Spiced Beer Jelly
For those of you that know me, this next recipe truly marries together two of the things I love most BEER and CANNING. Well, I wasn’t completely sure whether or not I was willing to sacrifice two whole bottles of the most delicious amber Canadian ale to experiment with…I knew that if I didn’t, there would always be that nagging question at the forefront of my mind…”Is spiced beer jelly really a good thing?”
I won’t leave you in suspense, the answer is yes…after all, it’s main ingredient is BEER.
Let’s get to it! This recipe comes straight from the “fairy Godmother of Jams and Jellies” herself, Christine Ferber and her book is titled Mes Confitures. (I highly recommend purchasing this one) And, now I know why she is called the fairy Godmother…to me she is a genius…creating a recipe that uses beer as its’ main ingredient. Why didn’t I think of that!?!
RECIPE FOR SPICED BEER JELLY:
- 3 cups 2 ounces dark beer (that equates to exactly 2 x 341mL bottles ~ we used a Wellington Pale Ale, an amber, full flavoured beer from a Canadian micro brewery located in Guelph. Fabulous beer…they do have a dark ale which we will try next time…it may even make this jelly better…is that possible?)
- 1 3/4 pounds Granny Smith apples
- 3 cups 2 ounces water
- 5 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- Juice of 1 small lemon
- Zest of 1 orange finely grated
- 2 sticks of cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- Rinse the apples in cold water. Stem, core, and cut the apples into quarters without peeling them. (Note: we did not core the apples)
- Put the fruit in a preserving pan and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 30 minutes on low heat. The apples will be soft.
We’ve made two batches of this jelly so far (not with different beer) but with different apples. The first time, we used just Granny Smiths as the recipe indicates and the second time, we used a combination of Courtland apples and Macs. The set of the jelly may be better with the Granny Smiths but the flavour seems the same. But, changing the beer…now, this may really spice things up and give your jelly a whole new taste and dimension. A suggested list of great Canadian beers to try in this recipe can be found at the end of this post. - Collect the juice by pouring this preparation into a fine chinois strainer, pressing lightly on the fruit with the back of a skimmer. Then filter the juice a second time by pouring it through cheesecloth that you have soaked and wrung out. Let the juice run freely. It is preferable to let the juice rest overnight in the refrigerator.
Note: we used a jelly bag for our preparation and did not press any excess juice out…we did however, end up with half of the required juice and had to do it a second time using the same amount of apples. We believe this was because we did not cover our apples when heating…3 cups 2 ounces of water was not enough. - Next day, measure 2 cups 1 ounce of the juice, leaving in the bottom of the bowl any residue that settled out overnight. You will have clearer jelly this way. Pour the apple juice, beer, sugar, orange zest, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, and ground cardamom into the preserving pan and bring to a simmer.
- Skim carefully. Continue cooking on high heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring gently. Skim again if necessary. Check the set. Remove the cinnamon sticks and return to a boil.
- Put the jelly in hot sterilized jars, leaving a 1/4″ headspace. Wipe rims, place lids and screw bands on adjusting so that they are just finger-tip tight. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.
- When the time is up turn off the heat and remove lid, waiting 5 minutes before removing the jars. Check seals, label, and store.
A breakfast of champions…now, who won’t be excited to get up in the morning (even if you did have to go to work)!?!
Put up Total:
- 11 x 250mL regular mouth mason jars
A suggested beer list:
- Black Oak Nut Brown ~ Black Oak Brewing Company
- Hoptical Illusion Almost Pale Ale ~ Flying Monkey Craft Brewery
- Netherworld Cascadian Dark Ale ~ Flying Monkey Craft Brewery
- Cameron’s Auburn Ale ~ Cameron’s Brewing Company
- Cameron’s Dark266 ~ Cameron’s Brewing Company
- Neustadt 10W30 ~ Neustadt Springs Brewery
- St-Ambroise Apricot Wheat Ale ~ Brasserie McAuslan Brewery
- Coffee Porter ~ Mill Street Brewery
- Tankhouse Ale ~ Mill Street Brewery
And, this list would not be complete if we didn’t recognize one of our most favorites beers, that comes from one of our most favorite countries…Scotland’s one and only….
