This photo was taken after I had already given away 18 jars.
Welcome to the third of twelve installments of the “Jelly of the Month” Club. I desperately needed some holiday gifts for both The Hubs and my fellow office workers and bosses. Boozie-themed preserves seemed to fit the bill.
So far, this potent potable jellies, jams, and marmalades have seemed to be a hit with all the giftees.
Today’s jelly smells so festive as it simmers on the stove. It’s basically mulled wine in a jar.
Spiced Merlot Jelly
This jelly is great on a cheese board (or on a PBJ!).
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 c. Merlot
- 2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
- 5 whole cloves
- 1/2 c. bottled lemon juice
- 1 (1.75 oz.) pkg. powdered pectin
- 4 1/2 c. sugar
Instructions
- Sterilize jars and prepare water bath.
- In a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot combine wine, lemon juice, and pectin. Whisk until pectin is dissolved. Break each cinnamon stick in two; place cinnamon sticks and cloves in a metal tea ball (or wrap in a cheesecloth pouch). Add spice ball (or bundle) to the wine mixture.
- Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Add sugar. Return to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Quickly skim off any foam with a metal spoon.
- Ladle hot jelly into sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving a 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids and screw bands.
- Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner 5 minutes (start timing when water returns to boiling). Remove jars from canner. Cool.
Yield: 6 half pint jars
This jelly is a fantastic addition to a PB&J. It just makes that basic sandwich a bit more elevated and elegant. In fact, use cocktail breads and make this a quick and easy appetizer. It’s also a good addition to a charcuterie board or a cheese board.
Instead of trying this out on the obligatory cream cheese topped cracker, I presented these peanut butter crackers it to The Hubs as an appetizer. We liked these best.
What’s up next?
April
Bloody Mary JamMay
Whisky Sour Cocktail MarmaladeJune
Aleppo-White Zinfandel JellyJuly
Cinnamon Coca-Cola JellyAugust
Jalapeno-Tequila JellySeptember
Limoncello JellyOctober
Cardamon-Orange Sparkling Riesling JellyNovember
Spiced Apple Beer JellyDecember
Mulled White Wine Jelly
Cheers!
This is amazing, Deb! Truly a perfect holiday gift.
Thanks, Angie. And, honestly, it’s an easy jelly to whip up.
Neat recipe! And I’m glad you’re using merlot — it’s a wonderful wine that started to get scoffed at after the movie _Sideways_ came out. (With some justification — the wine got SO popular a lot of really bad stuff was being rushed to the market.) Anyway, this looks excellent — thanks.
I love it when Giamatti’s character rants, “I not drinking any f***ing Merlot!” The great thing about making jelly with wine is that you can use the cheapest stuff. 🙂