How To Make Mint Sauce And Mint Jelly Food

HOW TO MAKE MINT SAUCE AND MINT JELLY

Steps:

• Wash and dry the mint in a tea-towel. Remove the leaves from the stalks, chop very finely and put in a small serving jug.
• Put the sugar and boiling water into a small pot and boil for one minute.
• Pour the vinegar over the chopped mint then add the hot water and sugar mix. Stir well before serving.
• Wash and cut the apples into slices. Do not core or peel. Put into a large saucepan or preserving pan with the water, lemon juice or citric acid and 10 sprigs of mint.
• Bring this to the boil and cook until it forms a soft pulp, mashing occasionally. Strain the mixture through a jelly bag or a very fine cloth such as a cotton tea towel or piece of muslin and allow to drip overnight.
• Measure out the juice you have strained and match that amount with the sugar using the calculation of 1 litre juice to 500g sugar. So if you have 0.5 litres of juice use 250g sugar.
• Put the juice and sugar into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add some more finely chopped fresh mint - about 2 tbsp. This is for colouring and texture.
• Boil until it forms a jelly. You can test it is ready by taking off the heat then pouring a few drops onto a saucer. Put the saucer in the freezer for a few minutes and if it forms a jelly when you remove it then the mixture is ready.
• Pour into small sterilised jars and seal tightly.
• You can add a few drops of green food colouring if you really want it to be bright green but it looks great as it is. If you do add colouring check that you are using natural food colouring, not artificial.
• These jars make great gifts to take to a dinner party, especially if you are having roast lamb!
• If you are a fan of mint tea and want to make it yourself you won't be able to use ordinary mint. Instead, find a peppermint plant and use that.

REAL MINT SAUCE

Steps:

• Strip off the mint leaves, sprinkle with salt and chop finely.
• Place into a jug, add the sugar and pour over the boiling water, stir and leave to cool.
• Stir in the vinegar and taste.
• Add more water or vinegar and adjust seasoning to suit your taste.

MINT SAUCE FOR LAMB

Steps:

• Place mint leaves in a small bowl. Stir in water, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper until sugar is dissolved. Cover and let steep for 20 minutes, then serve immediately with lamb.

MINT JELLY

Steps:

• Blend mint and the water in the jar of a blender until mint is finely chopped. Transfer to a saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; let steep 45 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve into bowl; reserve liquid (1 3/4 to 2 cups). Discard mint.
• Return liquid to saucepan; add lemon juice and sugar. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Add pectin, and return to a boil; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in food coloring. Skim surface. Transfer to a large container; let cool completely. Cover; let chill overnight. Transfer to a serving dish, or store in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

MINT JELLY

Steps:

• Rinse off the mint leaves, and place them into a large saucepan. Crush with a potato masher or the bottom of a jar or glass. Add water, and bring the mint to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes. Strain, and measure out 1 2/3 cups of the mint.
• Place 1 2/3 cups mint into a saucepan. Stir in the lemon juice and food coloring. Mix in the sugar, and place the pan over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once the mixture is boiling, stir in the pectin. Boil the mixture for a full minute while stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and skim foam off the top using a large metal spoon. Transfer the mixture to hot sterile jars, and seal.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 10 minutes.

MINT JELLY

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, bring mint and water to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and pour though a fine sieve, reserving mint liquid. Discard leaves. , Return liquid to pan. Add the sugar, vinegar and butter; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Quickly add contents of both pectin pouches; bring to a full rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; skim off foam. Add food coloring. , Carefully ladle into hot sterilized half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. head space. Remove air bubbles; wipe rims and adjust lids. Process for 5 minutes in a boiling-water canner. , Or, cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Cover and let stand overnight or until set, but not longer than 24 hours. Refrigerate or freeze. (Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks or freeze for up to 12 months.)