Jalapeno Pepper Jelly
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Category
Preserves
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Cusine
American
What do you need?
How to make?
Ingredients
4 lbs of tart apples , unpeeled, chopped into big pieces, including the cores
6 jalapeño chili peppers, sliced in half lengthwise, the seeds and ribs removed from 3 of them
1 green bell pepper , seeds and ribs removed, chopped
1 cup cranberries
3 cups water
3 cups white vinegar
3 1/2 cups sugar
Directions
Combine the apple pieces, apple cores , jalapeños, bell pepper, cranberries , water and vinegar in a large pot.
Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low, simmering for about 20 minutes, or until the apples, cranberries, and peppers are soft. Stir occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan where it might burn.
Use a potato masher to mash up the apple pieces to the consistency of slightly runny apple sauce. If the mash is too thick, add more water.
Spoon the mash into a fine mesh sieve, muslin cloth, or a couple layers of cheesecloth, suspended over a large bowl. Leave to strain for several hours .
If you want a clear jelly, do not squeeze or force through the mesh. Just let it drip. If you want a fuller flavor jelly and don't mind that the result won't be clear, you can force some of the pulp through the mesh.
If your pulp is too thick, and nothing is coming out, you can add an extra 1/2 cup or cup of water to it. You want to end up with about 4 cups of juice.
Measure the juice, then pour into a large, wide, thick-bottomed pot. Add the sugar . 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 digital thermometer shows that the temperature has reached 220-222 degrees F .
Additional time needed for cooking can be anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour or longer, depending on the amount of water, sugar, and apple pectin in the mix.
Jelly is too runny.
Jelly is wrinkling when pushed, which means it's ready.
A thermometer reading isn't always the most reliable indicator of whether or not a jelly is done. Another way to test is put a half teaspoonful of the jelly on a chilled plate. Allow the jelly to cool a few seconds, then push it with your fingertip. If it wrinkles up, it's ready.
Pour jelly into sterilized jars* to within 1/4" from the top and seal.
Makes approx. 4 half-pint jars.
Serve with cream cheese on crackers.
*There are several ways to sterilize your jars for canning jelly. You can run them through a short cycle on your dishwasher. You can place them in a large pot of water on top of a steaming rack , and bring the water to a boil for 10 minutes. Or you can rinse out the jars, dry them, and place them, without lids, in a 200 degrees F oven for 10 minutes.