Hot crab apple and chilli jelly recipe
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Hedgerow food, Jam Jelly and Preserves | 113 comments
Everyone seems to be talking about chillies. They are said to trigger “feel good” endorphins and are packed with vitamin A, an immune system boosting antioxidant. Chillies improve the digestive process too as they stimulate the action of the intestine and stomach.
This year I was determined to make crab apple and chilli jelly. My first attempt was so so. There was a chilli tingle when I tasted the juice. I chucked it away. My recipe from Oded Schwartz’s Preserving added 3-4 medium heat chillis. Are these desseded? I’d used three desseded ones. A long foray on the Internet offered no clues. Chop and add your chillis seemed to be the line. So when I simmered my crab apples and chillies a couple of days ago, I left the seeds in. The result was a tasty juice with just the sort of kick I wanted. Hot but not hellish.
Hot crab apple and chilli jelly recipe
Ingredients:
- 600g of crab apples washed and chopped
- 35g of medium red chilli peppers, washed and chopped with seeds in
- 1 litre of water
- White granulated sugar 500g to each 500ml of juice
Method:
- Put the chopped crab apples and chillies in a large heavy bottomed saucepan.
- Add 1 litre of water (they should just be floating). Bring tp the boil and simmer until the crab apples soften and become pulpy (lid on). This took about 45 minutes.
- Strain through a muslin square or jelly bag overnight. (Retain the pulp to make hot crab apple and chilli cheese)
- Add the juice to a large heavy bottomed pan and add the sugar. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. When the juice and sugar has come to the boil remove from the heat and skim well. Return to the heat and bring to a rolling boil until setting point is reached. This took 15 minutes.
- Skim and pour into warm sterilised jars. Oded Schwartz adds a chilli (stalk removed and split once lengthwise) as the jelly is setting. I really wanted to set chillies in the jelly but be warned this is a nightmare. The jelly needs to be setting firmly otherwise the chillies gently float to the surface again, and again and again. I made two jars with chillies and abandoned the rest.
- Update: Following Sarah’s tip (see comments),I added two firey dried chopped chillies to the jelly. Marvellous.
Leave a reply
D’you know, every time I have a glut of something or I need an obscure recipe, Google brings up your blog. Now you come up trumps again with this chilli jelly – keep it up!
Hi Rachel
Sorry to miss your comment. We love this recipe too.
Hello Sarah
I’ve found 3 crabapple trees about five minutes drive from the cottage. Picked my first batch yesterday to make this jelly and to try a hot crab apple cheese.
Oops, I made a batch.. Not a bath! 🙂
What a wonderful recipie (and website / blog)! I made a tester batch of this the other day and my husband and I thought it was amazing so I went and picked loads more crab apples and used 4lb to make another bath this morning. I added a few chilli flakes as i was putting it into the jars and it made it look very pretty. We’ve already had to give some away after family and friends raved about it after our bbq this afternoon and wouldn’t go home happy without it. I’ve made plum jam this evening and have your apple chutney in the plan for tomorrow. I’m really enjoying foraging and experimenting and your website is making it much easier and i’m growing in confidence all the time!
Grateful Dear Oded!
So very good, i add it to wide range of cooked food, me and all the family are much obliged to you.
Kindly,
Rachel
Hi Faye
The juice should not be ‘thick’ which has happened to me sometimes. It should be the consistency of fruit juice and drip through easily. It might be worth putting the fruit back in the saucepan and adding a pint of water. Simmer for a few minutes then strain through muslin.
You can also make a fruit cheese with the pulp.
I did this today but some of my juice after seiving/through muslin evaporated BUT I had hardly any come through, I didn’t over boil, can I pass cold water through the pulp to save? Is there a solution? Please please help x x x
Just wanted to thank you for this recipe – I’ve a glut of chillis to use up from the veg patch and wanted a different way to preserve the green ones (already got the red ones on strings in the cellar to dry). I found another jelly recipe on the web which didn’t work all and I wasn’t feeling brave enough to invent solething from scratch.
Not having any crabapples I used apples and upped the chilli level a bit (used aroun 90g for a double batch) as they were a mix of mild and hot all jumbled up together. Will definitely make another batch this week while the remaining chillis in the basket are still usable.
I’ve just finished making your sloe and apple jelly, and it’s fantastic! I’m really excited to have found this website with really clear and simple recepies that really work! I’ll be trying out loads of them!
I picked loads of crab apples this year, so I’ll be making this recepie and also the rosehip and crab apple jelly tomorrow – thank you for the fantastic ideas!
On the point of the pillow cases, that’s what I use, and it’s useful to know that sainsbury’s Basics range has pillow cases for 90p if you don’t have an old one to use at home.
The crab apple and chilli jelly sounds like a wonderful way to use crab apples, but the tree in my garden is an ornamental variety with pretty, but tiny, bright yellow fruits. Can these be used?
I love your site. Often at this time of year I sit down in the evening and brows through it, then am very impatient for the next morning to go out and collect!