This tasty jelly can be used as an accompaniment for fresh scones, a filling for a sponge cake or simply with fresh crusty bread. It is also wonderful used as a glaze for strawberry tarts. The jelly simply needs to be warmed a little to melt, then brushed over the strawberries
Ingredients
- 500g rhubarb
- juice of 2 lemons
- small strip of lemon rind
- 2 cups water
- sugar
Method
Choose well-coloured stalks of rhubarb, wash well and cut into 1cm pieces. Place in a saucepan with the lemon juice, lemon rind and water.
Bring slowly to the boil, then cook gently until the rhubarb is soft and the surrounding juice is coloured a deep pink. Place a sieve over a bowl and pour the rhubarb mixture into this.
Leave to stand for half an hour, then strain the resulting juice through another sieve that has been lined with a layer of muslin. (You should have about 2 cups of juice).
For each cup of this juice add ¾ cup of sugar. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Boil over medium heat for about 25 minutes. It is important not to cook this jelly any longer or else its lovely pink colour will begin to turn to a light brown, and the flavour of the rhubarb will begin to be overtaken by the sugar.
If desired, the leftover rhubarb pulp can be sweetened and used to make rhubarb pies.
Hint: If you want a really firm set to this jelly, add one cooking apple (chopped roughly) to the rhubarb at the outset, together with an extra ¼ cup water. Pour into warm sterilised jars and seal immediately.
If your jelly does not set well, it will be because the rhubarb’s pectin level was quite low. If this should happen, simply use the mixture as a tasty syrup to pour over vanilla ice cream. A small amount of chopped glace ginger sprinkled over the top is a flavoursome finishing touch.
Yield: About 450ml.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