- Arran Blonde ~ Arran Brew Ltd.
- Arran Ale ~ Arran Brew Ltd.
What kind of beer would you use? And, why?
Holiday Gift Give Away Winner!
Thank you to everyone who shared with us your special holiday traditions and great gift giving ideas. You are a very creative group with wonderful suggestions on ways to cherish time spent with family and friends.
That being said….drum roll please…the winner of our first ever gift give away is meemsnyc. Congratulations! We will be in touch to get your mailing information. And, a big thank you to all of you for participating!
Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!
Please note: we used the True Random Number Generator powered by Random.org to determine the winner.
Inferno Infused Vinegar
Making infused vinegar is really fun…you can experiment with ingredients you have around the house to make lively tasting and beautiful creations. Let your imagination run wild and play around with different flavour combinations to suit your palate.
This next vinegar which we’ve named “Inferno Infused” is hot, hot, hot stuff. So hot that all you need is just one drop. After tasting the finished product, I realized that it already had that warming (or should I say burning) effect that you get from Scotch whiskey. That cool hot burn…mmmMMM. Now, I’m not really the one in our home that likes it hot, but Matt sure does and he too agreed, that this stuff packed quite a punch. You might ask “What can you use vinegar this hot on?”
Here are just a few ideas…
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a drop (just a drop) would add a kick to that already kick ass steak
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add a drop (just a drop) to some mayo to spice up a sandwich, potato salad, tuna casserole, or whatever you use mayo on
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now, you still left with a pretty full bottle…we recommend you use it to flavour your pickling brine ~ it is sure to add great flavor with some heat to dill pickles, pickled cauliflower, or anything else you choose.
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experiment….
RECIPE FOR INFERNO INFUSED VINEGAR:
- 3 habenaro peppers; seeded and sliced into 1/4″ strips
- 15 cups cider vinegar
- 3 small sweet cipolline onions; peeled and quartered to fit the bottle opening (Note: you could substitute cipolline for shallots)
- 26 cloves garlic divided ~ 24 cloves peeled and cut into pieces to fit bottle opening and 2 cloves minced
- 1 orange ~ zest only
- Place bottles in the oven to sterilize at 250F for 20 minutes.
- Measure bamboo skewers against your bottles ~ the skewers should be about 3/4 as long as the bottles. Trim a little bit off each skewer if necessary. For each jar soak 1 bamboo skewer in water.
- Heat cider vinegar in a non-reactive saucepan just to a simmer.
- Meanwhile peel and quarter onions, seed and cut habenaros, peel and mince garlic, and using a fruit peeler remove the zest from the orange and cut into thin ribbons or strips about 1/8″ wide. Place cut onions and minced garlic into a spice ball.
- Remove heated vinegar and add habenaros, garlic cloves, and spice ball. Let cool slightly.
- Divide the onions and minced garlic placing equal amounts into each sterilized jar.
- Carefully thread the garlic cloves and Habanero strips onto the skewer alternating between the two.
- Place the skewer wrapped in an orange ribbon into each bottle.
- Using a funnel, pour the vinegar into the bottle, ensuring that all the ingredients are covered.
- Cap or seal with a cork. Let steep 2 to 3 weeks before using. This vinegar should be used within 3 to 4 months once the bottle has been opened. Remove and discard the skewer as the ingredients become exposed.
Put up Total:
- 2 x 250mL bottles
- 6 x 375mL bottles
If you are not making this to give away then you may consider reducing the recipe as this stuff is INFERNO HOT or putting it in smaller bottles. And, if you are giving it away you may want to write some kind of disclaimer. Just an idea.
