Heston's Popping Candy Chocolate Cake

A divine and luxurious concoction with the added surprise of a popping candy base - this is not just for children! Notice my added touch of some kitsch gold dust!

This is a recipe that I had been sitting on for about nine or ten years and had whipped out of a Sunday supplement and filed away to make as a special birthday cake for one of my children's birthdays. The main sticking point had been the inability to get hold of a large quantity of popping candy a few years ago, (in this instance 100 g worth), at a reasonable price. Specialist suppliers were selling it for about £15 a pack but I wasn't prepared to shell out that much at the time! Luckily, Tesco now sell it in their baking aisle for about £1.20 for 60 g so a couple of jars isn't going to break the bank.

Strictly speaking this recipe is not in any of the Heston Blumenthal books that I own so doesn't count towards my challenge but it is sooooo good it would be criminal of me not to draw your attention to it.  As I think it's rather wonderful, I'm planning on making some smaller individual cakes as part of a trio of retro-chocolate desserts for some entertaining I will be doing later on in the year; (for those interested, the other two puddings will be a Walnut Whip Whoopie pie and a homemade Waggon Wheel - I'll endeavour to share those recipes too).

A few points worth noting is that Heston recommends a 12 cm in diameter ring mould which is 5 cm deep, I found with the quantities stated below that this was going to be too small so I upgraded to a larger size vessel, however, I had bought the 12 cm ring mould specifically to make this cake so had to make do with a 15 cm loose bottomed cake tin, taking out the bottom as you obviously can't turn this cake upside down. See below:

The popping candy and hazelnut base chilling in the fridge.

Popping Candy Chocolate Cake by Heston Blumenthal

For the popping candy base
85 g hazelnuts
40g milk chocolate
2 tsp mixed spice
100 g popping candy

For the chocolate mousse
350 g plain chocolate e.g. Cadbury's Bourneville
400ml double cream
pinch of salt

For the chocolate glaze
20g plain chocolate same as above
120 ml water 8 whole coffee beans
couple pinches of salt
 30 g cocoa powder
 70 golden caster sugar

1. To make the base preheat the oven to 180 degrees and roast the hazelnuts for about 10 minutes until lightly coloured. Blend to a paste in a food processor, then set aside.
2. Melt the milk chocolate and stir in the mixed spice and popping candy. Fold in the hazelnut puree. Place the ring mould on a serving plate and gently press in the base mixture. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until hard.

   

   Making up the base mixture.

3. To make the mousse, chop the chocolate in to small pieces and place in a bowl. Bring 150 ml of the cream to the boil in a small saucepan. Pour it over the chopped chocolate and stir very gently until all the chocolate has melted, watch it careful to ensure it doesn't take on a granular texture. Add the salt. Cool to room temperature.
4. Whip the remaining 250 ml of cream to soft peaks, don't overwhip. Fold in to the chocolate mixture and then pour over the base in the ring mould and leave e to set for at least 2 hours.

   

   Folding in the cream to the chocolate mixture

5. To make the glaze, chop up the chocolate and set aside. Place the water, coffee beans and salt in a pan, whisk in the cocoa powder then set over a medium heat ans simmer for about 3 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, put the sugar in a small pan and melt over a medium heat, watch it carefully as it will caramelise quite quickly. When completely melted pour over the coffee and cocoa mix - it will splutter and spit at you!. Beat in the chopped chocolate and when melted pass through a sieve.
7. When cool but still liquid, pour over the mousse and return to the fridge to set
8. To serve the cake it's important to run a hot knife around the inside of the ring before removing the cake. Also when slicing the cake it's a lot easier with a hot knife.

The mousse ready to chill in the fridge.

The chocolate glaze ready to pour over the mousse

The finished cake with a lovely set to the glaze

As mentioned before this cake will be appreciated by everyone. If you do want to make it more child-friendly ensure you use a chocolate with a lower cocoa content, hence Bourneville is more ideal than say a 70% chocolate. My children loved this as did myself, hubby and mum:  this is definitely a wow- factor cake for the taste buds!

