Mint Jelly

Sunday lunch is an immovable feast with the boy. I shouldn’t let him watch Saturday Kitchen as he now wants a version of the Pot Roast Lamb. However I did want to make some mint jelly that will keep. It coincides with our apple tree heaving with (not terribly sweet) apples and the fact that our gardener has cut back about 4 cubic feet of mint that has grown rampant over the summer.

1kg apples

1.5l water

80ml lemon juice

2/3 cup chopped fresh mint + 1 extra quarter cup kept back

A pinch of salt

660g sugar

The biggest pain is the mint chopping, as it needs to be quite fine. This is the boy’s job and he’s using the mezzaluna. This was his idea in the first place. This is a lot of mint, once chopped, but that is rather the point. And it’s his own fault.

The pectin in the apples means there is no need for gelatine. I’ve nothing against cows’ hooves, but would rather have apples, if possible. Chop them, unpeeled, leaving the seeds in.  Put the apples, lemon juice, salt and the 2/3 cup of mint into a pan and simmer for 40 minutes.  The apples need to be very soft and cooked through.

Strain the mixture through muslin. This will take a while, as squeezing the bag will just make it cloudy. I have to restrain the boy from doing this several times. A jelly bag would work equally well.

Pour into a measuring jug and add 165g of sugar to each 250ml of liquid. Stir over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Then crank the heat up and boil uncovered for about 20 minutes.  You can tell it’s done by putting a small blob on a saucer that has been kept in the fridge. If it sets, it’s done. I think you want a loose jelly, so don’t overdo it.

Let it cool for 10 minutes. Stir in the reserved mint and bottle in sterilised jars. It will keep for a year. I like quite small jars as we don’t have roast lamb every day once we’ve opened one.

I keep thinking a little chilli would help this along but the boy won’t let me.

There is a recipe for fresh mint sauce on this blog (May 2012) – I prefer the sharpness but the boy prefers this sweet version. We take turns.