Apricot Red Pepper Jelly Recipes

This is adapted from the "Habanero Gold" recipe, which can be found in the Ball Blue Book of Preserving. I use fewer habaneros, as I grow my own and they are extremely hot, much hotter than those you would find in a grocery store, and it also omits the onion found in the "Habanero Gold" recipe. Use this as you would use any pepper jelly - over cream cheese, with other cheeses, as a glaze for chicken or other meats. Since this jelly does not have onion or garlic in it, it also makes a nice, spicy PB&J. I like to use a food processor to mince the apricots and peppers, because it does a nice job of getting them small enough, but doesn't turn them into mush. Finely mincing the apricots and peppers allows them to stay suspended throughout the jelly, instead of floating to the top of the jar. You could also use a blender, but if you are not careful the apricots and peppers could get too mushed up and turn into a puree. The idea of this jelly is to have nice small bits of apricot and pepper suspended throughout the jelly. A note on pectin amount: I use one 3 ounce packet of Certo liquid pectin, which results in a nice soft jelly - it is set, but if you shake the jar the jelly will wiggle a little. If you want a really firm jelly, like the kind you would buy in a store, use two 3 ounce packets of Certo. Some people like a really loose, almost pourable jelly to use over cream cheese, brie, or to use as a thick dipping sauce - if this is what you're after, use just half of a 3 ounce packet of Certo. Use a large stainless steel stock pot to make this - twice as large as what you'd think you would need. When the mixture reaches a full boil, it more than doubles in size, and if your pot is too small you will have a big, sugary mess to clean up off your stovetop. Always wear rubber gloves when working with hot peppers. The "5 hours" prep time includes the time needed to soak the apricots in the vinegar.

Provided by xtine

Categories     Jellies

Time 5h5m

Yield 6 half pints

Number Of Ingredients 6

• Ingredients