[WATCH] Christmas berry jam

Watch Sean Gravina make a Christmas jam with cranberries and strawberries

The quantities of sugar used in this recipe will vary according to the sweetness of the fruit. You can use any berries you like, but to put a bit of a Christmas touch on the jam we used cranberries (which are a little tart) and strawberries for sweetness. The dried fruit is particularly sweet so try to make the jam without sugar to start and then taste to see if it needs sugar towards the end of cooking and add as much (or as little) as you think it needs.

Christmas berry jam

Ingredients

• 175g cranberries
• 100g strawberries
• 100g butter
• ½ lime, zest and juice
• ½ lemon, zest and juice
• 1 apple, peel only
• 1 vanilla pod
• Handful dried figs, dates, dried blueberries
• ½ cup apple juice
• Few drops of apple cider vinegar
• Salt

Method

1. Melt the butter in a pan and add the mixed berries.
2. Add the lemon and lime zest and juice and the apple peel.
3. Cut the dried fruit into small pieces and add to the pot.
4. Slice the vanilla pot in half and scrape off the seeds. Add the seeds and the pod to the pot.
5. Once the berries have broken down a little, add the apple juice a pinch of salt and a few drops of cider vinegar.
6. Allow to simmer for an hour.
7. Taste and check for sweetness. Add sugar if necessary.
8. Allow to cook until the sugar has dissolved.
9. Pour into sterilized jars and serve on Christmas day with a strong Stilton or give as a gift.

This recipe first appeared on Gourmet Today TV, aired on TVM on 19 December, 2014. 

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