Mint Jelly

My dad is a big believer in mint jelly with lamb. That small jar of green gelatin is ubiquitous on our family table when the dish is served. But that's the supermarket version, as Elise over at Simply Recipes points out. The actual color of the condiment is a golden yellow.

Ingredients
  • 4 lbs of Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, chopped into big pieces, including the cores
  • 1.5 cups of fresh mint, chopped, lightly packed
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups white vinegar
  • approx 3.5 cups sugar (use the correct proportion. see below)
Instructions

Combine apple pieces with water and mint in a large pan. Bring water to a boil then reduce heat and cook 20 minutes, until apples are soft.

Add vinegar, return to boil. Simmer covered, 5 more minutes.

Use a potato masher to mash up the apple pieces to the consistency of apple sauce.

Spoon the apple pulp into a muslin cloth (or a couple layers of cheesecloth) suspended over a large bowl. Leave to strain for several hours. Do not squeeze.

Measure the juice, then pour into a large pot. Add 7/8 cup of sugar for each cup of juice. Heat gently, stirring to make sure the sugar gets dissolved and doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.

Bring to a boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes, using a spoon to skim off the surface scum. Continue to boil until a candy thermometer shows that the temperature has reached 8° Fahrenheit above the boiling point.

Pour into sterilized jars to within 1/4" from the top and seal. Store in a cool place and refrigerate after re-opening.

more:  misc. 

posted by kleph @ wednesday, august 16, 2006 $formatted_time |

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