Sunday 9 January 2011

Chilli Crab Apple Jelly-October-Bottling the fall

Based on The Cottage Smallholder recipe.

I have always loved crab jelly for its colour, blushes of the fall, sweet scent, and sweetness that is delicious on buttered toast. The addition of chilli produces a jelly that has the refreshing characterstics of mango chutney, delicious spread on cheese and crackers.

3lb Red/Pink Ripe Crab Apples, washed and cutting off any bruised parts of the apple
4pts of Water
7 Washed Red Chilli peppers
1lb sugar for each pint of juice produced

Place apples and water in a jamming pan or large heavy stainless steel pan. C red chilli peppers add including seeds to the pan. Bring to boil and let the stewing apples simmer, occasionally mashing the apples with potato masher. When you have apple stew mush, less than hour, prepare jelly bag to receive the apple stew. Strain the apple stew through the jelly bag, and leave the mix to strain overnight.

In a jamming pan or large heavy stainless pan add 1lb sugar for each pint of chilli crab apple juice. Seed the remainder chilli peppers, chop and add to the pan. Gently heat the pan, stirring occasionally to prevent the mix from sticking and burning to the base of the pan, until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat to bring to boil, skim the mix, gently boil until the jelly reaches the setting point, I have found this takes an hour or more. While bringing the jelly to setting point, wash and rinse several 1lb jam jars, and metal jam jar lids, place in oven at 100oC to warm and sterilize the jars. Setting point is when teaspoon of jelly placed on a plate, when cooled and pushed by a finger the mix ripples and sticky viscous. Skim, stir and pour into sterilized jars and screw on lids. I have found this recipe usually will make 4lb of jelly.


Pour the jell

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