Festive Cranberry Vinegar
Most herbs and even fruits can be used to flavour and infuse your vinegar. In this next recipe (adapted from Mary Anne Dragan’s book Well Preserved) we use some of the beautiful, plump, tart cranberries (from our local marsh) as well as some of our garden herbs to flavor the vinegar. Now, we are by no means experts in this area and lots of people will be more knowledgable then us…suggestions, comments, and ideas are welcome. In fact, we are beginners at this but with a little bit of reading, confidence, and willingness to experiment we are sure this will be a great addition to our holiday baskets.
Finding the jars proved to be the most challenging part of this project as we live in a small community. However, we were able to purchase clear 375mL wine bottles (perfect for the job) and great cork stoppers from our local winery ~ Armstrong’s Winery in Bracebridge.
RECIPE FOR FESTIVE CRANBERRY VINEGAR (yield 7 x 375mL):
- 4 cups cranberries (approximately 1 1/2 packages ~ but 1 package would do)
- 7 tsp whole cloves
- 6 ~ 3 inch cinnamon sticks
- 2 cups cider vinegar
- 18 dried apricots
- 1 orange zest only, cut into ribbons or strips approximately the length of your skewers
- 21 small sprigs of fresh mint (approximately 3 per bottle)
- 7 bamboo skewers (or one for every bottle) These can be purchased at your local Dollar Store.
- Start by washing and sterilizing your bottles. To sterilize the bottles place them in the oven on a cookie sheet at 250F for 20 minutes.
- Measure bamboo skewers against your bottles ~ the skewers should be about 3/4 as long as the bottles. Trim a little bit off each skewer if necessary. For each jar soak 1 bamboo skewer in water.
- Rinse cranberries and pat dry with paper towels.
- In a nonreactive pot, combine the cranberries, cloves, cinnamon sticks and vinegar and heat gently until just barely simmering. Do not boil. Note: when the cranberries start to burst check the heat of the liquid…it is probably ready to remove from the heat. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
- Meanwhile peel the orange and cut the peel into thin long ribbons. Cut the apricots in half making sure they will fit through the neck of your bottle.
- Once cooled stain the mixture through a sieve, reserving the vinegar.
- Place an equal amount of whole cloves in each bottle. Cut the swollen
cinnamon sticks into 1/8″ strips and place 3-5 strips in each bottle. - Using the heated cranberries and cut apricots carefully thread them onto the skewers ~ alternating between the apricots and cranberries. Wind an orange zest ribbon around the apricot and cranberry skewer.
- Place the finish skewer with the orange ribbon and the sprigs of mint in the bottle.
- Using a funnel, pour the vinegar into the bottle, ensuring that all the ingredients are covered. Cap or seal with a cork. Let steep 2 to 3 weeks before using. This vinegar should be used within 3 to 4 months once the bottle has been opened. Remove and discard the fruit and spices as they will mold if exposed to air.
Voila! It is that simple and see how beautiful they look…
Put up Total:
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7 x 375mL bottles
Holiday Gift Give Away!!
Here, in cottage country, the snow already covers the ground. As it continues to come down in large drops (kind of like fluffy puffs of white icing) I can’t help but be reminded that we are getting ready to celebrate the end of another year and the beginning of a new one. It is during the month of December that families and friends come together to celebrate. And, to share in your celebration we thought we would host our first gift give away contest.
For the past 10 years, everyone in our family has exchanged handmade gifts at Christmas. In fact, you can not purchase a gift from a store for someone unless you make a handmade gift as well. Those homemade gifts are the ones that you really cherish. They are unique and personal and made with lots of love. Our home is filled with those gifts…I have ceramic hand painted Santa’s made by my sister, great personalized calendars from my nephew, a special one of a kind quilt made by my sister-in-law, a hand embroidered Santa from my mom, and Matt even knit me a scarf one year. And, that’s just a few of the special gifts that fill our home with loving memories.
In the spirit of the holiday season we’d like to give back to you! As a thank you for sharing in our canning journey over the course of the last few months. For our give away we have one copy of the Bernardin Complete Book of Home Preserving (donated by Bernardin) and a small hand carved hanging RED dove (made by me). We know a lot of you probably already have the Bernardin book but please feel free to enter anyway. Share your ideas and if you already have the book…you can pass it along.
