This is a recipe for all you stay at home cooks!! It is not the one I use for the jams I sell... It is high in sugar, which is a preservative in itself, which is necessary for home canning and gift giving!! Sorry, but I don't give out my recipes that I sell!! I can help you try to copy them though! :) Liz
6 C FRESH Blueberries
4-5 C Sugar
2 oz Pectin
2 T Butter (Unsalted)
3 oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
11 oz Guittard Oro Bittersweet Chocolate
Melt Butter in pan.
Pulse Berries in a Food processor until chunky.
Add berries, pectin, chocolate and lemon juice to large pot and bring to low-medium boil.
Add sugar and stir until melted, making sure that it does not stick or burn. Bring to high boil for 1-2 minutes.
Remove from heat immediately.
Let sit for 5 minutes. This prevents the fruit from separating from the syrup.
Ladle into Jars and either water bath process (my favorite) or pressure cook!
(water bath=15-25 minutes depending on the size jars you use....15 minutes for half pints 20 for pints and 25 for quarts is a good guide....)
Some other clues for Jams...
The butter helps to reduce the foam, it is WONDERFUL and you don't lose a lot of excess jam when you are working with expensive ingredients like chocolate and fresh blueberries.
If you have a hard time getting your jams to set you can do a couple of things...
1. EASIEST THING... add a tablespoon of cornstarch when you add the sugar. It is a gelling agent that is completely flavorless and does not harm the jam in any way. Saves a lot of time and money and does not harm the jam at all. JUST MIX IT INTO THE SUGAR THOUROGHLY SO IT DOES NOT CLUMP UP!! :)
2. If your jam, does not set up, dump the jars back into the pot, add about 1/3 a packet of liquid pectin, a teaspoon of lemon juice, and 1/2 C of sugar, bring it all to a boil again, then pour it back into the jars, use new lids, and re-process. It will set up this time!! :)
Personally I like the cornstarch method because it is a lot cheaper AS LONG AS YOU HAVE USED THE 2 OZ OF PECTIN FOR PRESERVING ALREADY!! YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOME CITRIC ACID (ONE OF THE MAIN INGREDIENTS IN PECTIN!) FOR HEALTH REASONS AND SAFE PRESERVING!!
Please let me know if you have any questions or like or hate this....
It is wonderful over Ice Cream, on crepes, crossaint, english muffins, toasts, baguettes with a touch of cream cheese, YOU name it!! :)