Stollen Bread and Butter Pudding: use up that Stollen that's in your Christmas hamper or that you got on offer at the supermarket!

Stollen Bread and Butter Pudding page 187

If you've got a spare loaf of stollen knocking around at home, which is likely as they are always on special offer this time of year, or you've been in receipt of one in a gift hamper, then this is a delicious alternative to traditional Christmas pudding and so easy to do. The lovely marzipan running through the centre of the bread gives it a decadent and luxurious touch as part of a bread and butter pudding and served with warm custard is a lovely festive treat.

I really like the book that this recipe comes from, Women's Institiute Complete Christmas: food and crafts for a complete Christmas (2004 ) by Sian Cook, Margaret Williams and Anne Griffiths  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Womens-Institute-Complete-Christmas-Perfect/dp/0743259378/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1388159349&sr=8-8&keywords=women%27s+institute+christmas This is no stuffy, '1950s affair-of a book', but a collection of fabulous contemporary recipes and ideas to add sparkle and delight to your Christmas. I haven't done many recipes yet but one thing I particularly like is a dedicated section to the veggies among us which many of my family members are. There are also really helpful sections on menu planning, Christmas drinks and cheat's Christmas among others.
For my veggie family members I have made the Mushroom Strudel on page 90 and served it with the very tasty Port Sauce on page 99: a great combination that meat-eaters will love too. I'm planning to make individual Stuffed Mushroom and Stilton Tarts (page96) and also the Cherry and White Chocolate Shortbread on page 185. There are updated ideas for your Christmas veggies that quite frankly I'd be very happy to serve at other times of the year to spruce up the old Sunday roast e.g. Baked Mustard and Orange Carrots (page 74), Parsnip Dauphinoise (page 75) or how about Celeriac Puree with Onions and Mustard Seeds (page 79).

Stollen Bread and Butter Pudding (copyright WI Enterprises Ltd. 2004)

Serves 8
150 ml double cream
425 ml milk
1 vanilla pod or I used 1 tsp of vanilla paste
50 g muscovado sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp Amaretto liqueur or brandy

Amaretto liqueur

1 tsp ground cinnamon
14 - 16 thin slices of stollen
50 g butter, softened, plus some extra for greasing

Buttered stollen

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Place the cream and milk in a saucepan with the vanilla paste or alternatively split a vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds. Bring to just below the boil and remove from heat and leave to infuse for about ten minutes.
2. Whisk the eggs and sugar together then add the cream mixture, while continuing to whisk. Add the Amaretto and half the cinnamon.

   

   Sliced stollen

3. Spread the stollen slices on one side with the butter and then butter an ovenproof dish (approximately 21 cm x 31cm). Arrange the slices in the dish, overlapping slightly.
4. Strain the custard over the stollen, sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon and leave to soak for an hour in the fridge. It can be left for up to two days before baking, although you will need to bring to room temperature before baking.
5. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is firm and golden. Serve with lashings of custard in which you could always add some Amaretto or brandy!

   

   Ready to bake in the oven with a good sprinkling of cinnamon
   
   
   
   
   
   

Staright from the oven

Served with custard

This was a real winner in our household. Of course if you can't get hold of shop-bought stollen, you could always make your own. There is a recipe on page 28 in the above book or several can be found on line by doing a simple search.

Bombay Aloo: another winner from Kenny

Delicious Bombay Aloo, lovely served on its own or as an accompaniment to any curry dish you happen to be preparing

This is definitely my favourite Bombay Aloo recipe of the moment and I have tried a few over the last few years. It comes courtesy of More Takeaway Secrets (2012) by the wonderful Kenny McGovern http://www.amazon.co.uk/More-Takeaway-Secrets-Kenny-McGovern/dp/0716023008/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382300939&sr=1-1&keywords=more+takeaway+secrets whom I have written about before with, yes you've guessed it, The Takeaway Secret (2010) (I did his gorgeous chocolate cheesecake recipe)  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Takeaway-Secret-Cook-Favourite-Fast-food/dp/0716022354/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382300939&sr=1-2&keywords=more+takeaway+secrets .

