Bright Pepper Jelly (and a brand new Willow Bird Baking!)
I AM SO EXCITED. Sorry, yelling is obnoxious. But I'm really, really, really thrilled. Are 3 reallies kind of obnoxious too? Okay, I'll just spill it . . .
Willow Bird Baking has a new home on the interweb! It's now at http://willowbirdbaking.com. NOT ONLY that, but it's also been redesigned to finally reflect the warm, simple environment I've tried to make it over these past 3 years. AND it now has a flippin' exhaustive recipe index where you can find recipes by type, meal, season, and even color. Who would even need to do that? I don't know, but it's therrrrre!
I'm especially thrilled to share this news with my fellow LiveJournaliens. You guys are my peeps. LJ has been my blogging home since 2004 and I cannot tell you how much I've appreciated your support as I've branched out into food blogging.
To usher in the new site, I posted this Pepper Jelly. It's bright, tangy, and has the perfect balance of hot and sweet. Serve it spooned over crackers with cream cheese or slathered on a piece of buttered toast. Oh, and don't worry if you've never canned anything before; the recipe below will walk you through the process step by step -- I was amazed at how simple it was, and now I have cute little jars of jelly for gifts (or to hoard)!
Bright Pepper Jelly
Recipe by: Adapted from (thanks, Erin for this recipe!)
Yield: 7 half-pint jars of jelly
Feel free to adjust the ratio of peppers to your taste, so long as the overall quantity is 4 cups. Do not adjust the amount of sugar and vinegar in canning recipes. The consistency is that of a thin jelly -- if you like a thicker, spreadable jelly, I hear you can double the amount of pectin in the recipe. Always use gloves when chopping jalapenos or other hot peppers and avoid touching your eyes or face. Wash your hands and surfaces immediately when finished.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups finely chopped red bell peppers
1 1/4 cups finely chopped green bell peppers
1/2 cup finely chopped jalapeno peppers
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 (1.75 ounce each) package powdered pectin (or 2 if you want a thicker jelly)
5 cups white sugar
Equipment needed:
6 or 7 (8-ounce or half-pint) canning jars
tongs (preferably with rubber bands around the ends to improve grip)
a large stockpot or canner (with room for your jars to be fully submerged with 2 inches of water above the top of the jars)
a dish towel or rack to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot
Directions:
Prepare ingredients: Chop the peppers by hand and then drain them in cheesecloth to remove excess moisture. Set them aside while you sterilize your jars. You can also measure out sugar and vinegar so that you're prepared.
Sterilize your tongs and 7 (8-ounce) canning jars: Place rubber bands on the end of the tongs, which will make it easier to grip your jars. Boil the ends of the tongs for 5 minutes to sterilize them. Sterilize your jars, lids, and rings by running them through a short cycle on the dishwasher or using the oven method or boiling water method (see below). No matter which method you choose, time them to be finished when your jelly is ready (preparing the jelly takes about 15 minutes) so that you can put the hot preserves into hot jars.
Oven method: Preheat the oven to 175 degrees F. Wash the lids and jars with hot, soapy water and rinse them. Line the lids and jars up on a baking sheet (open sides up) and bake them for 25 minutes.
Stovetop method: Wash the lids and jars with hot, soapy water and rinse them. Boil the jars and lids covered with water for 15 minutes.
While jars sterilize, make jelly: Place all of the peppers into a large saucepan over high heat. Add the vinegar and fruit pectin and bring the mixture up to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the sugar and return the mixture to a full boil. Boil exactly 2 minutes, continuing to stir constantly. Remove the mixture from the heat and skim off any foam before carefully and quickly ladling the jelly into hot, sterile jars. Fill each jar to within 1/4 inch of its top. Cover each jar with a flat lid and screw on its ring.
Process your jars: Slowly lower the jars with tongs into a large stock pot or canner with a rack or a folded towel inside so the jars do not touch the bottom. Cover the jars with hot water that isn't boiling (the water depth should be about 2 inches above the top of the jars -- and make sure your pot is large enough that it won't boil over when the water boils). Bring the water to a full boil and process the jars for 5 minutes before removing them with tongs and cooling completely. Hearing the jars pop while they cool is normal -- this is the sound they make while they're sealing!
Store in a cool dark place until you're ready to serve over crackers with cream cheese, or on hot buttered toast. For best quality, use within a year. Refrigerate jars after opening for up to 1 month.
