December is a month full of birthdays, parties, family gathering and Christmas for me. Not complaining! And this time I wanted to gift my friends something homemade for Christmas and that’ why I made the Christmas Chocolate Bark Trio but then I got this very special friend that I wanted to post something for Christmas and looks like my chocolate barks will not survive in the post because it is a bit too hot here in sunny Queensland this time. This is how my darling Chocolate Rasberry Jam came to the spotlight!
Chocolate and raspberries, they are simply a match made in heaven! Using the finest dark chocolate gives a very satisfying cocoa intensity which contrasts so well with the sweetness of the raspberries. This is your basic raspberry jam with a hint of bittersweet chocolate. This combination makes the most amazing, rich and complex jam ever and this is SO VERY EASY to make! If you’ve never made jam before, this couldn’t be easier. You only need a handful of ingredients and 15 minutes to pull this together.
Once you made this jam the opportunities are endless. Spoon a teaspoon into your yogurt to feel decadent. Put a dollop on your waffle, toast, scones, french toast, croissant or pancakes. Make a tea sandwich with date nut bread, goat cheese with this chocolate-kissed jam. Fill some Linzer cookies. Swirl through french vanilla ice cream or use as a cake filling.
This is something really nice to gift especially during this festive season. If you do share it, just make sure people know to keep it refrigerated.
I only had 300g of berries for this recipe, yielding only one precious miniature jar. Make sure to use very bittersweet chocolate. I like the 70% cocoa slab and if you use a bar of vegan dark chocolate this can be easily veganised.
Ingredients;
- 300g raspberries (fresh or frozen)
- 250g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 70g dark chocolate finely chopped
Method;
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In a large saucepan, bring raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice to boil over medium-high heat.
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Stirring often and boil until raspberries have broken down and released their juices, for about 5 minutes.
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Turn off the heat and test a few drops of jam on a chilled saucer (place it in the fridge for about 30 seconds). Remove saucer and push your finger through the jam, if it forms a crinkle then it’s ready. If not, boil for another few minutes and repeat the test until ready.
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Once it is ready, stir in the dark chocolate until completely melted and evenly distributed.
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Let it cool for about 2 hours and then pour into sterilised jars.
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Once cool it’s ready to enjoy. Store in the fridge where it will keep for at least 2 months