Last weekend, I harvested some of my {enormous} mint crop, cut some fresh rosemary, and made a couple of batches of Rosemary Mint Wine Jelly.
Although the color’s a little funky, the flavor is really nice, and I think it’ll taste delicious with roasted or grilled meat. I always love to have a homemade hostess gift on hand as the holidays near.
Rosemary Mint Wine Jelly
2 1/2 cups firmly packed fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves
2 cups dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice plus additional if needed
3 1/2 cups sugar
one 3-ounce pouch liquid pectin
In a food processor, blend together the mint, rosemary, and 1 cup of the wine until the herbs are chopped fine and transfer the mixture to a bowl.
In a small saucepan, bring the remaining 1 cup wine to a boil, add it to the herb mixture, and let the herb mixture stand, covered, for 45 minutes.
Strain the herb mixture through a sieve lined with several layers of rinsed and squeezed cheesecloth set over a large measuring cup, pressing hard on the solids, and add 1/4 cup of the lemon juice. (There should be exactly 2 cups liquid; if there is less, add enough of the additional lemon juice to measure 2 cups liquid.)
Transfer the liquid to a kettle, stir in the sugar, stirring until the mixture is combined well, and bring the mixture to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in the pectin quickly, bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly, and boil it, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
Remove the kettle from the heat, skim off any foam with a large spoon, and ladle the wine jelly mixture immediately into sterilized 1/2-pint jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of the tops. Wipe the rims with a dampened cloth and seal the jars with the lids. Invert the jars for 5 minutes and turn them upright.
Store the jars in a cool, dark place.
Yield: 4 1/2-pint jars
I’ve started truncating my posts … please pop over to my blog to read the rest!
Looks like a nice jelly. Have you ever made Candy Apple Jelly? It’s nice on crackers and cream cheese and lovely for Christmas.
Love this Randi! I had a ton of mint this season ~ pinning for next year!