Hi Becki - the link below will take you to the discussion on the Choc. Rasp. jam and also another banana jam discussion.

Personally I'd vote for the Choc. Strawberry. But wife, who is our jam maker, doesn't like chocolate! Can you believe that? ;)

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: choc. jam/banana jam discussions

I was browsing through the many recipes here and found this one for Banana Raspberry jam. I thought you might be interested in it even with no chocolate.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/harvest/msg1020390230310.html?2

Thanks for the links! Dave, Chocolate Strawberry sounds pretty good to me too! Wow - no chocolate??? I've found these are really great for warming up and spreading as a filling in between cake layers. Or drizzled over a cake. Very yummy!

BTW - the rapsberry with white peaches is incredible! I wish I had more raspberries for all these recipes! I only froze 4 1/2 lbs., as we just have one fairly small bush. You can believe I'll be begging to plant more!!

Becki

Here's one for Black Forest Preserves. Unfortunately, I saved it before I began noting the source, but it isn't mine.

Black Forest Preserves

6 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups firmly packed coarsely chopped pitted sweet black cherries
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 pouches liquid pectin (each 3 oz)
4 TBLS. amaretto liqueur or 1/2 teaspoon/2 ml almond extract

1. Prepare canner, jars and lids.
2. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cocoa powder. Stir well and set aside.
3. In a large, deep stainless steel saucepan, combine sherries and lemon juice. Stir in reserved cocoa mixture.
4. Over high heat, stirring constantly, bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.
5. Stir in pectin. Boil hard, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
6. Stir in amaretto liqueur.
7. Remove from heat and skim off foam.
8. Leave 1/4 inch headspace in jars.
9. Process 10 minutes in BWB.
Makes about seven 8 ounce jars.

Enjoy!
Deanna

oh my that sounds so good!! now i want to make it. i really only know the cherries they sell in the store like the red ones and the rainier ones. are these black cherries sold as black cherries or do they have a specific name and would any of the cherries they sell work?

The Black cherries are Bings. They're usually available in the same stores that sell Royal Annes and Rainiers (respectively less expensive and more expensive red&white cherries).

Right now local Bings are $1.88 per pound, but we have the advantage of being close to the source. Still, you might find them on special as a loss leader if you keep an eye out.

Carol

Carol, or anyone else, I'm looking at my Mes Confitures, and there is a recipe for Morello Cherry and Black Cherry with Kirsch. I love the above recipe, but I am a stritly no commercial pectin girl. (I know, I have a habit of making things more difficult!) Do you think chocolate could somehow be added to that recipe, and I would assume the kirsch could be replaced with amaretto? Or do you think there is a way to change the recipe above? Say, add green apple jelly and decrease the sugar? But if not, just that sounds really good on top of a slice of dark chocolate cake! ; )

I hope I can find a good deal on Bings! Yum!

Becki

I can highly recommend using tart cherries for the Black Forest Preserve recipe. The bite of the cherries really stands up to the sugar and cocoa. I served it warmed over ice cream and pound cake and everyone went nuts for it.

I wonder if store bought canned cherries would work?

belinda, I don't know about canned cherries, but I'm betting frozen cherries would work just fine.

Annie

I have seen preserve recipes using canned cherries. I wouldn't attempt it with a traditional preserve but it would probably work with one calling for commercial pectin. Certainly with Pomona Pectin.

I've never added chocolate to a preserve, so can't speak to that, though I have made dark cherry and sour cherry preserves. I would think the Amaretto would work beautifully, and to my taste I'd go with that rather than Kirsch. I just made a Bing cherry clafoutis and macerated the cherries in sugar and Amaretto. It certainly tasted good to us!

But of course that wouldn't be Black Forest.

I looked at the Ferber recipe. I probably would make a straight cherry preserve and not bother with the apple jelly. The set would be looser but since these kinds of preserves tend to go over cheesecake or panna cotta or ice cream, that is fine with me.

Carol

I was wondering about that, Carol. I've changed several recipes that originally had pectin in them, and removed it, and just cooked to 221 degrees, and got a lovely halfway loose set. I've been making some jams, and selling them at our farmer's market, alonside the breads I started making this past winter. I've got a recipe for a chocolate bread that would go great with some loosely set cherry preserves! I will try to work on that in the coming weeks. Thank you for your input on this!

Becki

It must be nice to get Washington State Bing Cherries for $1.88 a pound: the local Lowe's Foods has them for $6.99 a pound, but hey, last week they were only $4.99..... At Wal-Mart today (the same packaging and grower) they were $2.88. I made the Black Forest Preserves using Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa and it is so way sweet and more like lumpy chocolate syrup. The Bing cherry flavor was totally lost. I was so disappointed but my husband thought it was great and put some on his French toast swimming in butter. I suppose that would be enough artery clogging and calorie laden food for a week. I did make the Raspberry Chocolate Jam a week ago and that is a perfect blend of fruit flavor with a hint of chocolate.

