Ok ya’ll, here it is almost Christmas. But not yet, not yet! It certainly doesn’t feel like Christmas as far as the temperature goes. It has actually been pretty balmy recently. Maybe like early Fall or even Spring. So I’m going to take this opportunity to give you one last lovely Autumn recipe for this year – Fireball Cinnamon Apple Jelly. I am giving folks a jar of this for Christmas, so it is not like you can only eat this scrumptious jelly in the Fall. No indeed! It is fantastic all year round.
I adapted this recipe from my friend Theresa Storey’s cookbook Fruit on the Table: Seasonal recipes from the Green Apron kitchen.
Theresa runs The Green Apron, which is an artisan preserve and tea company located in Ireland. She grows much of the fruit and vegetables that she uses in her preserves at her family’s orchards at Derryclough and in the walled vegetable garden at her parents 18th Century castle, Glenwilliam.
In her best selling cookbook, Theresa follows the seasons and tells you how best to keep fruit on your table all year round. It is an absolute treasure trove, filled not only with her family recipes for jams, jellies and chutneys but it also runs the full gambit of meals, including recipes for cocktails, snacks , mains and going all the way through to desserts. And it doesn’t stop with the mouthwateringly delicious recipes, Fruit on the Table also gives you the low down on growing your own fruit, the ins and outs of preserving, tips on foraging as well as drying fruit.
I have shared several recipes from her book over the years. Like this one for her Prize-winning Scones with Strawberry Jam and Clotted Cream.
I’m telling you, she does know her way around a jam jar! You will love her Cinnamon Apple Jelly too I wager. I’m the one who went and added that Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey into the mix. I couldn’t resist. You know me, if I can add booze to a recipe, I pretty much will.
I slather this jelly on toast, add a dollop atop my oatmeal or even swirl it into yogurt. Absolutely delish!
There are quite a few steps involved in this recipe, but I am telling you it is worth it! If you love that cinnamony apple flavor, you will be over the moon with this jelly! It’s like bottling up a little bit of autumn, you know…with some whiskey thrown in for good measure!
Fireball Cinnamon Apple Jelly
recipe adapted from: Fruit on the Table: Seasonal recipes from the Green Apron kitchen by Theresa Storey
Ingredients:
- 6 lb apples, washed (I used HoneyCrisps. Use your favorite, or a blend of sweet and tart varieties)
- 2 cinnamon quills
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 ounces Fireball cinnamon whiskey, plus a bit extra
Directions:
Place a saucer into the refrigerator to chill
Roughly chop the unpeeled and uncored apples and place them in a large preserving pan. Add enough water to just cover them.Throw in the two cinnamon quills.
Cook over medium hight heat for about 45 minutes or until the flesh has turned to pulp and the skin has started to disintegrate.
Remove the cinnamon quills and thrown away. Put the apple pulp in a clean rinsed jelly bag placed over a large bowl. Leave it to drain for at least an hour, but it would be better to leave it overnight.
Measure the juice. Pour it into a clean preserving pan with 450 grams (1 lb) of sugar for every 600 ml. of juice. Stir in the 1/4 cup of lemon juice. The mixture will appear cloudy, but once you add the sugar and begin heating, it will magically become clear.
Cook over high heat. It may take anywhere from 20 -40 minutes until it reaches the setting point.
Spoon a little of the boiling preserve onto the cold saucer. Let it cool and then push it with your finger. If it has reached setting point, the top of the blob of jelly will wrinkle.
Once it has reached setting point, remove from heat. Stir in the two teaspoons of cinnamon. Mix well. Then add 60 ml (2 fl oz) of Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey to the pan and stir to combine. It will bubble a bit but settle down quickly.
Pour into warm, sterilized jars to within 6 mm (1/4″) from the top. Splash a little bit of Fireball whiskey on the top of the jelly. Folks will love the whiff of boozy cinnamon goodness they get when they open a jar!
Wipe any drips off the rims of the jars to make sure there is a good seal between the jar and lid. A dampened paper towel works well for this. Place the lids on and seal.
If your plan is to scarf down all of this cinnamon apple jelly immediately, just put the lids on and place the jars in the refrigerator. If you would like to keep it for longer, screw rims onto jam jars. Using tongs, pick up the full jam jars and submerge them into a boiling water bath for 8 minutes.
After 8 minutes, remove the jars from the water bath and place them on the towel. As they cool, you should hear a ping type noise which tells you the jam jars are sealed. When you push down in the center of the top of the jar, there should be no click noise. Once the jars have cooled, make sure the rings are sealed tightly.
Enjoy!
Links for helpful kitchen tools & ingredients for Fireball Cinnamon Apple Jelly:
Fruit on the Table: Seasonal Recipes from the Green Apron Kitchen
OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale
Kilner Stainless Steel Jam Pan
Posted by liadh1 
Lea & Jay 