Hot crab apple and chilli jelly recipe
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Hedgerow food, Jam Jelly and Preserves | 113 comments
Everyone seems to be talking about chillies. They are said to trigger “feel good” endorphins and are packed with vitamin A, an immune system boosting antioxidant. Chillies improve the digestive process too as they stimulate the action of the intestine and stomach.
This year I was determined to make crab apple and chilli jelly. My first attempt was so so. There was a chilli tingle when I tasted the juice. I chucked it away. My recipe from Oded Schwartz’s Preserving added 3-4 medium heat chillis. Are these desseded? I’d used three desseded ones. A long foray on the Internet offered no clues. Chop and add your chillis seemed to be the line. So when I simmered my crab apples and chillies a couple of days ago, I left the seeds in. The result was a tasty juice with just the sort of kick I wanted. Hot but not hellish.
Hot crab apple and chilli jelly recipe
Ingredients:
- 600g of crab apples washed and chopped
- 35g of medium red chilli peppers, washed and chopped with seeds in
- 1 litre of water
- White granulated sugar 500g to each 500ml of juice
Method:
- Put the chopped crab apples and chillies in a large heavy bottomed saucepan.
- Add 1 litre of water (they should just be floating). Bring tp the boil and simmer until the crab apples soften and become pulpy (lid on). This took about 45 minutes.
- Strain through a muslin square or jelly bag overnight. (Retain the pulp to make hot crab apple and chilli cheese)
- Add the juice to a large heavy bottomed pan and add the sugar. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. When the juice and sugar has come to the boil remove from the heat and skim well. Return to the heat and bring to a rolling boil until setting point is reached. This took 15 minutes.
- Skim and pour into warm sterilised jars. Oded Schwartz adds a chilli (stalk removed and split once lengthwise) as the jelly is setting. I really wanted to set chillies in the jelly but be warned this is a nightmare. The jelly needs to be setting firmly otherwise the chillies gently float to the surface again, and again and again. I made two jars with chillies and abandoned the rest.
- Update: Following Sarah’s tip (see comments),I added two firey dried chopped chillies to the jelly. Marvellous.
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Just wanted to say I have just made the jelly and it has turned out well for a first attempt. I have never made jellies before.The colour is great.They think me mad at work as I have had to send out requests for jars as I want to now try the Apple jelly and also your pear and lemon recipe.Too much fun – the housework is being abandoned!!!
Hello Marie
Thanks for your advice. Much appreciated.
Hi again
I do not chop cut peel I just bring to boil and then simmer till skins are very soft and then strain. In our area there were no worms this year but when washing , I usually wash in cold water bath at least 3 times before boiling, beasties should exit on their own accord especially if you let the apples soak about half hour the first time.
Hi Frances
Leave the skins, cores and pips on/in. I chop them to see whether beasties have invaded and reject those.
Just wondering, when you chop the apples, do you have to peel and core them as well???
Hello Marie
Thanks so much for all these tips! Much appreciated.
Cheese cloth is a great idea – muslin from kitchen shops over here is very expensive.
Just wanted to tell about what you can use for straining. The dollar store in our small town, in the houseware section, has a cheese cloth product and you get oodles for a buck. You can cut to fit your seive and after use rinse, dry and reuse. I usually use 5 – 6 times then wash and use for cleaning things.
Jelly is fun, I have made for years. and Bernadin now has a pectin (no sugar) that you can use with splenda so my diabetic husband will be able to use my jelly. Another tip, use less sugar and mix 1/2 white sugar and 1/2 splenda.
Hello Tracy
Thanks for replying so promptly, I think that was it, I will see if there are enough crab apples left to try another batch. It tastes fine though and we are going to have some with pork today, I will let you know what my husband thinks, watch this space!
Hi Tracy
Thanks for the positive feedback!
Hello Christine
I’ve already made some jelly this year and the fruit were not quite ready so I got far less juice. However, you need to simmer the crabapples, lid on until they soften. If you boiled them a lot of the juice would have been evaporated. Perhaps this is where you went wrong?
Hi I have just finished making this recipe but only ended up with two jars of jelly, I checked everything and would love to make some more but I am reluctant till I sort this out. I double checked quantities and wonder if I boiled too long? I used a timer and boiled as per the instructions. Please advise. It came out lovely and clear and I put in dried chilli flakes which look effective. Looking forward to tasting,