Once again this is a book packed full with brand new, really tasty recipes. For those of you unfamiliar with Kenny's two books, they were born out of his love for takeaway food and also of necessity. Kenny suffers from Social Anxiety Disorder and this meant at one stage he could barely leave his home. So what did he do? He took to the kitchen creating and replicating his favourite takeaway foods and hasn't looked back since. The bonus with these recipes is that you are in charge and you know exactly what is going into your food and it is obvious that Kenny has adapted many of them to be healthier without sacrificing the taste. The book is divided into several chapters which include among others: Burgers and Wraps, Kebabs, Chinese, Indian, Pizza, Desserts... If you've seen his first book you wont be disappointed with this one.
As it has only been published for just over a year, I haven't had a lot of time to really get my teeth into any of the other recipes yet, but flicking through there are a number that catch my eye. For example the Garlic Pizza Bread on page 89,  the Puri Bread on page 117, the Mini Hash Browns on page 156 or the Crispy Beef with Sweet Chilli Sauce on page 54 - my stomach is rumbling already!

When you decide to make Bombay Aloo you will need to be organised as the main sauce is made separately. This means it can be stored in the fridge or as I do made in a large batch and frozen in portions. Luckily the sauce is the base for at least eight of Kenny's other curry recipes, so it really is a versatile sauce to have to hand. However, you will will also need to to construct a garlic and ginger paste which can be stored in the fridge for several weeks and a restaurant spice mix. First of all I'll outline these two requirements and then the Savoury Basic Curry Sauce recipe. If this puts you off, let me tell you that it is definitely worth the extra time in completing these stages. Anyone who cooks Indian/Bangladeshi food will know you do reap the benefits from constructing your recipe from fresh spices and ingredients and it will taste better than anything from a jar, tin or packet!


Garlic and Ginger Paste (copyright Kenny McGovern 2012)

5 garlic bulbs
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
50 ml vegetable oil
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
pinch of salt

1. Separate the garlic cloves from each bulb. Peel the cloves and ginger and put in a blender with the vegetable oil. Blend until smooth.
2. Heat a frying pan over a low heat. Add the garlic and ginger mixture and stir well. Add the turmeric and salt and mix well. Stir fry the paste on a low heat for about 2 minutes until the mixture softens and you get a lovely aroma.
3. Remove the pan and cool completely. Store in the fridge in a sealed container until required, It can be frozen for future use. If storing in fridge you may need to add a little extra vegetable oil now and again to keep it fresh.

Garlic cloves ready to be peeled, I halved the ingredients to make less paste

Cooking the paste

Restaurant Spice Mix (copyright Kenny McGovern 2012)

(You could easily half or quarter these quantities!) The following is enough for 50 curries!
8 tbsp mild Madras curry powder
8 tbsp paprika
8 tbsp cumin powder
8 tbsp coriander powder
12 tbsp turmeric powder
4 tbsp garam masala

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix all the above ingredients together and store in a sealed container. This mix is needed for many of Kenny's Indian restaurant dishes!

A bowl of prepared spice mix

Savoury Basic Curry Sauce (copyright Kenny McGovern 2012)

150 ml vegetable oil
3 large Spanish onions (around 800 g peeled weight) chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
2 chilli peppers, chopped
1 large handful fresh coriander leaves and stalks, finely chopped
1 small baby/new potato , peeled
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste ( see recipe above)
1 tsp salt
2.5 litres water
3 - 4 green cardamom pods (optional)
200 g tinned chopped tomatoes
2 generous tablespoons restaurant spice mix ( see above)

1. In a large pot, add the vegetable oil, onions, carrot, green pepper, red pepper, chilli peppers, fresh coriander, potato, garlic and ginger paste, salt and water. Add cardamom pods if using. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid and set the heat to medium-high. Boil the vegetables for 30 minutes.
2. Add the chopped tomatoes and spice mix. Mix thoroughly.
3. Reduce the heat to low and cook for a further 20 minutes. Allow the sauce to cool slightly then blend until completely smooth ( you may need to use a hand blender) Add more water (around 1 litre) while blending until the sauce has a consistency of a thin soup.
4. This sauce keeps well in the fridge for up to three days or can be frozen in batches, suggested batch size is 300 ml for use in a variety of curry dishes.

