Serve with roast chicken, lamb or soft cheese

Mr Fresh’s overzealous use of jam on his toast has left my cupboard bare of the jam I made over Summer. To restock I have been making marmalade, lots of marmalade from the range of citrus currently in season. 

Blood Orange is a new-to-me fruit and I have to admit that I really do not like the look of them, however, I do enjoy their lovely flavor.  You could substitute regular oranges, also in season over Winter if you prefer, or if you are unable to locate Blood Oranges.

After a recent library visit, and a review of some old books I can across fruit jellies. Those books inspired this recipe.  They are so pretty and vibrant to look at that I had to give them a try.  It was fun to experiment with this recipe and find a new way to use up some of the kilos of Winter citrus I had delivered from a local farm-gate plus some herbs from my garden. It is also a way to add some interest and lovely color to a plate of nibbles if you are entertaining.

I dried my home-grown Rosemary in the oven on a low heat (120 degrees) for about 15 minutes prior to using it. You could also use store purchased dried rosemary. I like the addition of the rosemary to this recipe as it cuts down the sweetness of the orange.

Blood Orange and Rosemary Jelly

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

70 mins

Total time

1 hour 20 mins

 

A lovely accompaniment to meat, or a soft creamy cheese and crackers. Made with Blood Oranges and dried rosemary

Author: Kyrstie - A Fresh Legacy

Recipe type: Dressing

Ingredients

• 500 grams Blood Oranges - very thinly sliced
• 600 ml water
• Sugar
• *Calculate 450 grams of sugar per 600ml of liquid after straining
• handful of dried rosemary leaves

Instructions

1. Add the sliced oranges and the water to a pot and simmer gently on low for 1 hour.
2. Remove from the heat and strain the liquid in a jam bag or muslin cloth for at least 4 hours
3. Add the strained liquid to a pot and add the sugar as per the calculation above - I added 205 grams of sugar
4. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring to the boil.
5. Rapid boil for 8-10 minutes and test for setting point
6. Add the rosemary
7. Pour into a mold/s to set.
8. Place in the fridge to store, wrapped in baking paper.

Notes

It is important to ensure that you are using spray-free fruit when you make marmalade, jam or jelly.
Avoid over ripe fruit
Do not squeeze the bag when it is draining or the jelly will be cloudy (I know it is tempting!)
Monitor the liquid when on rapid boil to ensure that it does not overflow
Egg rings will work as a mold for setting the jelly.
Use a knife dipped in boiling water to slide around the edges of the mold to remove the jelly to serve
Store in the fridge wrapped in baking paper and use within a couple of weeks
Cook time in the recipe does not include standing time for the liquid to drain

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*This recipe is inspired by jellies in The Preserving Book, Lynda Brown (ed.), Dorling Kindersley Limited, London, 2010

If you are interested in Preserving you may be interested in an early post I wrote called: All You Need to Know about making Chutney, Relish, Sauce and Jam

Have you every tried to make a fruit jelly?