To read about my determination NOT to learn how to can, see more photos of this pepper jelly, and to SEE THE NEW WILLOW BIRD BAKING DESIGN!!! (sorry, more screaming), please head over to Willow Bird Baking!
x-posted to food_porn, cooking, picturing_food, and cookingupastorm
Willow Bird Baking has a new home on the interweb! It's now at http://willowbirdbaking.com. NOT ONLY that, but it's also been redesigned to finally reflect the warm, simple environment I've tried to make it over these past 3 years. AND it now has a flippin' exhaustive recipe index where you can find recipes by type, meal, season, and even color. Who would even need to do that? I don't know, but it's therrrrre!
I'm especially thrilled to share this news with my fellow LiveJournaliens. You guys are my peeps. LJ has been my blogging home since 2004 and I cannot tell you how much I've appreciated your support as I've branched out into food blogging.
To usher in the new site, I posted this Pepper Jelly. It's bright, tangy, and has the perfect balance of hot and sweet. Serve it spooned over crackers with cream cheese or slathered on a piece of buttered toast. Oh, and don't worry if you've never canned anything before; the recipe below will walk you through the process step by step -- I was amazed at how simple it was, and now I have cute little jars of jelly for gifts (or to hoard)!
Bright Pepper Jelly
Recipe by: Adapted from (thanks, Erin for this recipe!)
Yield: 7 half-pint jars of jelly
Feel free to adjust the ratio of peppers to your taste, so long as the overall quantity is 4 cups. Do not adjust the amount of sugar and vinegar in canning recipes. The consistency is that of a thin jelly -- if you like a thicker, spreadable jelly, I hear you can double the amount of pectin in the recipe. Always use gloves when chopping jalapenos or other hot peppers and avoid touching your eyes or face. Wash your hands and surfaces immediately when finished.
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups finely chopped red bell peppers
1 1/4 cups finely chopped green bell peppers
1/2 cup finely chopped jalapeno peppers
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 (1.75 ounce each) package powdered pectin (or 2 if you want a thicker jelly)
5 cups white sugar
Equipment needed:
6 or 7 (8-ounce or half-pint) canning jars
tongs (preferably with rubber bands around the ends to improve grip)
a large stockpot or canner (with room for your jars to be fully submerged with 2 inches of water above the top of the jars)
a dish towel or rack to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot
Directions:
Prepare ingredients: Chop the peppers by hand and then drain them in cheesecloth to remove excess moisture. Set them aside while you sterilize your jars. You can also measure out sugar and vinegar so that you're prepared.
Sterilize your tongs and 7 (8-ounce) canning jars: Place rubber bands on the end of the tongs, which will make it easier to grip your jars. Boil the ends of the tongs for 5 minutes to sterilize them. Sterilize your jars, lids, and rings by running them through a short cycle on the dishwasher or using the oven method or boiling water method (see below). No matter which method you choose, time them to be finished when your jelly is ready (preparing the jelly takes about 15 minutes) so that you can put the hot preserves into hot jars.
Oven method: Preheat the oven to 175 degrees F. Wash the lids and jars with hot, soapy water and rinse them. Line the lids and jars up on a baking sheet (open sides up) and bake them for 25 minutes.
Stovetop method: Wash the lids and jars with hot, soapy water and rinse them. Boil the jars and lids covered with water for 15 minutes.
While jars sterilize, make jelly: Place all of the peppers into a large saucepan over high heat. Add the vinegar and fruit pectin and bring the mixture up to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the sugar and return the mixture to a full boil. Boil exactly 2 minutes, continuing to stir constantly. Remove the mixture from the heat and skim off any foam before carefully and quickly ladling the jelly into hot, sterile jars. Fill each jar to within 1/4 inch of its top. Cover each jar with a flat lid and screw on its ring.
Process your jars: Slowly lower the jars with tongs into a large stock pot or canner with a rack or a folded towel inside so the jars do not touch the bottom. Cover the jars with hot water that isn't boiling (the water depth should be about 2 inches above the top of the jars -- and make sure your pot is large enough that it won't boil over when the water boils). Bring the water to a full boil and process the jars for 5 minutes before removing them with tongs and cooling completely. Hearing the jars pop while they cool is normal -- this is the sound they make while they're sealing!
Store in a cool dark place until you're ready to serve over crackers with cream cheese, or on hot buttered toast. For best quality, use within a year. Refrigerate jars after opening for up to 1 month.
To read about my determination NOT to learn how to can, see more photos of this pepper jelly, and to SEE THE NEW WILLOW BIRD BAKING DESIGN!!! (sorry, more screaming), please head over to Willow Bird Baking!
x-posted to food_porn, cooking, picturing_food, and cookingupastorm