This Habanero jelly is hot, but it is good for a party if you put some creamed cheese on cracker and then a little of the jelly on top. Enjoy!
Habanero Jelly
3 lg. Yellow bell peppers
5 – 10 habanero peppers
1 ½ c. White vinegar
7 c. Sugar
3 pouches certo
Remove seeds and membrane from all peppers. Put peppers and vinegar into blender and blend until smooth. Combine with sugar in large pot and simmer for 20 mins. Remove from heat and stain into another pot. Add certo and boil hard for one min. Remove from heat and pour into jars and seal. Makes 7 half pint jars.
Applesauce
Yield: Makes about 1 1/2 to 2 quarts
3 to 4 lbs of apples (about 7 to 10 apples, depending on the size)
4 strips of lemon peel (use a vegetable peeler to strip 4 lengths, zest only, not the pith)
3 to 4 Tbsp lemon juice (more or less to taste)
3 inches of cinnamon stick
1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
Up to 1/4 cup of white sugar
1 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Boil peeled, cored, quartered apples with lemon, cinnamon, sugar, salt in 1 cup water: Place the peeled, cored, and
quartered apples into a large pot. Add the strips of lemon peel, the lemon juice, cinnamon stick, sugars, water and salt. (You might want to start with half the sugar at this point and add more to taste later.)
Bring to a boil on high heat, then lower the temperature, cover the pot, and maintain a low simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the apples are completely tender and cooked through.
Remove cinnamon stick and lemon peel, mash the cooked apples: Once the apples are cooked through, remove the pot from the heat. Remove the lemon peels and the cinnamon stick.
Use a potato masher to mash the cooked apples in the pot to make a chunky applesauce. For a smoother applesauce you can
Either run the cooked apples through a food mill, or purée them in a blender. (If you use a blender, do small batches and do not fill the blender bowl more than halfway.)
If not sweet enough, add more sugar to taste. If too sweet, add more lemon juice.
This applesauce is delicious either hot or chilled. It pairs well with pork chops for savory dishes, it’s terrific with cottage cheese as a snack or light lunch, and it’s great with vanilla ice cream or yogurt.
Freezes well and will last at least a year in a cold freezer. If you freeze it, make sure to allow enough headroom in your jar for expansion…at least an inch.
Dora Miner is a local cook and baker and writes a regular column for The Wetaskiwin Pipestone Flyer.