Chocolate Crumpets With Black Cherry Jam Recipes

CHOCOLATE CRUMPETS WITH BLACK CHERRY JAM

Steps:

• Make the crumpet batter. Tip the flours, cocoa powder and yeast into a bowl and mix together. Stir the sugar into the warm milk until dissolved, then pour onto the flour mixture. Use a wooden spoon to beat the mixture for 3-4 minutes to a smooth batter. (This is hard work but is essential to produce the holes in the crumpets.) Cover and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the jam. Place the cherries in a small, deep-sided pan and crush with a potato masher. Add the sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon stick and bring to the boil over a low heat until the sugar has melted. Increase the heat and boil for 4 minutes, then remove from the heat and pour into a shallow container. Leave to cool and set.
• When the batter is ready, mix the water in a jug with the bicarbonate of soda and salt. Stir this into the batter, then add a further 2-3 tablespoons of warm water and mix the batter to a thick, dropping consistency, like double cream. Cover and leave to stand for 20 minutes.
• Heat the griddle pan over a medium-low heat and lightly grease it. Sit 3 of the crumpet rings on the griddle. Ladle the batter into the rings until it comes halfway up the side of each ring. After 4-5 minutes bubbles should appear and the surface should be set. Carefully turn over the crumpets in their rings and cook for a further 3 minutes.
• Remove the cooked crumpets from the griddle and set aside to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining 3 rings and batter. Spread all the crumpets with butter, then top with the cherry jam and, for the best results, serve straightaway.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY JAM

Steps:

• Pit the cherries if necessary, then chop them up. Crush the remains thoroughly, 1 cup at a time. If using frozen berries, use both liquid and solids; they all were part of the original fresh berry. Measure 6 cups of crushed fruit into 6- or 8-quart heavy saucepan. Break the chocolate squares into smaller pieces and add them to saucepan.
• Measure sugar into separate bowl. Mix 1/4 cup sugar from measured amount with pectin in small bowl. Stir pectin-sugar mixture into fruit in saucepan. Add butter. Bring quickly to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam and ladle into pint or half-pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace and process 10 minutes in boiling water canner.

CHOCOLATE CRUMPETS

Steps:

• Heat 300ml of the milk in a pan until it just starts to bubble around the edges, then leave it to cool until it is tepid.
• Measure out the flour and then put 3 tbsp back into the bag. Add the cocoa, yeast and sugar and then stir the milk in, a little at a time, until you have made a smooth batter. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 1hr-1hr 30 mins or until doubled in size and very bubbly. Stir in a little more milk if the batter is very thick, if it is too thick the bubbles won't rise to the surface as well.
• When risen, add the remaining 50ml milk to the batter to let it down a little, then heat the grill to high. Lightly oil the insides of 4 x 9cm metal crumpet rings or metal cooks' rings. Heat a large non-stick frying pan or griddle pan over a low-medium heat, add 1 tbsp oil and put the rings in the pan. Spoon the batter into the rings until they are half full. Let the crumpets cook slowly for about 10 mins or until the mixture has set and the bubbles on top have all popped. Lift the rings away carefully. Repeat with the remaining mixture.
• If you now want to grill your crumpets, transfer your pan (if it has a heatproof handle) to the grill and cook until the tops are golden brown. If your pan doesn't have a heatproof handle, transfer the crumpets to a baking sheet and grill them on that instead. Can be made up to a day ahead or frozen until ready to grill and serve.