English Guava
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fruit
Strip the stalks from the guavas and cut some of them.
Place the guavas in stone jars and add plums if available.
Boil the jars in water as directed.
Extract the juice
Drain the juice and strain it through a jelly bag.
Cook the jelly
Boil the juice for 15-20 minutes.
Stir in 3 lbs of sugar until dissolved.
Remove the scum and boil again for 8-12 minutes until it jellies.
Set and serve
Pour into shallow pans or small molds and let cool before serving.
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
- Shepherd's bullace juice
- Provides the liquid base and fruit flavour, and its natural pectin and acidity help the jelly set.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and, when boiled with the juice, helps the jelly reach a firm set.
The step that matters
Boil until it jellies. Boiling drives off water and concentrates the sugar and pectin so the liquid gels on cooling. Stopping too early leaves a runny jelly, while boiling too long makes it stiff and sugary.
“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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