Since we last met, dear friend, it's been jelly all the way which, to my delight I've enjoyed so much because, once you've got the knack, it's the simplest preserve to make. Really truly perfectly simple and as a pot or two of homemade preserve makes such a heartwarming Christmas present, its the perfect solution for all kinds of present situations
But, it must be admitted, jelly is not universally popular with all age ranges, tastes or inclinations. Children love jelly. The sweet blackberry jelly that glides beautifully onto toast, or slips effortlessly into rice pudding, custard, yogurt and definitely over panna cotta or Fromage frais. Adults of any middling age love it's sophisticated taste and texture while Grandmas and Grandpas of all ages, and their grandchildren, definitely love jelly for the simple and super-exquisite silky texture of a super-tasty fruit mix minus soft lumps, pith and stones or pips.
How to eat jelly, well let me see! With meat of course, lamb or pork and even game if you're ...um game, particularly that very bitter but glorious Rowan berry jelly, the fruit of the Rowan or Mountain Ash tree. That bitter taste beautifully complements the richness of venison and other game, is wonderful with lamb and definitely scrummy with cheese; it's also blissful on hot, crunchy toast for breakfast!!! Rowan berry makes a rich, beautifully clear, amber-coloured jelly, so clear and shining it's totally cool....
But today, I've been hedgerow-gathering elderberries! This afternoon I stripped each cluster of its tiny black berries into a small amount of green crab apples with water to fruit level for the process of slowly pulping my fruit mass - which is where I am now!
OK my jelly bag is ready and waiting. Now all I have to do is mash the mass and gently tip it into the butter muslin and leave it to drip for the next twenty-four hours. NB - I actually hand-blend my fruit mass to reduce particle size for ease of dripping, which seemed to work rather well! Then I'll measure out the liquid pints, add sugar 1-lb to 1 pt. liquid, dissolve sugar, raise temperature to a good rolling boil and boil until setting point is reached. And the fun part, that's the skimming of the scum that rises to the surface which you remove with your hot wetted ladle. Keep all your tools in boiling to hot water, constantly readjusting the water heat, both to sterilise and for ease of scum removal. So what is the scum I feel you ask? - it's a bit of science to consider! Sugar contains impurities which rise up in the boiling process which, left unskimmed, form into lumpy bits which is unpleasant for your finished jelly. I imagine that is just the cooking process and how it works on ingredients.
Many recipes and cookbooks suggest using a knob of butter to deal with this scum but that only works, in my experience, in a very limited and half-measure way, though it would appear to be a very popular thing to do: it is also a long-standing used method and as used by an elderly friend of mine during her many years of preserving jams and jellies for her children and grandchildren But, it makes your jelly greasy which is not pleasant and it may create a sugary top texture. Much better to remove that scum with your ladle which you've steeped in very hot to boiling water; one gentle collection only per hot ladle; empty removed mixture onto small saucer, return ladle to hot water, swish to remove residue, then re-dip in a second bowl of really hot water, and be ready to remove the next collection of risen scum. This will collect quite evenly on top of boiling jelly, making its removal an easy task and I'm amazed how much easier its become for me this summer, since making far more jellies than ever before. Just persevere, keep your tools hot, every implement clean and sterile and you too will create beautifully clear, bright jellies for every present-occasion to suit.
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| measuring the crab apple jelly for adding the sugar |
OK try the butter method, and the torn piece of kitchen paper. dragged across the surface to remove your scum but, far better still, remove your scum as above. And one other point, wipe the insides of your pan with a small pastry brush, dipped in your very hot water, from time to time, to remove the scum-ring that often settles on the boiling surface level, contributing to your dilemma.
