to hear how my friend liked it...and like it she did! So with my $9 jar of jam gone I had no choice but to search the internet for recipes so I could make my own supply...and lucky for me - and you - I found the perfect recipe!
It's very easy to make - in practically no time at all you'll be licking your lips with the smooth, rich taste of chocolate married with raspberry...it's decadent and delicious...and it will turn any cake into a masterpiece and any piece of toast/bread/scone/biscuit into ambrosia...fer sure!
Chocolate Raspberry Jam ~ Adapted From Jen Smith at RecipeZaar
6 cups frozen raspberries (I also threw in a handful of fresh blueberries because I had them sitting around - that's what you can see floating in the picture above.)
- 3 (1 oz.) squares bittersweet chocolate (use good chocolate!)
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 (1 3/4 oz.) box pectin
- 1/2 teaspoon butter
You will need a large pot and a rack to boil your bottles in and to process your jam.
Allow berries to thaw a bit and use both the berries and any juice they produce, since they were part of the original fresh berry. Put berries into a large, flat-bottomed bowl and crush/mash the berries. If you don't want a lot of seeds in your jam, you can sieve half of the pulp at this point. Removing seeds may cause you to not have the full 6 cups of berries so be sure you have enough berries on hand.)
Make sure your canning equipment is
scrupulously clean, and place 6 half-pint jars on a rack in a canning pot of boiling water. Make sure jars are completely covered with water. Allow it to boil for 10 minutes to sterilize jars,
then turn down the heat to keep the jars hot. In a small saucepan, add lids and rings, cover with water and bring to a boil; boiling for ten minutes. Turn down heat and keep hot until ready to use.
Measure 6 cups of crushed fruit into a 6-8
quart heavy nonreactive saucepan. Break the chocolate squares into
smaller pieces and add them to the pan. Add all but 1/4 cup of sugar to the berry mixture. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the pectin and mix well with a whisk to combine. Stir pectin-sugar mixture into the fruit. Add butter.
Bring quickly to a full rolling boil. Boil for EXACTLY 1 MINUTE,
stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat. Skim off any foam and
ladle the jam into hot sterilized jars,
leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water
bath. Remove the jars to a towel lined
surface, invert for 10 minutes, then turn right side up and allow to cool. Label the jars and
store in a cool dry place for up to 1 year.
"Without bread, without wine, love is nothing." ~ French Proverb. I'd like to amend this saying a bit... "Bread, without chocolate raspberry jam...whine...is nothing to love."
My new best friend Matt sent me the link to his blog, Tiepedia where he's posted some great pictures of Tie Cakes ...you simply must see them! They would be perfect for Father's Day! I just might try to whip one up for the mister as he hates ties and a tie cake might be the only tie he'd like!