Mint jellyQ: Do you by any chance have a recipe for mint jelly that you put with lamb

A: Yes we do – mint jelly is not really green? It’s golden coloured in its natural state. That green stuff you see in the stores is just food coloring. Here’s a straightforward recipe for making your own, using the pectin (is a structural heteropolysaccharide contained in the primary cell walls of terrestrial plants ) from fresh tart apples as a jelling base, The tarter the apples, the more pectin they will usually have, smaller apples will have proportionally more pectin as well.

1.8kg of tart apples (e.g. Granny Smith), unpeeled, chopped into big pieces, including the cores – this is where most of the natural pectin is.
1 1/2 cups of fresh mint, chopped
2 cups water
2 cups white vinegar
3 1/2 cups sugar (±14T for each cup of juice)

  1. Combine apple pieces with water and mint in a large pan. Bring water to a boil then reduce heat and cook 20 minutes, until the apples are soft.
  2. Add the vinegar, return to boil and Simmer covered for 5 minutes.
  3. Use a potato masher to mash up the apple pieces to the consistency of thin apple sauce.
  4. Spoon the apple pulp into a muslin cloth (or a couple layers of cheesecloth) or a large, fine mesh sieve, suspended over a large bowl. Leave to strain for several hours. Do not squeeze – if your mash is too thick, you can add 1/2 a cup to a cup more of water to it. You should have 4 to 5 cups of resulting juice.
  5. Measure the juice, then pour into a large pot. Add the sugar (±12T for each cup of juice). Heat gently, stirring to make sure the sugar gets dissolved and doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
  6. Bring to a boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes, using a metal spoon to skim off the surface scum. Continue to boil until a candy thermometer shows that the temperature has reached ±106°C, depending on the amount of water, sugar, and apple pectin in the mix.
  7. Candy thermometers aren’t always the most reliable indicators of whether or not a jelly is done. Another way to test is put a half teaspoonful of the jelly on a chilled (in the freezer) plate. Allow the jelly to cool a few seconds, then push it with your fingertip. If it wrinkles up, it’s ready.
  8. Pour into sterilized jars to within 2cm from the top and seal.

Makes approximately 4-250g jars

Wickedfood Cooking School

Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Wickedfood Cooking school runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built Johannesburg cooking studios. Cookery classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our cooking lessons are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.