In her book Jam-making and Preserves, Mrs Beeton provides recipes for over twenty different fruit jellies.
Today there is a wide variety of equipment available for jam-making but Mrs Beeton recommended preserving pans of copper or brass as she felt that the preserve was less likely to boil over or stick to the pan and burn. She also approved of enamelled pans as a cheaper alternative but today the best preserving pans are stainless steel as they do not react to the fruit acids and are much easier to clean. Of course the spoon should be wooden!
When straining the jelly she emphasises that you should not rub the pulp through the sieve, simply press it firmly to extract the juice. Care should be taken not to boil jellies too much; for if they are over-boiled their colour is spoiled, and they become ropy, like treacle.
Fruit jellies are prepared with juices from fruits containing pectin or vegetable jelly with the addition of an equal amount of sugar.
The best fruits, and those most adapted for making jellies, are according to Mrs Beeton, red currants, gooseberries, apples, quinces and Seville oranges.
Here are a couple of her recipes for apple jelly. She refers to sugar loaf, which was how sugar came in the 19th century, until it was superseded by the granulated sugar with which we are familiar today. Measures are imperial.
Apple Jelly 1
All sour or tart apples make excellent jelly. Wash the apples and remove all unsound parts. Cut them into pieces without paring or removing the core. Place in a preserving pan, add enough water to cover, and cook until tender. Drain the juice, and allow 3/4lb of sugar loaf (granulated sugar) to each pint. Measure 3 pints of juice into the preserving pan, boil about 15 minutes, then add the sugar and cook until it forms a jelly when cold.
Apple Jelly 2
Take 10lbs of apples and 10 pints of water.
Rub the apples well with a dry cloth, but do not pare them. Cut them into quarters, remove the cores, and put them into a preserving pan with the water. Simmer until perfectly soft, but not broken, then strain off the liquid without squeezing the pulp. If not clear, pass though a clean dry cloth until it becomes so. To each pint of liquid obtained allow 1lb of sugar and the juice of 2 lemons, and simmer gently until a little, poured on a cold plate, almost immediately begins to stiffen. Pour into pots (jars), cover closely, and store in a cool, dry place.
The apple pulp can be sweetened, flavoured with ginger or cinnamon, and made into jam.
Alternative jellies recommended by Mrs Beeton include apricot, blackberry, cranberry, red-currant and, for the adventurous, prickly pear!
Today there is a wide variety of equipment available for jam-making but Mrs Beeton recommended preserving pans of copper or brass as she felt that the preserve was less likely to boil over or stick to the pan and burn. She also approved of enamelled pans as a cheaper alternative but today the best preserving pans are stainless steel as they do not react to the fruit acids and are much easier to clean. Of course the spoon should be wooden!
When straining the jelly she emphasises that you should not rub the pulp through the sieve, simply press it firmly to extract the juice. Care should be taken not to boil jellies too much; for if they are over-boiled their colour is spoiled, and they become ropy, like treacle.
Fruit jellies are prepared with juices from fruits containing pectin or vegetable jelly with the addition of an equal amount of sugar.
The best fruits, and those most adapted for making jellies, are according to Mrs Beeton, red currants, gooseberries, apples, quinces and Seville oranges.
Here are a couple of her recipes for apple jelly. She refers to sugar loaf, which was how sugar came in the 19th century, until it was superseded by the granulated sugar with which we are familiar today. Measures are imperial.
Apple Jelly 1
All sour or tart apples make excellent jelly. Wash the apples and remove all unsound parts. Cut them into pieces without paring or removing the core. Place in a preserving pan, add enough water to cover, and cook until tender. Drain the juice, and allow 3/4lb of sugar loaf (granulated sugar) to each pint. Measure 3 pints of juice into the preserving pan, boil about 15 minutes, then add the sugar and cook until it forms a jelly when cold.
Apple Jelly 2
Take 10lbs of apples and 10 pints of water.
Rub the apples well with a dry cloth, but do not pare them. Cut them into quarters, remove the cores, and put them into a preserving pan with the water. Simmer until perfectly soft, but not broken, then strain off the liquid without squeezing the pulp. If not clear, pass though a clean dry cloth until it becomes so. To each pint of liquid obtained allow 1lb of sugar and the juice of 2 lemons, and simmer gently until a little, poured on a cold plate, almost immediately begins to stiffen. Pour into pots (jars), cover closely, and store in a cool, dry place.
The apple pulp can be sweetened, flavoured with ginger or cinnamon, and made into jam.
Alternative jellies recommended by Mrs Beeton include apricot, blackberry, cranberry, red-currant and, for the adventurous, prickly pear!
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