Elderflower and Apple Jelly

I couldn't help noticing how the elderflowers are now filling the air with their heady scent and this inspired me to use them in cooking again. Last year I made some delicious fritters, but this time I wanted to make something more long lasting.

Elderflowers have such a gorgeous flavour and here I have used them to make an apple jelly preserve which could work well as either an accompaniment to pork, maybe even cheese or simply spread on some bread.

At first it seems like there's a lot involved in making the jelly, but I can assure you, it is well worth it.
The  cooked fruit and flower pulp has to be placed in a cloth bag overnight to allow the juice to drain through. Not having a jelly bag or brand new piece of muslin to hand, I found an old muslin curtain and used that, obviously after I had washed it very well!
The bag has to be suspended above the bowl so that the weight of its contents pushes through the liquid. My husband kindly rigged up a pole across a couple of stands, I suppose a broom handle over two chairs would work just as well.

Ingredients

1 kg bramley apples

20-30 heads of elderflowers
3 lemons juiced
preserving sugar (75g of sugar for every 100ml of juice)

Equipment

a large piece of muslin cloth

a long pole and something to rest it across

sterilised jars to store it in (mine filled two Bonne Maman jam jars each containing 370g)

Method
Check your freshly picked elderflowers for any creepy crawlies. Do not wash them, but give them a good shake to dislodge any insects.

Chop the apples, leaving on the skin and put into a  large pan, cores and all, with the flowers.

Add some water so that it just covers the fruit and flowers and bring the ingredients to the boil and cook them until the apples are very soft and mushy.

Now for the 'fun' part:
Take a large bowl and place a colander in it. Next line the colander with the muslin cloth and carefully pour in the apple mush. You now need to gather the corners of the cloth and tie them over a pole (see photo below). Be careful not to squeeze the muslin bag.

Leave your 'contraption' overnight to allow all the juice to drip through.
Next day discard the contents of the bag. Check the quantity of juice and measure out 75g of sugar for every 100ml of liquid.

Put the liquid in to a heavy pan  and add the lemon juice.
Bring the juice to the boil and then add the sugar, letting it dissolve into the liquid.
Bring it up to a rapid boil for at least 15 minutes.

Check the setting point (see How To guide) and when it is ready, pour into sterilsed jars.

Bramble and Bramley Jam

I finally got around to making some blackberry jam and the results from last year's foraging have survived the cold confines of the freezer.

This weekend we have been busy in the front garden clearing a tangle of brutish brambles to make way for some raised vegetable beds. Battling away and getting scratched and spiked in the process, reminded me of last year and the thought of "I must make that jam" quickly entered my mind.

What I like about this particular jam is that it is seedless. Blackberries can be so full of pips and this doesn't always make it a pleasurable eating experience, especially when you get them stuck in between your teeth.

The addition of apples adds another dimension to the flavour and bulks out the texture too.

Ingredients
1kg blackberries
350g bramley apples
water
white granulated sugar

Method
Core and roughly chop the apples leaving the skin on.
Put the apples and blackberries in a large preserving pan or large heavy bottomed saucepan. Add just enough water to cover and simmer until soft.

Sieve the softened fruit discarding the skins and seeds left behind in the sieve. 

Weigh the sieved pulp, make a note of the weight then weigh out that amount in sugar.

Put the sieved pulp and sugar into a large heavy bottomed saucepan or preserving pan and heat very gently until the sugar has dissolved.
Bring the jam to the boil and continue to boil very rapidly for about 8-10 minutes until the jam reaches setting point. See tip below.
When the jam has set, carefully pour into warm, sterilised jars, using a ladle.
Cover the jars with tight fitting screw-top lids.
Label when cold and store in a cool, dark place, away from damp.

Tricks and Tips: Jam setting point
Achieving the right set does carry a certain knack to it. You could try using a jam thermometer but personally I find it a lot easier using a method that my maternal Grandma showed me. Before you start to make the jam, put a plate in the fridge. When it's cold you then drizzle some warm jam on to it and return the plate to the fridge to cool for approximately two minutes. You can tell that it has set when you run your finger through it leaving a crinkly track mark. If after two minutes the cooled jam is too runny, continue to boil the jam, testing it every few minutes until you have the right set.

HOW TO: Check Jam Setting Point

Achieving the right set does carry a certain knack to it. You could try using a jam thermometer but personally I find it a lot easier using a method that my maternal Grandma showed me. 

Before you start to make the jam, put a plate in the fridge. When it's cold you then drizzle some warm jam on to it and return the plate to the fridge to cool for approximately two minutes. You can tell that it has set when you run your finger through it leaving a crinkly track mark. If after two minutes the cooled jam is too runny, continue to boil the jam, testing it every few minutes until you have the right set.