Chef - Frances Atkins
Ark of Taste Product - Medlar
Producer - The Yorke Arms' Kitchen Garden
This rather bizarre looking fruit needs to be left to slightly decompose (Blet) before using to make the jelly. Unappealing as this sounds, medlars are wonderfully flavoured and fragrant ingredients, even more so when enhanced with rose, as in this recipe.
Method:
– Place the fruit in a large pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil.
– When slightly soft remove from heat and discard the water.
– Peel the medlars and place in a clean pan with equal weight of water and the juice of 2 lemons.
– Bring to the boil, and cook until fruit is pulpy. Hang and strain the contents of the pan through muslin, saving the liquid (the juice).
– Measure the juice and allow 450g sugar to 600ml of juice.
– Place the juice and sugar into a heavy based pan / jam or preserves pan. On a low heat dissolve the sugar before bringing to a rapid boil for approx. 8 to 10 mins until it forms a skin on testing – place a little of the jelly on a cold saucer (place in the freezer before hand). If the liquid wrinkles (i.e. forms a skin), then the jelly is ready.
– Cool and infuse the rose petals in the warm liquid.
– Strain and pour into a sterilized bottle.
Ingredients:
1 kilo of medlars (500g water to cover)
2 lemons, juiced
450g Sugar
Tbsp of dried Rose Petals