The ingredients in step 1

Boiling the vegetables on the hob

Chopped tomatoes and spice mix added

Blending the curry sauce to a smooth thin soup consistency

Bombay Aloo (copyright Kenny McGovern 2012)

Serves 1-2.  Useful tip: new potatoes can be parboiled and frozen for up to 8 weeks.

4-5 small new baby potatoes per portion
1 tsp restaurant spice mix (see above)
Pinch of chilli powder
Large pinch of dried fenugreek leaves
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato puree mixed with 2 tbsp water
150 ml savoury basic curry sauce (see above)
1/2 fresh tomato, sliced
Coriander to serve

Delicious Bombay Aloo

1. Bring the potatoes to the boil in a large saucepan of water- add a pinch of salt. Simmer for 5 - 6 minutes or until slightly soft. Remove the potatoes from the pan, drain and set aside to cool. Slice each potato into two pieces. this is when they could be frozen for future use as have been parboiled.
2. In a small bowl add the restaurant spice mix, chilli powder, fenugreek leaves and salt. Set aside.
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan over a medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
4. Add the tomato puree mix and prepared bowl of spices and mix thoroughly.
5. Add the potatoes to the pan and stir fry for 1 minute.
6. Add the savoury basic curry sauce and mix well. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 - 4 minutes or until the sauce thickens and the potatoes are heated through, stirring occasionally
7. Add the fresh tomato slices and serve garnished with fresh coriander.

Stir frying the onions and tomato puree

Adding the potatoes

Bombay Aloo served with a chicken curry

Bombay Aloo is a really delicious dish and yes, it does taste like the Indian restaurant style you get when you are out for a meal or having a takeaway! Don't be tempted to omit any of the ingredients, especially the dried fenugreek leaves as I find it is this particular herb/spice that gives the Aloo its characteristic flavour.



Now to a very simple and quick recipe from this same book, I couldn't resist giving these a go! You'll know what their 'real' name is from the very name that Kenny gives them

Ambassadors chocolates

Ambassador's chocolates  (copyright Kenny McGovern 2012)
 (with these chocolates you'll really spoil yourself!)

3 crispbreads (Ryvita are excellent)

2 tbsp chcolate and hazelnut spread (Nutella is excellent)

1. Crush the crispbreads in a blender or with a rolling pin in a food bag.
2. Gently warm the chocolate spread in the microwave for a few secons
3. Mix together the crispbreads and chcolate and place into 4 - 6 petit fours cases and refrigerate for a couple of hours before gobbling up!

These are really tasty! Do make sure the chocolate spread is melted enough and if it doesn't seem enough add a bit more! Enjoy!

Apple and Raspberry Meringue Crumble with Custard: lovely little pre-desserts served in shot glasses

Ready to be served,  but I forgot to add the meringue to the fruit puree!

Richard Hughes is the chef-proprietor of The Lavender House at Brundall (a village just outside Norwich in Norfolk) and this recipe comes from his first book Hughes Cooking? 2004  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hughes-Cooking-reflections-recipes-Richard/dp/0954763602/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379169403&sr=8-1&keywords=Hughes+Cooking%3F  Richard is well known throughout Norfolk for his fabulous restaurant and among other ventures as a lecturer and teacher at the catering department of Norwich City College. The Lavender House (formerly The Old Beams) was lovingly refurbished in 2003 and ever since then I have spent many a happy occasion there from New Years' Eves to meals with friends to cookery courses and themed foodie evenings. It is probably safe to say that Richard Hughes has inspired me with my cooking over the years and has helped me to devise more inventive and creative dishes which I've loved experimenting on with friends! When you visit the restaurant it's the extra touches that really stand out whether it's the delicious canapes on arrival, the amuse-bouches (pre-starters to me!), the home made after dinner chocolates, the hot chocolate that Richard makes especially for me because I don't drink coffee or the pre-desserts. It is these wonderful extras that add to a sense of occasion when you visit the restaurant.

