Set-up Time for Hot Pepper Jelly?

Back in August, I donated a "Down-Home Dinner for Four" to a silent auction that was a fundraiser for a group I'm involved with.

My offer was for a home-cooked meal of Southern-focused culinary delights, to be served at my home (Southern-style hospitality provided at no extra charge!). Well, I knew that one of the appetizers would have to be Hot Pepper Jelly over Cream Cheese, served with Ritz crackers. And, I had very good intentions of getting my jelly made with the freshest peppers from the summer. Oh well ... here it is December, and the high bidder booked next Friday, the 13th, for dinner!

So here is my question -- I have looked at several recipes/websites for home canning and preserving, and only one mentions a set-up time for the jelly -- and that one says two weeks! Gulp. All the other recipes are silent on the subject, which led me to think I could still get this Southern delight prepared in time for the big event, albeit with less-than-perfect peppers, as long as the finished product had sufficient time to cool in the fridge after its water bath.

(I do have all the preserving supplies I need, since I purchased them in the summer.)

Any thoughts out there? I have looked this up on the agricultural services website Cathy2 references here on LTH, and that was also silent on the subject. The cookbook that says two weeks is "The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook."

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts!

Sharon

I've made jalapeno jelly twice. . The first time it never really set up well. The second time I made it as a lime marmalade, and it worked a lot better. Consider that, or another source of pectin.

sdbond wrote:... as long as the finished product had sufficient time to cool in the fridge after its water bath.

I've used liquid pectin to make hot pepper jelly a dozen times and just letting my jars cool at room temperatures, they set up in a couple of days.

Once a batch did not set up enough. (after sitting for a month) I emptied my jars back into a pot, added more liquid pectin, boiled for a minute or 2 and poured it back into the jars. That worked fine.

My mostly using Red Savina or Scorpion "Butch T" peppers helps hide any flaws.


Ron

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"When I was having that alphabet soup, I never thought that it would pay off."
Vanna White

RonJS wrote:

sdbond wrote:... as long as the finished product had sufficient time to cool in the fridge after its water bath.

I've used liquid pectin to make hot pepper jelly a dozen times and just letting my jars cool at room temperatures, they set up in a couple of days.

Once a batch did not set up enough. (after sitting for a month) I emptied my jars back into a pot, added more liquid pectin, boiled for a minute or 2 and poured it back into the jars. That worked fine.

My mostly using Red Savina or Scorpion "Butch T" peppers helps hide any flaws.


Ron

-----

"When I was having that alphabet soup, I never thought that it would pay off."
Vanna White

Thanks, Ron; your reply gives me hope! I guess at this point, all I can do is try ... I bought powdered Sure-Jell, but maybe I will see if the liquid is available and use that instead. My back-up plan is to have a jar of the TJ's pepper jelly on hand, just in case!

Try this one from Ball. http://www.freshpreserving.com/recipe.aspx?r=275

Hi,

All the pectin manufacturers have recipes printed in a long sheet inside the box. It will advise precisely how much acid (usually bottled lemon juice) and how long to boil after adding the pectin. Very often they want the jars sterilized (boiled empty for 10 minutes) and hot, because they have processing times of less than 10 minutes, often it is five or six minutes.

If you follow their instructions to the letter, you will not have a problem. If you let it boil or process too long, these pectins break down and will not set.

Another factor with pectin I just remembered, freshness is a factor and old pectin may not work.

I did buy a pectin a William and Sonoma, which worked differently than other pectins I work with. It did have longer setting times even for fruity jams. I wouldn't use this one, if you are on a short time leash.

You do have a lot to do for this dinner. There is no shame in buying Trader Joe's pepper jelly. You can always circle back and make this jelly later when you don't feel under the gun.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

All the pectin manufacturers have recipes printed in a long sheet inside the box. It will advise precisely how much acid (usually bottled lemon juice) and how long to boil after adding the pectin. Very often they want the jars sterilized (boiled empty for 10 minutes) and hot, because they have processing times of less than 10 minutes, often it is five or six minutes.

