This recipe is inspired by the gloriumptious world of Roald Dahl. Who wouldn’t want to spend an afternoon exploring Willy Wonka’s marvellous chocolate factory? I’m fairly sure that he is responsible for the fact that chocolate is always on my brain! Ideally, this chocolate spread should be mixed by waterfall, but if you haven’t found your golden ticket yet, then you’ll still get splendiferous results mixing this by hand.

RECIPE: Chocolate & Blackberry Spread

FLAVOUR PROFILE: Thick, luxurious, super-chocolatey with a rich tart flavour from the blackberries.

GOES GREAT WITH: If eating this straight out of the jar with a spoon is one step too far for you, then try it dolloped on some lovely Chocolate Scones with clotted cream.

NOTES: It’s so important to extract as much juice as you can from the blackberries, so take your time when pressing them through the sieve. Keep stirring and scraping until you’re left with virtually dry seeds.

MAKES: 400g

INGREDIENTS:

• 150g FRESH or FROZEN BLACKBERRIES
• 60g WATER
• 90g WHITE SUGAR
• 1 tbsp. COCOA POWDER
• Pinch SALT
• 1 tsp. VANILLA EXTRACT
• 100g DARK CHOCOLATE, roughly chopped
• 130g BUTTER, cubed

METHOD:

1. In a saucepan over a medium heat, add the BLACKBERRIES, WATER and SUGAR. Cook until the blackberries have completely broken down, approx. 15 minutes. Pour the mixture through a sieve into a bowl. Press the seeds with a spatula so that you extract as much juice as possible. Keep stirring and pressing, then discard the dry seeds.
2. Return the juice to the saucepan. Add the COCOA POWDER and SALT, and heat to a simmer.
3. Remove from the heat and add the VANILLA EXTRACT, DARK CHOCOLATE and BUTTER. Stir until it has all melted and the mixture is glossy. Pour into a jar, seal and store in the fridge. It will be ready to eat in a few hours when it has set.