Blackberry Jam

Precision in the kitchen can be a marvelous thing. Especially in the realm of desserts sticking to exact measurements, temperatures, and weights can yield results worthy of the bakery in your dreams. Honestly though most of the time this is just too much to ask for. The volume of dirty dishes alone makes it nearly impossible for any person who isn’t writing cookbooks for a living to want to do anything other than visit the nearest grocery for store bought pound cake. We have no problem with a good store-bought treat but sometimes it would be nice to just be able to throw something together at home without all the fuss. Enter the quickest, simplest, blackberry jam recipe I can conceive.

 Purists will shudder in reading my philosophy on this topic citing required ratios, temperatures, and preserving techniques that would cause any astrophysicist to start taking notes. Although I have deep admiration for these passionate preservers, this recipe is not for them. This is for those of us who are looking to have something lovely to present that doesn’t require three days of preparation. Enter the recipe for blackberry jam.

This recipe is more of a ratio than a proper recipe and is ready to eat when you say so. Here are the highlights. Take as many blackberries as you have or as many as you want to use. The only recommendation here is it is difficult to do with less than 6 oz. (that is the small size clamshell from the grocery store). I weigh the blackberries in the pan I am going to use in grams. Then I add sugar. How much sugar you ask? I add a fourth of the weight of the amount of blackberries I have. Simply put, I divide the weight of the blackberries by 4 and add that many grams to the pot. This works for any number of berries (100g of blackberries needs 25g of sugar, 1000g of blackberries needs 250g of sugar and so on). Bring to a boil, cook down, and you have blackberry jam. I don’t even get out a thermometer.

Why blackberry jam you ask? We have found that this simple two ingredient wonder has endless uses and is beyond delicious. We add a smaller amount of sugar than you would normally find in a jam recipe (most are 1:1 sugar to fruit!!) resulting in a perfectly balanced tart/sweet combo. We have tried tasting the berries beforehand to gauge for needed sugar but found it makes little difference. This ratio seems to work fine no matter the season, quality, or sweetness of berries. On that note, this recipe also takes perfectly underripe, sad, overly tart berries and turns them into a fresh addition to any dish. This is especially true in the fall or winter months when the berries are far less than farmers market fresh to say the least.

In terms of uses, this jam is perfect for almost anything. Pavlova, fillings for cakes, spread on bread or toast (or poundcake), condiment on a cheese board, topping for ice cream, swirled into yogurt, and beyond. Simply put it can be left looser or boiled down further for any application you may need. Plus, although it isn’t preserved, it will last a good amount of time in the refrigerator. We have kept ours on hand for up to a month but would easily last two weeks if it isn’t gone by then. This ratio also works wonders on any combination of berries you have lying around. Bought to many berries at the farmers market? Why not make jam? It even works with frozen berries. It is a no fail surefire path to home made goodness.

Ingredients:

Blackberries (or any berry you have on hand)

Granulated Sugar

Directions:

1.      In a saucepan, weight your berries on a scale in grams. Pick a pan larger than you think you will need for the number of berries you have because the mixture will splatter some. Then divide weight of berries by 4 and add that amount of granulated sugar to the pan.

2.      Place pan with berries and sugar on the stove over medium heat. Stir to prevent sugar sticking or burning on the bottom of the pan until the berries start to release juices. When berries start to release juices get potato masher and smash the berries until they are almost all pulverized. Don’t worry if some are left whole. They will dissolve into the mixture as you continue to cook.

3.      Bring the mixture so a soft boil over medium heat stirring regularly to prevent burning/sticking. Allow to boil until the desired thickness is achieved*. For a loose set jam, it’s about 6-7 minutes at a simmer.  It will thicken more as it cools. Allow to cool fully at room temperature then transfer to an airtight container or jar. Can be served warm, room temperature, or cold.

*This mixture can be left quite loose and used as a sauce or allowed to thicken substantially if needed for a filling or if you would like it to be closer to a jam. The mixture should tell you when it is done. Initially it will be very liquidly. It will boil and foam up and then eventually the bubbles will be close to the surface, look syrupy, and the amount of liquid to pulp will be about equal. It will look very glossy and dark.