RASPBERRY & LIQUORICE JAM

The perfect addition to a pancake buffet, cheese platters or scrumptious breakfast toast! This is a surprisingly simple recipe combining raspberries with soft black liquorice (or liquorice root), and a squeeze of lemon, cooked together, transforming into a truly delicious fruit spread. Spread the love with your very own homemade jams and preserves!
    

Ingredients for  RASPBERRY & LIQUORICE JAM
	Yield: 4-5 cups
Raspberries, Fresh or Frozen	1kg (2.2 pounds)
Fresh Liquorice* (Soft Black Confectionary)	50-60g
Water	1/4 cup
Lemon Juice (Fresh or Bottled)	2 tablespoons
Powdered Pectin	3 tablespoons (i.e. 50g Jamsetta)
Sugar	4 cups
*or 1-2 teaspoons ground liquorice root

     
METHOD: 
1.  Clean jars (or bottles) and equipment by washing in hot soapy water and rinsing well before use.
2.  If using fresh raspberries: rinse berries in water and drain carefully. Discard branches, bark, leaves and damaged berries (spoilt berries will affect the jam flavour, reduce storage period and increase risk of spoilage). 
    If using frozen raspberries: place frozen berries into a bowl and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Any juice in the bowl will be added to the recipe as part of the fruit weight.
3.  Measure raspberries into a large pan and add the water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to gentle simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes or until raspberries are very soft, stirring every now and then. Remove from heat. Mash for a rustic jam (or puree for a smooth jam consistency). Strain part (or all) of the mixture through a fine sieve to discard raspberry seeds, if desired.
4.  Prepare jars (if they require pre-heating, i.e. twist top jars) into a pot lined with a cloth. Cover jars with water and bring to a boil, boiling for 10 minutes. Once the time is up, turn the heat off and leave jars in the hot water until ready to fill. 
5.  Place lids into a bowl. Cover with boiling water. Remove the lids from the water when you are ready to place them onto the jars to seal.  
6.  Finely dice the fresh/soft eating liquorice and add to the jam pot. Add the lemon juice. Stir well. Whisk pectin into raspberry puree. Bring to a boil, as high as possible, and then add the sugar all at once. Place pot onto heat. Whisk occasionally while the sugar dissolves, to prevent the liquorice sticking to the pot base. Bring jam to a rolling boil (cannot stir down, mixture will foam). Boil as hard as possible for 1 minute. Then turn the heat off, skim foam from the surface and check for gel stage (jam consistency).
7.  Remove jars from hot water and place onto a heatproof surface i.e. tea towel. Pour the hot raspberry jam into the hot jars to 0.5cm (1/4 inch) from the rim 
(TIP: use a jug and jar funnel to fill jars).
8.  Wipe jar rims with a clean, damp cloth to remove any jam residue.
9.  Remove lids from hot water and seal jars i.e. twist to secure “fingertip tight”.
10.  Return jars of syrup into the pot of boiling water and boil for the processing time stated below. Start the timer once the water comes back to a full boil.
11.  Turn off the heat source once the time is up. Remove jars from hot water after 5 more minutes. Cool jars overnight on a heatproof surface i.e. wooden board or towel. Do not adjust lids during this time.
12.  The next day, check jars have sealed before labelling and dating clearly.
13.  Store jars of raspberry & liquorice jam in a cool, dark and dry place (i.e. pantry) for up to 12 months. Jar lids should remain tightly sealed during storage, and not flex up or down when pressed (which indicates jar seal failure, do not consume).
14.  Refrigerate jars upon opening and consume contents within 6-8 weeks.
     

Processing Time for  RASPBERRY & LIQUORICE JAM  in a Boiling Water Canner
	Jar Size	Altitude ≤ 1,000 feet	Altitude 1,001 - 3,000 feet	Altitude 3,001 - 6,000 feet	Altitude ≥ 6,000 feet
Hot Pack	≤ 1 Litre (quarts)	5 minutes	10 minutes	10 minutes	15 minutes

   
FLAVOUR IDEAS:
Add a little of one (or more) of these ingredients (at Step 3) to add flavour to your jam!
o Replace water with lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, or champagne;
o This recipe can also be used with blackberries or blueberries instead of raspberries, or a mixture of two types of berries (or all three) would be lovely too!
   
NOTES:
o Liquorice (or licorice) is a sweet, aromatic flavouring extracted from the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra, a plant in the pea family (Fabaceae).
o Hard liquorice doesn’t dissolve properly into the jam, so use soft eating licorice or a bit of powdered liquorice root;
o You can leave the soft liquorice in larger pieces if you like – it means there will be a piece to eat at the bottom of each jam jar, yum!
o Low-sugar jam method: combine 1kg raspberries, 60g soft liquorice, 400-600g sugar and the juice of 1 lemon in a large bowl. Stir, cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, boil until set, mashing or puree the mixture once the fruit is soft for a rustic or smooth textured jam. The jam should set at 105°C/220°F (also test by dropping a spoonful of jam onto a frozen dish, to check for jam consistency, especially if you reduce the amount of sugar or the berries are very juicy you might need to boil for a longer period to reduce the water content of the jam and get it to set). Pour into prepared jars and process as described above in the main recipe. 
More info on testing for gel stage: http://www.foodpreserving.org/2014/06/testing-marmalade-has-set.html
      
  

Hard liquorice like the three pictured will not dissolve into the jam, so are not suitable 

for this recipe. Choose fresh/soft eating liquorice confectionary that is easy to dice finely.

          

  

Left to Right: Glycyrrhiza glabra, (liquorice flowering plant), 
liquorice root and ground liquorice root.

     

Author: Megan Radaich       
Image credit: Megan Radaich       
Publication: www.foodpreserving.org
     
LEARN MORE: FOOD PRESERVING GUIDES