Gooseberry Jelly
Ingredients
Directions
Extract the juice
Cut the gooseberries in half and place them in a jar, tightly covered.
Set the jar in a pot of boiling water and keep it boiling until the gooseberries are soft.
Mash the gooseberries with a spoon and place them in a jelly bag to drain.
Measure the juice; for every pint of juice, add 1 pound of loaf sugar.
Cook and set
Combine the juice and sugar in a preserving kettle and boil for 20 minutes, skimming carefully.
Pour the warm jelly into glasses and seal with brandy paper.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Gooseberries
- Provide the fruit, pectin and tartness that give the jelly its body and flavour.
- Loaf sugar
- Sweetens the jelly and, with boiling, helps it thicken and set as it cools.
The step that matters
Boiling the juice and sugar for 20 minutes. Sugar and pectin must reach a high enough concentration to gel. Boiling too briefly leaves a runny jelly, while overcooking can make it stiff and dull. Skimming removes foam so the jelly stays clear.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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