Crab apple and rose petal jelly
The perfect way to use up a crab apple windfall
SERVES
8
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
60
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
40
MINUTES
Ingredients
3 kg crab apples, washed, stalks removed and halved
3 kg water
The peel of two lemons and the juice of half a lemon. Use a potato peeler rather than a fine grater so the peel is easy to catch when straining the jelly.
1 tbsp edible rosewater
about 900g caster sugar
2 tbsp edible dried rose petal
Method
- Place the apples, water, and lemon peel into a heavy-based saucepan and bring to a boil then reduce it to a simmer and allow to bubble away gently bubble for about 25 minutes until the apples are mushy.
This is the slow part — scoop all the contents of the saucepan into a jelly bag and set it over a big bowl or saucepan to drip into. Do not push the pulp through as the jelly will cloud over. It takes quite a while so you can leave it balancing for a few hours.
Weigh the fruity liquid that has come through the bag before placing it back into a saucepan. You will need to weigh your caster sugar, so it is three-quarters the weight of the fruit liquid. If the liquid is 800g for example, then you would need 600g caster sugar. Pour the sugar in on top of the fruity liquid along with the lemon juice, rosewater, and rose petals.
Bring to the boil and allow it to boil for about 10 minutes, stirring as it bubbles and syphoning off any scum with a slotted spoon. I usually check if it is set by dropping a teaspoon of the jelly onto a cold saucer. It should set slightly and wrinkle when touched.
Once it has boiled long enough to pass the saucer wrinkle test, gently pour it into your sterilised jars. Allow it to cool completely and place a disk of parchment on top then screw on a lid.
