Recipes for chokecherry star anise jelly & apricot and lemon verbena preserve.
Recipes courtesy of Chef Andrew Winfield, formerly of River Cafe.
CHOKECHERRY STAR ANISE JELLY
Yield: Approximately 9 pint jars
Ingredients:
- 4 cups chokecherry juice
- 2 Tbs lemon juice
- 2 star anise
- 6 cups white sugar
- 1 pkg regular Cero
Method:
- Wash and remove chokecherry hulls and stems and crush.
- Put the fruit and enough water to cover the berries in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer, stirring occasionally until the fruit is soft.
- Mash the fruit through a sieve to obtain the juice.
- 1 lb of fruit will typically yield 1 cup of juice.
- Bring chokecherry juice and lemon juice up to a boil.
- Whisk in Certo.
- Bring back to a boil.
- Add all of the sugar.
- Bring to a hard boil for one minute (careful, this one will want to boil over).
- Remove from heat and stir slowly for five minutes, skim.
- Fill sterilized jars (they should be ready if you started them at the same time as the juice).
- Skim with a sterilized teaspoon.
- Seal and boil for 17 minutes.
APRICOT & LEMON VERBENA PRESERVE
Yield: Approximately 9 pint jars
Ingredients:
- 11 cups apricot, chopped to 1⁄2 cm pieces (not peeled)
- 11 cups sugar
- 2 Tbs lemon juice
- 6 plus 9 lemon verbena leaves
- 1 pkg Certo powder
- 1 pkg Certo light powder
Method:
- Bring apricots, 6 verbena leaves and lemon juice up to a boil. Let boil for 2 minutes.
- Add the certo to the boiling fruit and mix well. Add the sugar to the boiling fruit.
- Bring to a hard boil and then continue to boil for one and a half minutes. Stir a few times so it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Remove the geranium leaves.
- Remove from the heat and stir slowly for five to ten minutes, skim and remove the geranium.
- Place another small leaf of verbena in each hot jar (the jars should be ready if you started them at the same time as the juice).
- Fill jars to 1 cm from the top. Skim with a sterilized teaspoon if necessary.
- Seal and steam for 17 minutes.
- Fill sterilized jars (they should be ready if you started them at the same time as the juice).
