Blackberry Jam

Blackberry Jam © kvalifood.com

Blackberry jam works best with a classic two-step method: the berries are briefly cooked with lemon juice, strained and set aside, while the juice is reduced to a thick syrup. This gives whole, soft berries in a clear liquid — as opposed to the more uniform texture you get when you cook everything together. The recipe is straightforward and keeps well for months.

Ingredients

Directions

Preparation

Clean the blackberries thoroughly and rinse them in cold water. Let them drain well in a sieve — it is important that they do not carry too much water into the pot.

First cook

Place the drained blackberries in a heavy-bottomed pot and add the lemon juice. Heat slowly to boiling point, stirring gently. Remove the pot from the heat, cover with a lid, and let the berries steep for 30 minutes so the dark juice draws out of them.

Return the pot to the heat and cook the berries further, uncovered, over low heat for 5 minutes.

Separation

Strain the berries from the juice through a coarse sieve or colander. Distribute the whole berries evenly among clean, scalded jars.

Reducing the syrup

Pour the juice back into the pot and add the sugar. Stir gently over low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Turn up the heat slightly and reduce the syrup, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until it has thickened and looks glossy. Keep an eye on the heat — the syrup must not caramelise.

Filling the jars

Remove the pot from the heat and skim the surface clean with a spoon. Stir the preserving liquid into the hot syrup. Immediately pour the syrup over the blackberries in the jars and seal with lids.

Storage

Let the jars cool at room temperature and store them in a cool, dark place. The jam is at its best 2–3 days after it is made, once the flavour has settled. Keeps for at least 6 months unopened.

Notes

• Cook a 2-inch (5 cm) cinnamon stick and 3 whole cloves with the syrup during reduction, removing them before pouring it over the berries — this gives a spiced, deeper jam and is a classic Danish variation
• Half a vanilla pod (seeds and pod) cooked with the syrup gives a rounded, sweet complexity — used in many modern recipes
• Frozen blackberries work fine but release more liquid — the syrup may need a little longer to reduce
• Jam sugar with pectin gives a firmer, more jelly-like texture and a shorter cooking time, but the traditional recipe with ordinary sugar gives a more natural, fluid syrup consistency
• The jam is excellent on freshly baked bread, with cheese, stirred into yoghurt, or as a dessert with a dollop of whipped cream

• Classic-Danish-Recipes
• Jam
• Preserves
• Blackberry