The subtitle of the book is 'The rants, reflections and recipes of Richard Hughes' so you may gather it's not just a bog-standard recipe book but a book with Richard's life story so- far, punctuating the recipes, and all manner of other tales and local knowledge which do make for an interesting read. The recipes are what I would call typical Lavender House fare:  delicious, inventive and using all manner of seasonal produce. Confession time again: I have not cooked from this book before, that said, I have sampled some of these delights whilst dining at the restaurant. For example on page 11 there are a couple of recipes for what Richard calls 'cup-a-soups', pre-starters of a little cup of delicious soup; the cauliflower, smoked cheddar and mustard soup is particularly good. I seem to remember sampling the rather lovely goats cheese and olive tarts on page 35. The roast tomato tart served with chilli ice cream (pages 27-28) is equally gorgeous. I've got my eye on the brioche, whisky and apricot pudding on page 129 as my second foray into this book as I know it'll go down really well with hubby.

The recipe I am profiling this time is on page 153: Apple Meringue Crumble and Custard although I have adapted it to make it a bit more trans-seasonal by adding some raspberries. It's perfect served as a pre-dessert particularly if you are waiting for your pudding to bake/be ready. Alternatively you could serve these at a party or buffet. When I made it I divided the ingredients up to serve 4 but ended up with enough to put into 8 small shot glasses with some crumble and custard sauce left over. I also cheated and bought ready-made custard as this course was part of a number of dishes I was making for my dinner party. If you do want to make your own custard (I know it may be a problem to buy custard for my American friends), I have a recipe for quick custard on my rhubarb crumble blog entry or here's a rather good recipe you could use: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/realpropercustard_65614 . The following quantities are the ones specified in the recipe by Richard, if you find you've got far too much just keep in the fridge for a couple of days, if your home is like ours, it will all soon get gobbled up!


Apple, Raspberry, Meringue Crumble with Custard

Apple Meringue
250 g Bramley apples
100g raspberries
50 g meringue shells, roughly broken
100 g sugar
50 g butter
1 tot of framboise liqueur or Calvados

Gently cooking the apples, raspberries, butter and sugar

1. Peel and core the apples, cut into small dice. Melt the butter, apples, raspberries and sugar until the apples begin to break down.
2. Add the liqueur and remove from the heat.
3. When completely cold, fold in the broken meringue pieces.

Crumble
100 g toasted oats
100 g plain flour ( I used half wholemeal and half white)
100 g butter
75 g sugar
50 g toasted/roasted finely chopped hazelnuts

Preparing the crumble topping

1. Rub the butter into the flour, the oats and the sugar. Mix in the hazelnuts
2. Place on a baking tray and place in the oven at 190 degrees for 10 minutes
3. Allow to cool completely

Have you custard sauce ready, either homemade or a tub of shop-bought!

To assemble: Place the fruit mixture in the base of the glass, add the crumble mix and finally the custard. You can serve immediately so it's warm or chill in the fridge. I like to serve this at room temperature as a make-ahead pre-dessert.

Making room for the custard sauce

A little something before the main pudding, don't forget to include the meringue!

Some dinner- party guests being my guinea pigs!

Next time: A great recipe for Bombay Aloo (Bombay potatoes) courtesy of Kenny McGovern which has to be my current favourite for this tasty dish. Also, I can't resist having a go at his take on a well-known brand of chocolates!

