Ingredients
1.4 Kg ‘bletted’ medlars
1 green apple
½ lemon
600g sugar
‘Bletted’ means that the medlars are soft and brown inside.
Method
Rinse and quarter the medlars, and put them in a large pot – skins, seeds and all.
Chop up the apple and add, including the seeds and core.
Add the lemon and pour in enough water so that the medlars are floating in water (around 2 litres).
Cook the mixture until it begins to boil, then reduce the heat and let it cook at a low boil for 45 minutes.
Line a colander with several layers of muslin, set it over a deep bowl and ladle the cooked medlars and their liquid into the colander. Let it strain overnight undisturbed. Do not press down on the cooked fruit to extract more juice from it or your jelly will be cloudy.
The next day, pour the liquid into a large pot – you should have about 1 litre. Put a small plate in the freezer. Add the sugar to the juice in the pot and cook the jelly until it reaches 104degC or until it gels.
To test the jelly, put a spoonful on the cold plate from the freezer and let it chill a few minutes. If, once cold, it wrinkles when you push it with your finger, then it’s done. If not, continue to cook the jelly until it gels.
When ready, if you wish, you can offset the sweetness with a few drops of fresh lemon juice.
Ladle the jelly into sterilised jars.
Author
Jo Douglas
Hurstbridge