This week the habaneros were all sorts of green, yellow, orange, and red. The pepper jelly I made is so yummy (spicy, sweet, tart) and incredibly delicious with some brie and crackers. (I and) People I've shared with love it so much that I've taken the original Ball Habanero Gold recipe, modified it somewhat, and quadrupled it.
- In a large pot, soak 1 1/3 cups of thinly sliced dried apricots in 3 cups white vinegar for 4 hours or overnight at room temperature.
- Seed peppers. Finely chop to measure: 1 cup red pepper, 1 cup red onion, 1/2 cup habanero pepper, 1/2 cup jalapeno
- Stir 12 cups sugar into vinegar and apricots. Add peppers and onions and while stirring constantly over high heat. Bring to a rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.
- Add 4 pouches liquid pectin and continue to boil for another minute, stirring constantly.
- Quickly skim off foam.
- Fill jars to 1/4" from the top.
- Process for 10 minutes and remove from water to cool.
Makes about nine 8 ounce jars or what you see below. The little jars are 4 ounces.
And as an added bonus to unwind after the morning of cutting, cooking, and canning, I made myself a nice stiff drink. See, I started off by chopping the apricots instead of slicing them like I was supposed to. My first thought was to make cookies, but I decided to not sabotage my week of relatively low-fat eating. Instead, I soaked the apricots in gin overnight. The next day, the strained gin made a great gin & tonic. Cheers!
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I make chilli jelly from time to time but I've never tried it with dried apricots - sounds great. Thanks for hosting this series - I've been quietly enjoying it.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a really yummy recipe, Wendy. The finished product looks pretty too in those golden glowing jars. You must be so proud.
ReplyDeleteDear Wendy, i'm not just impressed by this recipe and the results - I'm in awe! cheers, catmint
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe! They look so yummy in the cute cans!
ReplyDeleteI never tried this before. I should since it look so tasty. Have a nice weekend.
ReplyDeleteExcellent recipe! I may try this for gifts...good idea!
ReplyDeleteNice spin on the jelly but I'll get in line for the G&T. Make mine Tanqueray, it's like mother's milk to me. My mum hates that line.
ReplyDeleteThis recipe has me so excited.
ReplyDeleteHelp i was so excited to make this and i think i failed. lol 3 cups WHITE vinegar... 2 cups peppers and 12 cups sugar? plus 1 cup onion? i added all the other ing. but when i popped one open today i get the strong smell of onion and vinegar ... did u strain the apricots from the vinegar and not use it?
ReplyDeleteNo, the apricots were not strained. I think the acid is necessary for the canning process. Did you try it? It does have a flavorful and sweet/tart taste... Hopefully it's not a fail!!!
DeleteI bought dried mango, they were out of apricots, they are sliced already ...fairly large so I too chopped them, wondering if I messed up? Does the fruit need to be in thin slices?
ReplyDeleteThinly sliced would be good. Thin enough that it's not awkward to spoon onto whatever you're doing. I'm not sure the mango will absorb the vinegar like dried apricots would. Be sure there's the right amount I acid in the jam so it's preserved safely.
DeleteI soaked the mango in the vinegar for hours and the jelly is delicious! We put it on tuna steaks and loved it. The only thing is mine doesn't look as pretty as yours hahaha, all of the chopped peppers and fruit sat in a layer on top. Any advice?
DeleteThat sounds good with the tuna steaks! I know with jelllies, you can sort of twist to distribute the bits as the jelly cools and starts to congeal. I wonder if you needed more pectin? Was it runny?
DeleteNo, I think it's pretty firm. We used short fat 1/2 pint jars. My husband just brought me home taller 8 ounce jelly jars, we are going to do another batch. We will see how this one turns out. It sure won't go to waste either way! Thanks for sharing this, we have had so much fun making it and eating it.
ReplyDeletewhen you say process for 10 mins and remove from what to cool what to you mean? also to the jars have to be sterilized? and do you have to put a parafin wax on top prior to putting on the lid?
ReplyDeleteHi There! Process meaning keep in the boiling water covered, then turn off the heat, take off the lid, and lift the jars out of the water with the rack. Just set the rack on the edge of the pot. Most racks have a little lip that allows this. Yes, the jars have to be sterlized first. There are a few different methods for doing this. No, no wax. The wax method is no longer considered reliably safe for killing bacteria and keeping foods preserved (that being said, I'm sure there are lots of older food preservers who'd say "f-off" to new fangled rules - but I'm just sharing what is suggested by todays standards). To use the boiling water canning method, you just fill the jars leaving however much headspace is suggested, then put the lid and ring on. I suspect that may you're new to canning? If this is true, I would suggest getting a good book that explains the whole process. The Ball book contains all the info you need as well as lots of good recipes!
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