If you follow their instructions to the letter, you will not have a problem. If you let it boil or process too long, these pectins break down and will not set.

Another factor with pectin I just remembered, freshness is a factor and old pectin may not work.

I did buy a pectin a William and Sonoma, which worked differently than other pectins I work with. It did have longer setting times even for fruity jams. I wouldn't use this one, if you are on a short time leash.

You do have a lot to do for this dinner. There is no shame in buying Trader Joe's pepper jelly. You can always circle back and make this jelly later when you don't feel under the gun.

Regards,

Whew -- I got a reprieve on the dinner -- my guest asked if we could reschedule for after the holidays, so I am breathing a sigh of relief! As far as my overall menu, I think I've got a handle on how I will do this -- a combination of items that can be made in advance or won't require a lot of hands-on attention that evening, coupled with one dish that I think will have to be put together right before serving.

In case you're interested, here is my preliminary menu for a "Down-Home Dinner:"

Appetizers:
Hot Pepper Jelly/Cream Cheese/Crackers
Crudites
Cheese Straws or Coins (if I do coins, I can prepare the dough, shape into logs, and freeze until they need to be sliced and baked)

First Course:
Gussied-up Shrimp & Grits (hat tip to my dear friend Heidi Flick for this recipe from her blog, "Living to Eat.") Her take on this Southern classic is a shrimp/pancetta/spinach mix served on griddled polenta cakes

Main Course:
Marie's Oven-Baked BBQ Chicken
Southern Baked Beans
Cole Slaw
Angel Biscuits (these also can be made in advance and frozen until needed)

Dessert:
Possibilities include Tropical Cake, Tar Heel Fudge Pie, Pecan Pie or Chess Pie

Beverages:
Sweet Tea
Coffee
Sparkling Water

Things I'm dithering over:
Do I need a starch, like an herbed rice, to go with the main course?
Do I need some sort of vegetable dish in addition to the cole slaw?

Pie -- my foolproof crust recipe uses a small amount of vodka, but two of the guests do not wish to be served alcohol, so I think I would have to use a different recipe. Therefore, I think I'd rather make something else.

The tropical cake is drop-dead easy -- white cake batter spread out in a 13x9x2 pan, topped with cherry pie filling, some sort of pineapple and either nuts or streusel (don't have the recipe in front of me), and baked. It is another Southern standard served at a lot of pot luck gatherings. Tar Heel Fudge Pie tastes better the longer it sits, so that's another one I could make in advance. No worries about the crust with this recipe -- you mix flour in with the batter, and it auto-magically forms a crust as it bakes.

The foolproof pie crust recipe that I follow uses cider vinegar. No vodka.

The GP wrote:The foolproof pie crust recipe that I follow uses cider vinegar. No vodka.

Can you share your recipe? I sure would love to make pecan pie for this dinner!

sdbond wrote:

The GP wrote:The foolproof pie crust recipe that I follow uses cider vinegar. No vodka.

Can you share your recipe? I sure would love to make pecan pie for this dinner!

Sure! I'll have to dig in the pile of recipe clippings so it might take me a day or two.

sdbond wrote:

The GP wrote:The foolproof pie crust recipe that I follow uses cider vinegar. No vodka.

Can you share your recipe? I sure would love to make pecan pie for this dinner!

That sounds like it would work... but cider has more of a flavor component than vodka. Both should avoid the gluten-development that water causes (there's probably still some water, but the point is to use *less*).

JoelF wrote:

sdbond wrote:

The GP wrote:The foolproof pie crust recipe that I follow uses cider vinegar. No vodka.

Can you share your recipe? I sure would love to make pecan pie for this dinner!

That sounds like it would work... but cider has more of a flavor component than vodka. Both should avoid the gluten-development that water causes (there's probably still some water, but the point is to use *less*).

Paula Haney's pie crust is lovely. It uses cider vinegar. http://www.agatepublishing.com/resource ... _Dough.pdf

Thank you all for the pie crust recipe suggestions -- now that I have a bit of time, I can try cider vinegar beforehand to see if that will be a good substitute for the vodka.