I may have mentioned once or twice before I am a bit of a fan of cooking or baking with booze. So when I was left with a boozy pile of fruit from my Creme de Cassis attempts, I thought jam would be the perfect thing to make. Granted most of the brandy will burn off in the process, but that sweetness remains. A perfect way to liven up your morning crumpets!

The recipe below is just for ratio, so weigh out your boozy blackcurrants before you put them in the pot and add equal amounts of sugar. Ordinary sugar is fine, as blackcurrants are high in natural pectin.

Ingredients (Makes approx 4 jars)

1kg Blackcurrants
1kg Sugar (granulated or caster it doesn’t matter)
250ml water
Juice of 2 lemons

Method

• Start by placing a saucer in the freezer, this will be used to test if the jam is ready, if you don’t have a sugar thermometer.
• Place the boozy fruit from the Creme de Cassis in a saucepan and add the water. Simmer until the skins of the blackcurrants have softened and all that juice is bubbling out, this should be around 20-25 mins.
• Next add the sugar and the lemon juice, mix well and bring to the boil.
• You can cook the mixture until it reaches 105C using a sugar thermometer, or the traditional way of dropping a blob onto the frozen plate and pushing it with your finger to see how it wrinkles! The time it take to reach this point can vary, but approx 45 min for me with this volume.
• Once it has reached its setting point, remove from the heat and pour into your sterilised jars, top with a piece of wax and seal tightly.
• Store in a cool, dark place ready to enjoy.