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| sugar being dissolved and stirred |
Sugar....do use the best preserving sugar you can buy...it really does make a big difference to your ,jelly, as it contains larger crystals which dissolve more slowly, do not remain on the bottom of the pan, thus requiring less stirring time for the sugar to become amalgamated into your dripped fruit juice. It is the impurities in the sugar itself which rise as scum to the surface during the boiling process which must be removed to ensure a clear, bright jelly. I too have warmed my sugar before adding it to the heating jelly but now instead of warming the sugar, I just add it in two or three separate amounts, fairly rapidly but allowing a little time between additions, to ensure all is well stirred-in.
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| my equipment for jelly making |
This summer, I've found a 30-minute boil time with 3pts. juice has resulted in a good setting point which I test by the saucer method and wooden spoon trial. OK so you take a small saucer, turn off the heat beneath your preserving pan, ladle out a tiny amount onto your saucer, placing it at once onto a freezer shelf for a few seconds; if a finger-tip shove creates a nice "wrinkle" on the surface - voila - you have reached setting point. Actually, you will notice as soon as you remove your saucer out that the mixture looks as if its reached that desirable setting point. For the wooden spoon drip and set method, dip your spoon into the jelly, lift and twirl spoon slowly around two or three times then hold it aloft over your pan and observe how the jelly drips off; your jelly should run down both sides of the spoon and join at the bottom central point of the spoon then "flake off" in one large drop or flake back into your pan. If it drips off in single "droplets" then its not "set" and you need to boil your mixture for at least another 5-minute period again and retest.
Of course, you scald your jelly bag or butter muslin with boiling water, cool to handle, ring out and create a "bag" using the legs of an upturned chair - this is best because of the square shape of the chair base, securing the muslin with stout elastic bands. I then bring up any lose muslin up and over the top of each chair leg, creating a higher and firmer "wall" to my butter muslin thru' which my jelly may drip.
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| crab apple dripping thru' my butter muslin bag |
Remember, always turn off heat under pan to test; always use best preserving sugar you can find or afford; keep all utensils, funnels, tongs to lift out funnels from hot water - absolutely everything you think you might need to use - well steeped in hot to extremely hot water as you work, to eliminate any risk of cross-contamination or spoilage. I even have a smaller glass jug of my hot water in which I steep two or three teaspoons for the final skimming of any bubbles or scum from my filled jam jar just prior to putting waxed disc onto the hot jelly, before adding the clear cellophane cover and elastic band and the jar's screw top, which have been boiled for l0-minutes, drained, dried and kept warm under a clean tea-towel ready to use when needed. Meanwhile, your jam jars have been thru' your dishwasher then placed on a tray in a warm oven to dry and kept warmed for use; and very importantly, do wear a long-sleeved shirt whilst cooking your jams, jellies or chutneys because the boiling mixes will spit as it cooks and boils. Also wear an oven glove or have a cloth over your hand when you stir, particularly with jams, for the mixture will burn as it ,jumps onto any uncovered skin. Then of course, it's good to keep a damp dishcloth to hand to wipe down work-surfaces about the hob-top - so much easier to remove when still hot - then do a better clean and clear up when your jelly or preserve is happily cooling off-side.
Well, that's about it, dear friends - happy jelly making and I'd be very pleased to hear of your jammin'-sessions!
By the way, I began this post thinking to do just a short piece on jellies elderberries and cooking, with a view of our impromptu supper in between getting my fruit almost to the drip stage and dashing off to my book club for "All The Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr. Well, that was my plan...and our quickie supper - a combination of beans in chilli sauce, sweetcorn, red kidney beans, tuna, garlic puree, tinned tomatoes and a good scattering of dried chilli powder, heated up then served dressed with a topping of grated Parmesan. Well it was excellent, tasty and very more-ish for a good store-cupboard quickie supper...
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| my quickie store-cupboard supper |
Happy jelly making...it's all gluten-free and delicious!
Margaret xxx
PS I sought confirmation of sugar details from online Cookipedia - " SUGAR - page modified 09:39, 15 April 2015
PPS Maybe I'll create a video on jelly making...watch this space.
