Blackberry Jam

By the time I had sorted out the photos for this post, autumn had arrived.  Now it is just in time for berry season!

First there were the redcurrants and now the blackberries are in full swing.  So, Blackberry Jam is now sitting in the cupboard, and if I thought the redcurrant jelly was good, well this jam is even better.  Not too sweet, it still retains its flavour, and is delicious.

Place the blackberries in a large pot with a little water (for 4lbs of fruit I used 1/2 cup water).  Bring to a boil and stir and crush the fruit until the fruit has broken up.  The not-so-black blackberries can be blamed on my dad – a very over zealous picker!

Put the fruit through a strainer/seive.  If you want a clear jam then do not push the fruit through.  The juice will eventually drip through (although it could take a while).  When the juice has collected, measure out the sugar.  For every 1 litre of liquid put 750g of sugar into a pot.  Over low heat stir until the sugar has dissolved.  Bring the liquid up to a boil until the jam reaches a temperature of 105c.  Put the jam into the sterlised jars and store for two weeks until the jam has set and matured.

The jam test – place a plate in the freezer for ten minutes.  When the jam is ready, place a teaspoon on a plate and drawer your finger through (be careful – it is hot jam).  If the jam parts then it is ready.

Delicious on toast, crumpets, anything you can lay your hands on really.  We had some jam left over and had it still slightly warm over ice cream.  A real winner.

~ Pru

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Bruschetta

Despite the weather not being that summery, I am finding that summer has come and thrown my schedules and me into a flurry of activity.  I was so pleased that this recipe was quick and easy and required very few ingredients.  I had no time to get to the farmer’s market and the supermarket had no heirloom tomatoes or any tomato other than red.  It didn’t really matter though, as the tomatoes I picked were so wonderful and tasty.  My boss brought me back a bottle of Blood Orange Olive Oil from a recent trip to the US and this brightened the taste of the tomatoes.

Yep, another Instagram photo – I hope to do some photos with the camera again soon.

This was Sara’s pick.  She blogs over at Sassy Suppers and always has wonderful photos of all of her cooking.  I didn’t really stick to the recipe for this, just adding vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper to the tomatoes and spring onions.  This was so tasty though, and probably even better if you follow the recipe!

 

~ Pru

Are you following me on Twitter, Instagram (find me at Pru Singer) or Pinterest?  If not, then click on the links.  It would make my day, possibly my week too!

Apricot Turnovers

Apple turnovers are my thing.  I love them.  I don’t think I have ever eaten one that I haven’t liked, and I have eaten alot of turnovers!  So when I saw a recipe for apricot turnovers, I knew that it was time to move out of my comfort zone!

These are so easy to make, a block of puff pastry, tinned apricot halves, a little milk and a sprinkling of sugar.  I put five halves into each turnover and I will admit that some of the turnovers didn’t stay glued together throughout the baking, so next time (and boy, there will be a next time!) I would put just four in and maybe a brush of apricot jam too for added flavour.

They bake at 200c for 25 minutes or until golden brown.  And they are utterly delicious.

~ Pru

Strawberry Lemonade (Cocktail)

 

With summer making an appearance very sporodically in London, I have not got into the swing of buying any summer produce.  Apart from a barbecue for breakfast at the allotment a few weeks ago (egg, bacon and toast), we have only eaten outside once.  So Brette‘s idea to make strawberry lemonade had me very quite excited.  I loved the idea of finally hitting the summer berries and having a refreshing drink to make when it finally (I am praying) gets warmer.

 

This was easy to make, although I swapped the lime for half an orange and didn’t use as much sugar as it stated.

 

It wasn’t as fruity and strong as I had thought it would be and I wasn’t that keen on it when I drank it on its own or added water to it.  The answer?  Vodka.  This makes a nice cocktail – vodka, a dash of lemonade and then the strawberry lemonade.

I was at home on Tuesday instead of going to singing group as England were playing in the football and so at half time we had pavalovas – the strawberry lemonade works very well mixed with the strawberries.

So a win with the cocktail and pavlova and a win with England winning!

 

Fancy joining Martha Mondays?  We are a smallish group (at the moment) who make recipes from any of the Martha Stewart magazines, websites, blogs etc.  Contact Brette for more information.

~ Pru

Are you following me on Twitter or Pinterest?  If not, then click on the links.  It would make my day, possibly my week too!