Warm Fig, Blue Cheese and Hazelnut Salad - a delicious starter for entertaining

Warm Fig, Blue Cheese and Hazelnut Salad with a dressing made from my homemade blackcurrant jam

I must confess I've made this twice now. The first time was part of a very rushed dinner party and I completely forgot to take photos of this wonderful starter which I think does sum up a lot of what my blog is all about: the fact that I'm cooking within my everyday life for various friends and family means that I don't always have the time to 'stage' my pictures and they do sometimes look a bit rushed and hastily snapped! That said, I just had to make this again and it was as the starter for a dinner party which was a lot more organised and stress free this time.

I cannot sing the praises highly enough for the wonderful book that this recipe comes from. It really does appeal to me. Bonne Maman: The Seasonal Cookbook (2011) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bonne-Maman-Seasonal-Cookbook/dp/085720209X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1378034144&sr=1-1&keywords=bonne+maman  is, as its name suggests, a book full of recipes using the conserves and compotes of the well-known French brand. Although this book hasn't been in my possession very long I have already tried out a number of recipes and have not been disappointed. For example, the Avocado, Prawn and Cabbage Salad on page 74 is perfect for a summer buffet party (it uses apricot conserve). The Raspberry Frangipane Tarts on page 130 are gorgeous individual tarts that are lovely served with homemade ice cream ( I served mine with some lemon verbena ice cream) and of course as they are virtually Bakewell tarts they use raspberry conserve. The Strawberry Souffles on page 50 are another delight: really easy and using only four ingredients; when I made them I used raspberry conserve and am thinking about using my own blackcurrant jam next time.

Other recipes I've got my eye on are the Confit of Duck Salad with Asparagus on page 24 (using strawberry conserve), Roasted Potato Salad with Apricot Chilli Mayonnaise on page 121 and the Chocolate Cherry Drizzle Cake on page 162 (using cherry compote)...I could go on! The book is divided into four main sections: spring, summer, autumn and winter and each section has a selection of sweet and savoury recipes. I quite like this format as it's nice to browse through and stumble upon something different on every page whether it's the Black Bean Chilli Pot (page 156) or the delectable looking Strawberry and Passion Fruit Brulees on page 158. Another reason I like this book is probably down to the fact that you can do so much more with a jar of jam than just spread it on your bread or croissant, it seems the sweet addition of a jam/conserve to a savoury dish can often give it that extra special touch...


Warm Fig, Blue Cheese and Hazelnut Salad (copyright Simon & Schuster 2011)

Serves 6
6 fresh figs
250g blue cheese, I used Roquefort although Saint Agur or Gorgonzola is fine
125g soft salad leaves
25g toasted hazelnuts, skinned and chopped
Walnut bread ( I made my own from the following book http://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Bread-at-Home/dp/1405416599/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1378055044&sr=1-3&keywords=making+bread+at+home )

For the dressing
2 tbsp blackcurrant jam (I used my own homemade recipe, see previous blog entry, but of course the book recommends Bonne Maman!)
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp hazelnut oil
1 tbsp sherry or white wine vinegar 

The dressing all made up

Halved fresh figs

Plating up the salad

1. Put all the dressing ingredients in a jar, give them a good shake and place in the fridge until you need them. (This can be done up to 3 days ahead and it's a lovely dressing to serve with smoked duck slices...)
2. Halve the figs from tip to base and crumble the cheese in a separate bowl, put to one side.
3. Place salad leaves on 6 small plates and add the cheese.
4. When ready to serve, brush the cut side of the figs with a little of the dressing and fry cut side down for a couple of minutes until beginning to turn golden.
5. Arrange 2 fig halves on each plate with the salad and cheese and drizzle over some more dressing adding the chopped hazelnuts. Serve immediately with slices of the walnut bread.

My willing guests!

Next time: coming soon a pre-desert recipe courtesy of local chef Richard Hughes.

Blackcurrant jam that is lower in sugar than most traditional recipes

Picking blackcurrants in the garden

Some juicy specimens

Our untreated blackcurrant bushes, possibly organic?

