Meyer Lemon Jelly Recipes

Steps:

• Beat sugar and butter together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs and yolks one at a time until incorporated. Mix in lemon juice. Transfer mixture to a saucepan.
• Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring gently until smooth. Increase the heat to medium and simmer gently, stirring constantly, until curd is thick enough to coat a spoon and reaches 170 degrees F (77 degrees C) on a candy thermometer, 15 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest.
• Transfer curd to a bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin forming as it cools. Allow to cool briefly, about 10 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill until thick.

Steps:

• Note that the proportion of lemon segments to water to sugar is 1:1:1. So if you don't have a kitchen scale and don't weigh your lemons to begin with, as you proceed through this recipe keep in mind these proportions. Your 2 1/2 lbs of lemons should yield 6 cups of chopped lemon. 6 cups of chopped lemon will be cooked first with 6 cups of water, and then later 6 cups of sugar are added. You can also do this recipe with 4 cups of chopped lemons, 4 cups of water, and 4 cups of sugar. Do not double the recipe. Do not reduce the sugar (if you want a reduced sugar recipe, use a different recipe); the sugar is needed for the jelly to set.
• PREPARING THE FRUIT.
• Scrub the lemons clean. Discard any that are moldy or damaged.
• Prepare the lemons. Cut 1/4 inch off from the ends of the lemons. Working one at a time, stand a lemon on end. Cut the lemon in half lengthwise. Cut each lemon half into several segments, lengthwise. As you cut the lemons into segments, if you can, pull off any exposed membranes. Just get the ones that are easy to get to, ignore the rest. When you've cut down to the final segment, cut away the pithy core. Remove all seeds from the segments. Reserve the seeds and any removed membrane or pith. You will need them to make pectin. Cut each lemon segment crosswise into even pieces to make little triangles of lemon peel and pulp.
• Put all of the seeds, membranes and pith you removed from the lemons into a bag fashioned out of two layers of cheesecloth or a muslin jelly bag.
• FIRST STAGE OF COOKING.
• Place the lemon segments and water into a large, wide pot.
• Place the pectin bag in the pot with the fruit pulp and secure to the pot handle.
• Bring mixture to a medium boil on medium high heat. Let boil, uncovered, for about 25-35 minutes, until the peels are soft and cooked through. Test one of the lemon peel pieces by eating it. It should be soft. If it is still chewy, keep cooking until soft.
• Remove from heat.
• Remove the pectin bag, place the pectin bag in a bowl and let cool until it is comfortable to touch.
• ADD THE PECTIN AND SUGAR.
• Once your pectin bag has cooled to the point you can handle it, if you want, squeeze it like play-doh to extract any extra pectin. This is not necessary but will help ensure a good set. (I like to wear latex-type gloves for this part.) You should be able to get a tablespoon or two more from the bag. It has the consistency of sour cream. Return this pectin to the pan with the lemon mixture.
• Measure out your sugar and add it to the pan with the lemon mixture.
• SECOND STAGE OF COOKING.
• Heat the jelly mixture on medium high and bring it to a rapid boil. Secure a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. The marmalade may take anywhere from 20 to 35 minutes or so to be ready to pour out. After about 15 minutes, start checking it frequently.
• There are two ways to test that the marmalade is ready to pour out into jars - the mixture reaching a temperature of 220-222°F (8-10°F above the boiling point at your altitude) and a bit of it put on a chilled plate "wrinkling up" when you push it with your finger tip. I do both.
• For the wrinkle test, put several small plates into the freezer. As the jelly temperature reaches 218°F, start testing it by placing a small amount of the hot jelly on a chilled plate. If the jelly spreads out and thins immediately, it isn't ready. If it holds its shape a bit, like an egg yolk, that's a good sign. Push up against it with your finger tip. If the jelly sample wrinkles at all, it is time to take the jelly off the heat and pour it out into jars.
• When you use a candy thermometer to test the temperature of your mixture, make sure the probe is NOT touching the bottom of the pan. Make sure that the indentation on the probe (with modern candy thermometers this is about an inch and a half from the bottom of the probe) is actually surrounded by the mixture. This may mean that you have to tilt the pan to one side, to cover the probe sufficiently to get a good reading.
• CANNING.
• While the marmalade is in its second cooking stage, rinse out your canning jars, dry them, and place them, without lids, in a 200°F oven. They should be in the oven at least 10 minutes before using them.
• As the time approaches for the marmalade to be done, boil some water in a tea pot. Put the jar lids in a glass or ceramic bowl and pour the boiling water over them to sterilize.
• Once the jelly has reached 220°F or its "wrinkly" stage, remove the jelly pot from the heat. Carefully ladle the jelly into the jars, one at a time, leaving 1/4 inch head space at the top of the jars for a vacuum seal. Wipe the rim clean with a clean, wet paper towel. Place the lid on the jar, securing with a jar ring. Work quickly.
• Allow the jars to sit overnight. You will hear them make a popping sound as a vacuum seal is created.
• Even if the jelly is not firm as it goes into the jar (it shouldn't be), it should firm up as it cools.

Steps:

• Warm the lemon juice, 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) water, and the sugar to boiling. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Roughly tear the basil leaves and put them in a small bowl. Pour the lemon juice mixture over the basil leaves and let steep for at least 15 minutes.
• Pour the orange juice into a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin over its surface. Let the gelatin soften for 5 minutes, then warm the pan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the gelatin is fully dissolved. Turn off the heat.
• Strain the basil out of the lemon juice and whisk the juice into the gelatin mixture. Pour the liquid into six small cups or a 1-quart (1-L) dish. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until softly set. Garnish with whipped cream and basil leaves to serve.
• Lemon-Basil Jelly Skewers
• To make little bites for a party, double the amount of gelatin in this recipe to 6 full teaspoons. Pour the mixture into an 8- or 9-inch (20- or 23-cm) square baking dish and let it set overnight in the refrigerator. Cut it into 1-inch (2.5-cm) squares, or use a small cookie cutter to cut out 1-inch (2.5-cm) circles. Skewer one or two pieces on a toothpick or party pick with a leaf of fresh basil folded and skewered at one end. Chill until ready to serve, and pass a bowl of whipped cream for dipping.
• Easy Flavor Variations
• Real Lime Jelly For real lime jelly (with the taste of fresh limes and no nasty green food coloring), substitute juice from 7 to 8 limes for the lemon juice. Substitute water for the orange juice. Meyer Lemon Jelly with Lavender Extra-sweet, less acidic Meyer lemons are also wonderful in this jelly, especially with the herbal-floral taste of lavender. Simply substitute Meyers for the regular lemons. You may need one or two extra lemons, as Meyer lemons are generally smaller. Instead of steeping basil in the juice, steep 1 tablespoon dried food-grade lavender buds. Strain after 10 minutes and proceed as directed above.

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.

Steps:

• Remove zest from lemons with a vegetable peeler. Remove any white pith from zest and lemon with a sharp knife. Blanch zest only in boiling water 5 minutes. Cut peeled lemons into quarters and discard seeds.
• Pur`zest, lemons, sugar, and water in a blender until smooth. With motor running, add oil in a slow stream, blending until "jam" is thick, and season with salt. Transfer to a bowl and chill, covered, 8 hours to allow flavors to mellow.