This week's creation came as a result of receiving homemade wine jelly from my parents for Christmas. Once we ate it, Mr. W was hooked and decided he should use the many, many pomegranates his dad had gifted us to make his own batch of jelly. Thus began our kitchen's transformation from culinary laboratory to crime scene...
Mr. W took on the tedious task of de-seeding the pomegranates while I watched the season premiere of The Bachelor. AKA, Crazy Nutbag Chicks and the Winemaker They Love. No we did not add the asparagus pictured above to any jelly. This was a pee-friendly recipe.
Using the tomato grinder I bought last summer from Williams-Sonoma, Mr. W then ground all the seeds to collect their juice without getting the bitterness of the pits.
I had to document the camouflaged kitchen helper. He lays on that rug and we can barely see him, which means his tail has been stepped on many a time.
All that grinding covered the kitchen with a fine mist of purple juice. We mopped the floor 3 times during the process.
See what I mean? Looks like Dexter's been in our house.
Our All-Clad runneth over with juice and pectin. I think... There might be sugar in there, too, but Mr. W isn't on IM right now, so I can't confirm. Oh, and see those peppers over there? Those are from our backyard and Mr. W used several of them to add a spicy kick to some of the jelly jars. He thinks they're jalapeños, but I've never seen a red one like that before.
Farmer Maris carefully sterilized (dipped in boiling water with kitchen tongs) each of the jelly jars we purchased at the grocery store.
Then he carefully filled each jar with his trusty ladle and screwed on their lids.
The jars were then added back to the pot of boiling water so that the lids could form airtight seals.
A few minutes in the pot and voila! We have a bajillion little jars of delicious pomegranate jelly!
I'm not certain where Mr. W got his recipe, but if you're interested in trying to make your own jelly, here's a link to one that sounds similar: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pomegranate-jelly/detail.aspx
I can see why the cat gets stepped on. ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhat on earth will you do with all that jelly?
If/when we make this again we'll either hire someone to de-seed those damn things or just buy a bottle of juice.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, they are jalepeno, they are usually picked green but not considered fully ripe until the end of the season when they turn red.
Here's the recipe for anyone that cares. If you want the jalepeno variety, which is quite good, add 4 peppers without the seeds and membrane diced up. That will give it a bit of spicy and flavor but not hot.
Pomegranate Jelly Recipe
Ingredients
4 cups pomegranate juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 package powdered pectin
5 cups white cane sugar
You'll also need:
6-7 Eight ounce canning jars
Method
1 Make the Juice. There are two basic ways to make pomegranate juice from fresh pomegranates. The first is to cut open a pomegranate and submerge it in a large bowl filled with water. Remove the seeds underwater; they will sink to the bottom while the white membrane holding them together will float. Discard the peel and membranes. Strain the seeds and put them in a blender. Pulse the blender only a few times so that the seeds are broken up. Place a mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the seed mixture through the strainer. Use a rubber spatula to help press the pulp against the strainer as to extract as much juice as possible.
2 Prepare canning jars. Seep the clean, empty canning jars in boiling water for several minutes. Boil a few cups of water in a separate kettle and pour over the lids in a small bowl to sterilize.
3 Measure pomegranate juice and lemon juice in a 6-quart pan. Add pectin, stir and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Reach a full rolling boil, that cannot be stirred down, and add sugar. Boil hard for exactly 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand for a minute and skim off foam.
4 Fill jars to 1/2" of the top. Wipe rims clean. Screw on 2-piece lids.
5 Finish canning. This step you need to take if you plan to keep the jelly unrefrigerated. Place the jelly jars, not touching, on a rack in a tall pot of boiling water. The water should cover the top of the jars by at least an inch. Boil for 5 minutes and then remove from the water. Let the jars cool. Check seals, the lids should be sucked down (you'll hear a popping noise as the jelly cools). Once the jars reach room temperature, put them in the refrigerator for a few hours to complete the jellying. Lasts about 3 weeks once opened.
Sizz - We should ship some to you. We have enough! :P
ReplyDeleteMr. W - You pretty much just wrote your first blog post on here but you did it in the comment section. Sneaky!
Wow! That looked like a ton of work. I think I would have been watching The Bachelor, or laying on the rug like the rectangular Chameleon cat. I would like to try some though....
ReplyDeleteI think that is more ambitious than I'm capable of but I'm always envious of those who can and make other foods that can be stored up for later.
ReplyDeleteThat cat has a dream life.
Thank goodness you provided pictures as proof. A couple months ago, I was invited to a canning party, only to realize that's code for a sex toy party. If you hadn't provided photos, I might have wondered what the two of you were up to. hahaha.
ReplyDeleteWow! What a mess though, yowza. Looks super tasty.
ReplyDeleteokay this is probably the most awesomest post. I now want to make jelly... maybe not the messy bit though. but awesome
ReplyDeletecan't picture my hubby making jelly. or even boiling water. and now Mr. W has posted an entire recipe! I'm impressed!! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I am right into making my own jelly. http://caroleschatter.blogspot.co.nz/2011/11/making-jam.html
ReplyDelete