Anyone has a recipe for just a hint of chocolate in sweet cherry jam? Also, I have found most recipes for cherries call for sours not sweets and I prefer liquid pectin over the powder since every jam I have canned this year using powdered did not jell stiff enough, even with recooking and adding more powder. >

Nancy

I was surprised at the low price. It's been a poor season for cherries and the harvest is about half the normal amount. But it is a great way to draw customers into the stores.

I've made this recipe from Linda Amendt that calls for liquid pectin. It is very pretty, though if I ever made it again I'd halve the cherries. You could give adding cocoa powder to it a try.

Bing Cherry Preserves

Categories: Canning & Preserving Jams & Jellies

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
5 cups pitted sweet cherries
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice -- strained
4 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter -- (optional)
1 pouch liquid pectin -- (3-ounce)

In an 8-quart pan, alternately layer the cherries, lemon juice, about half of the sugar and the corn syrup. Let stand for 20 minutes.

Over medium-low heat, gradually heat the mixture until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Gently shake the pan occasionally to prevent sticking. Add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, stirring gently between each addition. Heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in the butter, if using. Increase the heat to medium and simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the entire contents of the pectin pouch. Return the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat. Skim off any foam.

To prevent floating fruit, allow preserves to cool 5 minutes before filling the jars. Gently stir the preserves to distribute the fruit. Ladle the preserves into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe the jar rims and threads with a clean, damp cloth. Cover with hot lids and apply screw rings. Process half-pints in BWB 10 minutes, pints for 15 minutes.

Description: from Linda Amendt's "Blue Ribbon Preserves"
Yield: "5 half-pints"

Carol

I meant cut the cherries in half as opposed to leaving them whole. I wasn't referring to reducing the amount of the cherries in the recipe.

Carol

I've been searching the posts for the recipe for Banana Jam with Cocoa. I see it referred to often, but can't find the actual recipe. Does anyone have this or know where it is posted?

The only one I can think of offhand that uses cocoa as opposed to chocolate is this one:

Jeanne's Decadent Banana Split Conserve
Recipe By :Katie

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
4 cups thoroughly mashed bananas
5 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup bottled lemon juice
1 teaspoon Fruit Fresh (absorbic acid)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 package liquid pectin -- (3 ounce)
3 tablespoons pure cocoa powder
2 tablespoons light rum or rum extract
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

In a medium stockpot, combine the mashed bananas, lemon juice and Fruit Fresh. Gradually add in the sugar, cocoa powder and butter. Over medium heat, heat the mixture stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly so it will not scorch. Stir in the liquid pectin and return to a full rolling boil for 1 more minute, stirring constantly. Skim off any foam. Remove the stockpot from the heat, stir in the walnuts and the rum. Ladle into sterilized jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Wipe rims. Cap and seal. Process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes for half-pints or 15 minutes for pints. Yields 9 to 10 half-pints.

One poster (sorry, don't remember who) said she felt chocolate flavor didn't stand out enough and recommended replacing the rum flavoring with chocolate flavoring. Or, of course, rum (either liquor or extract) and chocolate flavoring could both be used.

Carol

A friend requested I make a sour cherry jam with chocolate for her. I found a big bag of dried sour cherries. I could use one of Christine Ferber's recipes for proportions. Having made the raspberry, blackberry orange, and orange recipes earlier this year, I have some experience with proportions etc.

However, what should I use to plump up the cherries and provide some liquid? I had considered unsweetened apple juice mixed with Kirsch (then I could call it Black Forest Jam). I would appreciate any suggestions.

Water, a juice like apple or other is just fine. The cherries seem to soak up liquid quite fast, so just boil the liquid, add the dried cherries and stir. Allow to cool and they should be fine. You can also add them without rehydrating, and they will soak up any other liquids in the jam while its cooking.

Whatever you decide, I would try a small batch. Even reconstituted, the character of dried fruit is quite different than that of fresh or frozen. The results may be very satisfactory but it's equally possible you won't find it appealing, especially using a single dried fruit in a preserve.

Carol

FYI, the Black Forest Preserves recipe is in the Ball Complete book (p. 76).

Woo-hoo! This weekend I made a batch of white chocolate raspberry spread that is quite possibly the most decadent thing I've ever made. I'll try to remember to bring in the recipe to post -- I need to make another batch this week while raspberries are still around, since this is definitely going in christmas packages!

Please post the recipe Alison! I have an abundant crop of raspberries and I'm trying to find some different raspberry recipes to can rather than just the same old thing. I would love this!
Thanks!

Is it the Ferber recipe with white chocolate instead of dark?