Lemon Vodka Jellies Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Take 2 pounds of the freshest lemons you can find--not overripe or stale because the younger fruit has more pectin in it. Slice off the stem-end of the lemon but leave the blossom end intact as that's the end that has more pectin in it. Using a blade on a food processor or a mandolin, slice the lemons as thinly as you can and throw them into a large stockpot with 3 quarts of water. Bring the lemon water and zest to a boil and then reduce your heat and gently boil things for 30 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let the mixture set for 30 minutes (you can let it set longer if necessary--overnight if you must). Strain the lemons, seed and pulp from the liquid through three or four layers of cheese cloth. This should give you about 5 or 6 cups of liquid (the recipe said 5 but I got 6 and it worked fine for me). Now here's the trickiest part: Combine the liquid, 2 cups of fresh lemon juice and 6 cups of sugar back in the stockpot and bring to a boil. Immediately once everything is well combined you'll notice that the juice is suddenly light and clear and shiny. That's your pectin reacting with the sugar and the acid from the lemon juice and it's supposed to do that. Trust me, it's very pretty. Boil the mixture fairly hard (though not too aggressively, you don't want it overflowing or going too foamy on you), stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or until the jelly begins to "sheet off the back of a spoon." I had no idea what "sheeting" meant so I wasn't quite sure when the jelly would be ready. After ruining a batch I figured it out.
• 2. The best thing to do is to take a plate and stick it in the freezer, ready to go so that when you have boiled the mix for 10 minutes and it appears to be ever-so-slightly thicker on the back of your spoon you can then take out the frozen plate, put a teaspoon of the liquid on the plate and see if it sets up. If it does, that's prooof that the jelly is ready. Mine set up just a little bit on the plate but after boiling my first batch too long I decided to put the jelly in jars anyway and see if it was done despite my apprehensions. I warn you, it may look completely runny and watery but it really only takes about 10 minutes to see a slight change in the consistency off that spoon and over boiling it is disasterous because it makes the lemons taste bitter and burnt. If you want that fresh lemon taste you can't overboil it. I know, I ruined my first batch doing that. Once the 1o minutes have passed then immediately pull the pot off the stove and ladle the jelly into four waiting half-pint jars that have been properly cleaned and sterilized. Screw on the lids and invert them on the counter for 5 minutes, then turn them back right-side up and they'll seal themselves nicely. There is enough acid in the lemon jelly not to have to worry about a water bath. It should keep nicely for a year or so--if you can wait that long to eat it.

Steps:

• First, use a serrated knife to cut around the flesh of your watermelon halves. Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to remove all the flesh, including the pips, into a large bowl. Transfer to a blender or food processor and blitz until smooth.
• Strain the pulp through a fine sieve into a large bowl to extract all the juice. You should be left with about 800ml of watermelon juice. Meanwhile, put the watermelon halves in a medium roasting tin lined with kitchen paper. Make sure the watermelon fits in snugly so it's easily transferable to the fridge.
• Pour 50ml of the juice into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Once boiling, add the sugar and leave to dissolve for 2 mins. Once cooled a little, squeeze out the soaked gelatine leaves and stir through the warm watermelon juice to dissolve. Once fully dissolved, combine with the rest of the watermelon juice and add the vodka.
• Ladle equal amounts of the juice into each watermelon half. Transfer to the fridge to set for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. When ready to serve, use a serrated knife to cut the watermelon into about 15 wedges. Serve with a warning: these contain lots of vodka!

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, combine honey, lemon juice and zest. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in pectin. Continue to boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. , Remove from heat; skim off foam. Ladle hot mixture into three hot sterilized half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight. , Place jars into canner with simmering water, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process for 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool.

Steps:

• Combine lemon juice, lemon rind and water in a glass bowl and let stand for 10 minutes.
• Strain mixture into a large saucepan.
• Add sugar to juice mix and stir well.
• Bring to a hard boil over high heat, stirring constantly.
• Stir in fruit pectin.
• Bring back to full boil and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat.
• Stir in food coloring.
• Skim off foam with metal spoon.
• Ladle into hot sterilized jars (I run mine through the dishwasher).
• Cover immediately with 1/8 inch hot paraffin.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine gelatin and 1/4 cup cold water; let soften 5 minutes.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir sugar into 1/2 cup water until it dissolves. Without stirring, cook until mixture reaches 255 degrees on a candy thermometer; wash down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming. Remove from heat.
• Whisk gelatin mixture and lemon juice into syrup in saucepan. Pour the mixture into an 8-inch square baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap; let stand until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Invert pan onto a clean cutting board. Using a hot, wet knife, cut into squares. Dip gently in sugar, turning to coat.