Prickly Pear–Jalapeño Jelly
By Nicole KonstantinakosPublished on July 2, 2024
Time
40 minutes, plus 14 hours cooling and setting
Yield
Makes 2 (1-cup) jars
Ingredients
Before You Begin
If your prickly pears have spines (known as glochids or glochidia), remove them using tweezers; you can wear gloves for added protection. For a milder dish, remove the ribs and seeds from the jalapeño. You can use a nut milk bag in place of the cheesecloth and strainer, if you’d like. If you have any juice left over in step 2, try mixing it into a cocktail or whisking it into a vinaigrette.
Instructions
- Mash prickly pears, water, and jalapeño in large saucepan with potato masher until mixture forms coarse paste. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer, mashing occasionally, until fruit juices are released, about 5 minutes.
- Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into large bowl, pressing firmly on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Rinse and dry saucepan and rinse strainer. Line strainer with triple layer of cheesecloth and strain juice into large measuring cup (you should have at least 1¾ cups juice); discard solids and cheesecloth. Return 1¾ cups strained juice to now-empty saucepan; reserve any extra juice for another use.
- Combine ¼ cup sugar and Sure-Jell in bowl. Add lemon juice to prickly pear juice in saucepan and bring mixture to boil over high heat. Whisk in Sure-Jell mixture and bring to boil. Whisk in remaining ¾ cup sugar and bring to vigorous boil. Once boiling, cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove saucepan from heat and skim foam from surface of jelly using spoon.
- Meanwhile, place two 1-cup jars in bowl and place under hot running water until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes; shake dry.
- Using funnel and ladle, portion hot jelly into hot jars. Let cool completely, cover, and refrigerate until jelly is set, 12 to 24 hours. (Jelly can be refrigerated for up to 2 months.)
Time
40 minutes, plus 14 hours cooling and settingYield
Makes 2 (1-cup) jarsIngredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
This stunning jelly, made from the fruits of the prickly pear cactus (a staple food and medicinal plant of Indigenous peoples for millennia and the official state plant of Texas), is vibrant and floral, with a gentle touch of heat from a jalapeño chile. We started by carefully peeling our prickly pears and then cooking and mashing them, along with a minced jalapeño chile (plus a little water to help the mixture soften and break down), until the fruits released all their juices. Next, we strained off the solids and returned the juices to the clean saucepan—along with sugar, a touch of lemon juice, and a measure of fruit pectin—to create a balanced, fragrant jelly with a jewel-like appearance and a delightful texture.
Before You Begin
If your prickly pears have spines (known as glochids or glochidia), remove them using tweezers; you can wear gloves for added protection. For a milder dish, remove the ribs and seeds from the jalapeño. You can use a nut milk bag in place of the cheesecloth and strainer, if you’d like. If you have any juice left over in step 2, try mixing it into a cocktail or whisking it into a vinaigrette.
Instructions
- Mash prickly pears, water, and jalapeño in large saucepan with potato masher until mixture forms coarse paste. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer, mashing occasionally, until fruit juices are released, about 5 minutes.
- Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into large bowl, pressing firmly on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Rinse and dry saucepan and rinse strainer. Line strainer with triple layer of cheesecloth and strain juice into large measuring cup (you should have at least 1¾ cups juice); discard solids and cheesecloth. Return 1¾ cups strained juice to now-empty saucepan; reserve any extra juice for another use.
- Combine ¼ cup sugar and Sure-Jell in bowl. Add lemon juice to prickly pear juice in saucepan and bring mixture to boil over high heat. Whisk in Sure-Jell mixture and bring to boil. Whisk in remaining ¾ cup sugar and bring to vigorous boil. Once boiling, cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove saucepan from heat and skim foam from surface of jelly using spoon.
- Meanwhile, place two 1-cup jars in bowl and place under hot running water until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes; shake dry.
- Using funnel and ladle, portion hot jelly into hot jars. Let cool completely, cover, and refrigerate until jelly is set, 12 to 24 hours. (Jelly can be refrigerated for up to 2 months.)
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