Basic Herb Wine Jelly Food

WINE AND HERB JELLY

Steps:

• Heat wine and thyme until simmering. Turn off heat, cover and steep for 30 minutes.
• Put a rack or a folded kitchen towel in a large pot, fill with water and bring to a boil. Add 5 quarter-pint canning jars and boil for 10 minutes. Jars may be left in the warm water until ready to be filled. (Alternatively, sterilize jars by running them through a dishwasher, leaving them inside until ready to fill.)
• Place canning rings in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and add lids to soften rubber gaskets. Rings and lids may be left in water until jars are filled.
• Remove thyme from wine. It will smell spicy and herbal. In a large heavy, nonreactive pot, stir together wine, lemon juice and pectin. Bring heat to medium high and stir often as mixture comes to a boil.
• When the mixture reaches a boil that cannot be stirred down, add sugar while stirring constantly.
• Heat jelly again to strong, hard boil to reduce the foam. Boil hard for exactly one minute to set the pectin. Turn off heat.
• Add butter and stir well to continue reducing the foam. Remove any remaining foam with a clean spoon.
• Ladle hot jelly into warm jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims clean with a damp towel. Place lids on jars, screw on rings and lower jars back into pot of boiling water. Return to full boil and boil jars for 5 minutes. Transfer jars to a folded towel and cool for 12 hours; you should hear them ping as they seal. Sealed jars are shelf stable for one year.
• Once cool, test seals by removing rings and lifting jars by their flat lids. If the lid releases, the seal has not formed. Unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used within a month, or reprocessed. (Rings and jars may be reused, but a new flat lid must be used each time jars are processed.) To reprocess, reheat to boiling then continue as before.

BASIC HERB WINE JELLY

Steps:

• Combine wine, vinegar and herbs in large saucepan. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Cover and allow to steep for 30 minutes to extract flavors.
• Strain mixture through a lined sieve; discard leaves. Return liquid to saucepan and stir in sugar.
• Bring to a boil over high heat and boil rapidly for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat and stir in pectin.
• Ladle into hot jars and process for 10 minutes in water bath.

ROASTED GARLIC AND WHITE WINE JELLY

Steps:

• * To roast garlic: Cut off top of bulb, drizzle with a little olive oil and wrap tightly in foil. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes until soft.
• Place wine and garlic in a large saucepan.
• Add sugar and mix well.
• Bring to a full boil on high heat and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat and stir in pectin.
• Stir for a few minutes until pectin starts to set and the garlic is distributed evenly.
• Pour into warm, sterilized jars, filling up to 1/4 inch and seal with sterilized snap lids.

WHITE WINE JELLY

Steps:

• Put 1/2 cup water into a sml saucepan, add gelatin & allow to soak for a few minutes.
• Place saucepan over a low heat & stir till the gelatin dissolves. Stir in the lemon juice & sugar.
• Continue stirring till the sugar dissolves & remove the pan from the heat.
• Add the remaining 1/2 cup of water & the wine. Refrigerate till the mixture develops a syrup consistency.
• Add fruits, mix gently & spoon the jelly into a 1 qt mold or smaller molds of choice.
• Refrigerate & chill thoroughly till well-set. Unmold & serve.
• SERVING SUGGESTIONS: For brunch, serve w/scones, bagels or English muffins. As a salad course, serve atop greens & use a poppy seed or other complimentary dressing. As a dessert, serve w/cheese & crackers -- or -- baguette slices topped w/cheese of choice & the jelly as a dessert bruschetta. A sml dish of choc mints would make a nice combo w/either choice.
• NOTE: IMO, the fruits used are suggestions & others can be subbed. I will prob use a combo of green & red grapes in place of the cherries. Kiwi segments could also be used.

SUMMER FRUITS TERRINE OR BODACIOUS BERRIES IN WINE JELLY!

Steps:

• In addition to the ingredients, you will also need two 2 lb (900 g) loaf tins, 7½ x 4¾ inches x 3½ inches deep (19 x 12 cm x 9 cm deep), preferably non-stick but anyway with a good surface.
• First, prepare the fruit: remove the stalks and halve the strawberries if they are any larger than a quail's egg. Then mix the fruits together in a large bowl, being very gentle to avoid bruising them.
• In a small saucepan heat half the rosé wine until it begins to simmer, then whisk the sugar and gelatine into it. Make sure that everything has dissolved completely before adding the remaining wine and the lime juice. Then pour the liquid into a jug and allow it to cool. While that is happening, lay the mixed fruit in one of the loaf tins - and it is worth arranging the bottom layer with the smallest, prettiest-shaped fruit as this will be on top when the terrine is turned out.
• Next, pour all but 5 fl oz (150 ml) of the liquid over the fruit. Now lay a sheet of clingfilm over the tin, place the other tin directly on top, then put two unopened tins of tomatoes or something similar to act as weights into the top tin and put the whole lot into the fridge for about 1 hour, or until it has set. Then warm up the remaining 5 fl oz (150 ml) wine mixture and pour it over the surface of the terrine. Re-cover with clingfilm and return to the fridge overnight to set firm.
• When you are ready to serve, turn out the terrine by dipping the tin very briefly in hot water and inverting it on to a plate. Use a very sharp knife (also dipped first into hot water) to cut it into slices. Serve with red berry coulis, chilled pouring cream, crème fraîche or Greek yoghurt.

RED WINE JELLY

Steps:

• Combine wine, lemon juice, and pectin in a large saucepot.
• Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved.
• Return to a rolling boil.
• Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
• Skim foam off top, if necessary.
• Ladle hot jelly into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
• Tighten 2 piece lids.
• Process for 5 minutes in boiling water bath.