Washing the blueberries and fresh bay leaf.
With the blueberries on special offer, and few other good looking fruit available, I came back from Waitrose with several large packs. This is the first time I have used this fruit in a preserve. In fact until my little grand daughter started eating them, I had never had them. Hubby thinks they taste of nothing....and usually steers clear of them. I like them with a little yogurt and honey.
Then I got down to choosing the right recipe. My eye was caught by the Blueberry and Lemon Jam Recipe in the Women's Institute Book of Preserves, because it had an added ingredient...Bay Leaf...
I settled for a soft set jam, as I did not want to boil away the flavours. The jam is delicious, soft, dark, and with just a hint of spice, which would not be easy to detect if you did not know what it was, just another layer of flavour which adds an interesting complexity. It is wonderful on brioche, rice pudding, porridge, yogurt etc. I've used it as a base for an almond tart.
The following morning in the low slanting rays of a sunny winter morning, I stuck on the labels.
Not a big yield, fairly pricey, but a touch of luxury. Its worth it!
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