Blackberry jam
1 kilo blackberries 1 kilo jam sugar 1 lemon, juiced 4 bay leaves
Takes: 20-30 minutes Bakes: No time at all
1.Place the blackberries and jam sugar in a large, heavy-bottomed pan and add a splash of water to stop the blackberries sticking to the bottom of the pan. Place a couple of small saucers in the freezer. 2. Heat the pan on a relatively low heat until the blackberries give out enough of their juice to dissolve the jam sugar, stirring gently occasionally. 3. When the sugar has dissolved, add the juice of a lemon and the bay leaves, and turn up the heat until the jam reaches a rolling boil. Cook the jam at this temperature, stirring all the time, for about ten minutes. If you have a sugar thermometer, take the temperature of the jam, moving the thermometer around to make sure you’re not just testing a hotspot, or touching the bottom of the pan; when the jam reaches 105°C, remove from the heat. Don’t worry if you don’t have a sugar thermometer: take one of the saucers from the freezer, and spoon a dribble of jam onto it. Leave for just a moment, and then nudge with your fingernail; if the jam wrinkles, it has reached setting point; if not, return to the heat and cook for another few minutes before testing again. 4. Once off the heat, leave the jam to settle for fifteen minutes, before carefully spooning the jam into sterilised jars, and sealing. Don’t worry if it still looks terribly runny – just close the lid and leave it to cool completely; if you’ve reached setting point, it will set.