Sweet Basil and Blackberry Jam

sweet-basil-and-blackberry-jamI’ve always been timid of the whole jam making process. It just seemed so time-consuming. Worth the time? Of course! There is nothing better than homemade jam, but to actually do it myself. Eehhhh……not so much! (Beth Ann, if you are reading this, I look forward to some raspberry deliciousness come December – wink wink). Little did I know when I started cleaning off the cooking shows from the DVR, that my dear friend, Giada, would be making some super easy jam. I was so intrigued by the addition of basil in her recipe that I couldn’t not make it.

Results?? Unique, fresh, and slightly sweet. I’ve never been one to eat jam straight out of the jar so when I tried this on its own I was a little turned off. But then when I tried it with a slice of ciabatta bread with some mascarpone…it was pretty tasty! If you are looking for a new way to spice up your jam collection, try this one out.

Sweet Basil and Blackberry Jam

Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

  • 1 – 16 oz bag frozen blackberries, thawed, juice reserved
  • 3 cups fresh basil leaves
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup fresh orange juice (about 1 orange)
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1 medium lemon)

Directions

1. Place blackberries and their juice in a medium saucepan, lightly mash with a fork to break up the berries a bit.

2. In a food processor, combine basil, sugar, orange juice and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Stir the mixture into the blackberries.

3. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer until mixture is thick, stirring occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes.

4. Remove pan from heat and allow to cool for about an hour. The jam with continue to thicken as it cools. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

This entry was posted in Recipes.

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