Every year we are usually lucky enough to have a wonderful crop of the most gorgeous and juicy blackcurrants you have ever seen. These bushes have been here for years (as it was a former fruit farm) and to my knowledge have never been treated, they are left to their own devices and yield crop after crop. So over the last five or so years I have been perfecting my blackcurrant jam recipe in order to produce a conserve that is lower in sugar than the typically shop bought variety but contains an abundance of fruit and I think I have come up with the ideal recipe!
The lovely Delia Smith uses more sugar than fruit, but I have managed to come up with a recipe that uses more fruit than sugar so has a more tart yet fresh taste. One of the key differences is to use preserving sugar instead of normal granulated sugar, by doing so the extra pectin that is in this sugar helps to give you a set so you need less sugar. I have actually used even less sugar than what I'm going to specify here and managed to get a set which has created a jam which I feel confident my mother-in-law (who is diabetic) can indulge in and enjoy from time to time. Nevertheless, the following recipe has a nice balance of fruit and sugar which you'll find has gone in no time because it is so moreish!

Marianne's Blackcurrant Jam

3lb (1.3 kg) blackcurrants
2 1/2 lb (1.25 kg) Preserving sugar (Silver Spoon do a version which is recommended for blackcurrants)
1 1/2 pints (855 ml) water
5 or 6 jam jars with lids

Blackcurrants simmering in water

Boiling the jam

Checking for a set

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade. Place the sugar in a heat-proof bowl and allow to warm through in the oven. Also place the jam jars and lids in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes to sterilise. Place two or three saucers/small plates in the freezer.
2. Slowly cook the blackcurrants with the water for about 15 to 20 minutes until the fruit is tender.
3. Add the hot sugar from the oven to the blackcurrants and let it dissolve - this should take about 15 minutes.
4. As soon as the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat right up and boil rapidly for between 20 to 35 minutes. You can check for a set by getting a saucer from the freezer and spooning a little on to the plate. If you get a crinkly skin you know it is set.
5. When the jam is ready, add a knob of butter as this will remove any scum from the jam, you can also remove any with a slotted spoon



Yummy bread and jam, mum!



Jam-packed with fruit blackcurrant jam!

6. Leave the jam for 15 minutes to settle and then pour in the jars and seal with a waxed disc and the lid. Label the jars when the jam is cold.

   

   The finished article
   
   
   
   

   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   Next time: A lovely dinner party starter which uses blackcurrant jam: Warm Fig Blue Cheese and Hazelnut Salad from the Bonne Maman Cookbook.

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Cookery book roundup

Here are all the cookbooks I have cooked from so far each with the name of the corresponding recipes: 

1. Strawberry Jam

2. Peach ice cream

3.  Chicken Chettinad

4. Polenta and Ricotta Cake with Dates and Pecans

5. Sticky Peanut Butter Cake

6.  Sachertorte

7.  Parsley and Bacon Soup

8. Potato Bread with Roasted Garlic

9.  Slow-roasted Duck with Cabbage and Gooseberry Jam

10. Chocolate Digestives

11. Custard Creams

12. Cheese and Nut Balls

13. Mini Eve's Puddings

14. Blackberry Ice Cream

15. Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding

16. Thai-style Chicken With Chillies and Basil

17. Sesame and Maple Syrup Flapjacks

18. Flatbread, Chicken with Cardomom and Coconut-Coriander Chutney

19. Instant Chocolate Mousse

20. Little Mincemeat Souffle Puddings

21. Soup Flamande with Creme Fraiche and Frizzled Sprouts

22. Maple Rice Pudding Pots

23. Lamb, Spinach and Potato Curry

24. Millionaire's Shortbread

25. Sesame Prawn Toasts

26. Moist Chocolate and Rum Squares

27. Easy Chocolate Cheesecake

28. Sinkers Mousse , and Boozy Chocolate and Prune Terrine

29. Swedish Chocolate Coffee Lamb

30. Rhubarb Crumble

31.  Chocolate Marmite Caramel Cake