Spiced Cider & Apple Jelly
This wonderful spiced cider and apple jelly has a rich, warming flavour, making it ideal to serve during the cold winter months. It can be used as a spread, or mix it in to the fillings, and use it to sweeten apple pies and apple desserts.
A clear preserve like this jelly needs a ‘jelly bag’ to strain the fruit juice through – best left overnight. Do not be tempted to squeeze the jelly bag while it is draining, or the jelly will become cloudy.
Spiced Cider & Apple Jelly Recipe
Makes about 1.3 Kg of jam to pot.
Recipe Ingredients:
- 900g cooking apples (washed and coarsely chopped with skins and cores intact)
- 900ml sweet cider
- 2 oranges (juice and pips)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 6 whole cloves
- 150ml water
- approx – 900g jam sugar (with added pectin) warmed
Recipe Method:
Put the chopped apples, cider, juice and pips of the orange, cinnamon, cloves and water in a large pan. Bring it up to the boil, cover with a lid, and simmer for about 1 hour. Leave to cool slightly, then pour the fruit into a scalded jelly bag, suspended over a non-metallic bowl, and leave to drain overnight.
Measure the strained juice into a preserving pan. Add 450g of jam sugar for every 600ml of fruit juice.
Heat the fruit juice and spiced cider mixture, stirring frequently, over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and boil, without stirring, for 10 minutes, or until the jelly reaches the setting point (105°C/220°F).
Remove from the heat, and skim off any scum and impurities rising to the surface, with a slotted spoon. Ladle into warmed, sterilized jars, cover and seal. Leave to cool, then label and store in a cool, dark place.