And, a holiday give away wouldn’t be complete without something handmade. So, we are also including one of my hand carved birds on a spring…I’m an artist by profession and Thyme of the Season is my home studio.
So to win…we’d like to hear about your special holiday gift giving ideas! We know you guys are a creative bunch so we thought this would be a great way to pass on some of your ideas about ways to give back during the holiday season. To win all you have to do is leave a comment on this post sharing your special gift giving ideas (it can be something you’ve done in the past or something you plan to do in the future.) Contest will end at 11:59 pm Sunday December 12th 2010. This should give us enough time to get it to you before X-Mas.
Infused Vinegars ~ Lavender Vinegar
We are now 24 days away from Christmas…the holiday count down begins! Last year, Matt and I gave away over 200 jars of our homemade jams, jellies, salsas, pickled veggies and an assortment of other goodies. This year we plan to do the same thing but we are trying to figure out what else we can add to our Christmas baskets. What about some infused vinegar and/or oils? Sounds good!?! They are wonderful tasting, beautiful looking and relatively simple to make…all you need is a little patience as it is a bit of a waiting game.
We are just in the knick of time to get these vinegars started so that they are ready for our holiday baskets as most vinegars need between 2-4 weeks to mature. So, for those of you interested in adding flavoured vinegars to your list of holiday gift ideas now is the time to start.
This morning, I went out in search of some cool bottles suited for this task as well as a few ingredients. Most glass bottles can be used for storing infused vinegars…even the glass bottles that your vinegar comes in. So, if you plan on doing this, think about saving those interesting bottles and jars throughout the year. Maybe your friends and neighbours would save some of their bottles rather than recycling them…afterall, repurposing is better than recycling.
I did manage to find a few bottles at our local dollar store, a great place to pick up some interesting storage vessels without spending too much. But, in all of my rushing around I forgot to purchase some new corks for stoppering the bottled vinegar. (Ahhhh, tomorrow we go to puppy class so I will pick them up then.) Our plans are partially on hold until I get those corks. Corks or plastic screw top caps are the best to use with vinegars as they are non-corrosive and will allow you to keep your vinegar longer. Corks can be picked up from your local kitchen supply store or wine-making establishments.
RECIPE FOR LAVENDER VINEGAR:
- 8 to 10 large headed stalks of fresh lavender
- 500mL or white wine vinegar
- Clip lavender off plant and rinse throughly to get rid of any insects. Note: trimming lavender plants helps to promote new grow. Shake dry, and blot with paper towels.
- Remove the woody parts of the stock and trim to fit your bottle. Note: the lavender should stand about 3/4 as high as the vessel .
- Place the lavender in a clean, dry, and sterilized 750mL jar or more if you are doubling or tripling this recipe. (I like to sterilize my jars in the oven at 250F for 20 minutes.)
- On medium-high heat bring the vinegar to a simmer, then remove from the heat and let it cool slightly.
- Pour the vinegar into the jar using a funnel making sure to cover the lavender completely.
- Place a sterilized lid on the jar and leave it to stand in a sunny spot for 2 to 3 weeks, giving the bottle and occasional shake.
- In 2 to 3 weeks…strain the vinegar through a sieve lined with a dampened cheesecloth. (Note: dampening the cloth ensures that the vinegar is not absorbed by the material…you want all that goodness to be bottled).
- In a non-reactive pot, gently heat the vinegar just to a simmer, then strain it a second time. Cover loosely with cheesecloth and allow the vinegar to cool to room temperature. Carefully pour vinegar into 1 or 2 clean, dry, sterilized bottles.
- To add that finishing touch you can place 1 or 2 fresh stalks of lavender in the bottles before sealing. This is optional. (And, may not be an option for me this year as my lavender will likely be covered in too much snow.)
- Cap or stop the bottles with corks. Seal with wax.
And, that’s that! Easy eh!?!
In 2 to 3 weeks I will show you the finished product…I guess, until then we’ll all have to be patience. That’s the tough part.
Putting Up With The Turnbulls 