ROSEMARY JELLY

I remember first eating rosemary jelly in James Martin’s Cadogan & James (now sadly closed) delicatessen & café in Winchester. It was an accompaniment to a delicious Chicken Liver Parfait served with toasted brioche.  The combination was wonderful & I have made my own version ever since.  It takes less than an hour to make & is also delicious with roast lamb. You can make other variations with thyme, sage or marjoram.

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INGREDIENTS

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​1.5 kg cooking or crab apples – chopped in a food processor including stalks, cores & peel (crab apples give the jelly a gorgeous, deep sunset red colour)

8 large springs fresh rosemary, washed & leaves removed from stems

450 g golden granulated sugar for every 600 ml juice

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Place the apples and rosemary stalks in a preserving pan with 1.2 litres of water, bring to the boil & simmer until the apples are pulpy (30-40 minutes).

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Pour the mixture into a jelly bag & strain – leave for 20 minutes or so until the dripping subsides.  Do not be tempted to squeeze the bag or the jelly with be cloudy.

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Measure the strained juice.  For every 600 ml juice weigh out 450 g sugar.  Put the juice, sugar & rosemary leaves into the cleaned preserving pan & heat until the sugar has dissolved, stirring frequently. 

 

Skim off any scum which forms.  When the sugar has completely dissolved bring the mixture to the boil & cook the jelly at a full, rolling boil until the setting point is reached (105 degrees C if using a thermometer) or until the jelly sets when put on a cold plate.

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Allow the jelly to cool for a few minutes before stirring again to ensure the rosemary is distributed.  Pour into sterilised jars, seal & label.

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The jelly is ready for use immediately & will keep for up to a year in a cool, dark place.