World of WarCrafts: Black Jelly

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You're not alone: Black Jelly made from Borean Man o' War does sound disgusting. We wouldn't make you eat that goop. Unless of course, you want a lot of mana and health back, and there's no Mage around; then, we think you should probably give it a shot. Go on, open up. Inky ... Jiggling ... See that little shimmy? It's really not that bad – rather as if it had been freshly milked from a Disgusting Oozeling. Gulp.

We hope you didn't really fall for that, because while it's true that we're committed to bringing you real versions of the freshest game food, we've chosen the Black(berry) version instead. (We're just sweet like that.) Read on for the world's simplest Black(berry) Jelly recipe (no fruit pectin, no cheesecloth straining, no sterilizing little canning glass jars with screw-on lids), plus our own Top 5 Ways to Enjoy Black(berry) Jelly.

You want mana and health back? Black Jelly's what you want to spread on that Fresh Dalaran Bread. You'll need Cooking 400 to whip up this little delight, but it's all for a good cause. Black Jelly will get you to 425 without having to scrounge up those ubiquitous Northern Spices. That's something we can all get wiggly and jiggly about.

Sweeten up your Borean Man o' War farming with some Black(berry) Jelly of your own. We've kept the ingredients to the bare essentials, so a single trip to the grocery store will have you licking your fingers ("Not on the mouse! Not on the mouse!") in no time at all.

Black(berry) jelly
First, some observations on the quick-and-easy aspects of this recipe. You don't need fruit pectin, as long as about one-quarter of your berries are under-ripe. Cheesecloth and straining isn't necessary, either. Your jelly will be cloudy (oh, the horror!), but it will taste full-bodied and luscious. And there's no need to sterilize all those little glass canning jars, either, because this batch is sized to be gobbled up the same day as you make it. (Don't try to save it past its time; mold and bacteria are no fun. For more information on preserving jelly, we suggest the National Center for Home Food Preservation.)

The mats
2 cups of blackberries, about one-quarter of them not fully ripe
2 cups sugar

Form up and buff

• Form the raid group. Inspect and prep raid members/berries. Wash the raid members. Ask them to remove their stems and caps. (You'll undoubtedly need to click on each berry by hand; it's so hard to find experienced berries these days.) Remove bruised raid members from the raid.

• Make sure that about one-quarter of your raid members are newbies (under-ripe); otherwise, you'll need to do additional questing and add fruit pectin in order to earn the It Jiggles! achievement.

• Buff raid members by crushing gently with a fork (just enough to get their juices flowing; don't mash out their entire health bars).
  

The encounter

• Zone in. Add the raid members to a saucepan, plus just enough water (about a half a cup) to prevent Scorch.

• Unleash the Mages (but don't let them get away with casting Scorch; watch carefully) and boil at high heat until the players are soft, about 5-10 minutes, until your juice is complete. Since we're not going to strain the juice in this particular raid group, you can proceed directly to the next phase of this encounter.
  

• The Short-Sheet Me! achievement Now it's time to jellify this raid. Add the sugar all at once, then get your tanks stirring while the Mages are still making things boil like mad. It won't take but a minute or two; properly cooked jelly "sheets from a spoon." Don't worry if the raid group still looks runny; remember, it will firm up as it cools.

• Loot/skim off any foam from the raid group immediately, and pour the cooked jelly into your desired container to cool. (Remember, if you want to store this long-term, you need to investigate proper canning procedures. Our version here is designed for hungry gamers who are planning to equip their loot promptly.)
  

And finally, our Top 5 Ways to Enjoy Black(berry) Jelly

1. Make your own fruit yogurt; just stir in big, jiggly globs of fresh jelly to plain yogurt.

2. Toast or bagels – come on, there's a reason everyone runs this instance.
   

3. "Frost" a dozen cupcakes or muffins.

4. Spread or dip with fresh fruit (especially tasty with apples or fruit that might otherwise be a little tart for your taste).

5. Spread a little on some angel food cake or pound cake, sprinkle on some leftover berries ... Mmmm ...