Confiture de framboises à la noix de coco

( Raspberry and coconut jam )

Makes about 800 ml (28 fl oz)

200 g (7 oz) caster (superfine) sugar

10 g (¼ oz) powdered pectin

100 ml (3½ fl oz) tinned coconut cream

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) fresh or frozen raspberries (see tip)

L To sterilise the jars, place four 200 ml (7 fl oz) capacity jars and their lids in a large saucepan and cover with hot water. Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Using a pair of kitchen tongs, carefully remove the jars and lids from the hot water and place them upside down on a clean cloth on your work surface. Take care as they will be extremely hot!

L Put the sugar and pectin in a bowl and stir until very well combined — this avoids the formation of lumps later in the process.

L Put the coconut cream and raspberries in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Heavy-based pans are great at spreading the direct heat of the flame or heating element, which reduces the chance of burning the jam. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. At this point the berries should be breaking down. Add the sugar mixture and stir continuously until the sugar has completely dissolved. Reduce the heat to low and continue stirring gently for 10 minutes, or until translucent. It is hard to tell by sight if the jam is ready, as the jam has very little sugar and has to rely predominantly on the pectin (for its texture and thickness) to bloom overnight to set. As soon as the jam begins boiling, the pectin has been activated.

L Pour the hot jam into the sterilised jars, making sure you don’t spill any on the rims, then seal immediately. Label the jars and write the expiry date (3 months from the day they were made) on them. Set aside until cool, then store in the fridge.

tip

I always recommend using fresh berries for these recipes. That being said, you will get a very similar result using frozen fruits, providing you account for the fact that they contain a slightly higher water content, and will therefore need to simmer for an additional 5 minutes to allow for extra evaporation.