Superior Barberry Jelly, and Marmalade
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the barberries
Strip the barberries from the stems and wash them in spring water.
Drain the barberries.
Bruise the barberries slightly.
Place the barberries in a clean stone jar with just the liquid that clings to them.
Extract the juice
Put the jar in a pan of water and steam the fruit until tender, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Pour off the clear juice.
Strain the juice.
Weigh the juice.
Make the jelly and marmalade
Boil the juice rapidly for 5 to 7 minutes with 18 ounces of sugar for every pound of juice.
For the marmalade, press the barberries through a sieve with a wooden spoon.
Boil the pressed barberries quickly for the same time with the same amount of sugar.
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
- Barberries
- Provide the natural pectin and acidity that let the juice set into a jelly.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the fruit and, with boiling, helps the juice thicken and set.
The step that matters
Boiling the juice rapidly. Rapid boiling with sugar concentrates the liquid and drives off water so it reaches the point where it sets. Boiling too gently or too briefly can leave the jelly runny, while overboiling can make it stiff or caramelise.
“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.
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.