Can It Up: Pomegranate Port Jelly
Posted on 31 December 2012
Ahem. I didn’t mean for a full month to pass before I posted my contribution to this month’s Can It Up. Especially since I made the jelly over three weeks ago.
I am bewildered that I managed to post every week during our move, but fell down this month. May I blame holiday madness? Matt’s ridiculous travel schedule? The lazy hazy crazy days of California?
Perhaps it was because I went a bit mad with preserving this month. With the return to California, I was once again smitten with strawberries and bought a full flat one weekend. I spent the next few days making strawberry-meyer lemon jam, strawberry-port jam (with leftover port from this recipe), strawberry-balsamic jam with rosemary, and strawberry-meyer lemon marmalade. I became so cuckoo that I briefly considered trying strawberry pickles (that is not at all a real thing), but, fortunately, I had run out of strawberries. Whew.
In the spirit (no pun intended) of this month’s Can It Up theme, I made tarragon wine jelly today with a random bottle brought over for our holiday open house/cocktail/we’re back home party. It is quite delightful, but is already earmarked for the neighbors. Boo.
I felt like I spent another whole week wrapping jars to ship out as holiday gifts. Then there were the jars to wrap up for local friends. And friends to see and catch up with. Et cetera. Ad nauseam.
I am full of excuses (and Latin). Let’s dispense with all that and talk about this jelly.
I found this recipe in my favorite small-batch book, which originally called for cranberry juice. Cranberries are sooooooo New England. I moved back in the Bay Area, for chrissakes. That calls for something appropriately…Mediterranean? Yes, like the weather. Clearly. Like pomegranate juice. Obviously.
This jelly is a pleasant combination of tart berry flavors balanced by the pronounced nutty sweetness of the port. Its ruby glow is beyond compare.
Ingredients
Instructions
Adapted from The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving
20 responses to Can It Up: Pomegranate Port Jelly
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I almost made that recipe for this month, but with the cranberry juice. I’m not quite New England in Buffalo, but my family certainly is. (I adore that book by the way, the winter salad pickles are amazing).
Katie, that would have been awesome; I would have loved to do a comparison tasting of the two. 2013 is allegedly the year that I will pickle more — I’ll have to check out their pickle recipes.
Sounds delish! But other than using as a cheese combo for appetizers, other serving suggestions? Thanks for the clever alteration to the original recipe!
Lyn, I wasn’t even thinking of using it with cheese for appetizers – I love that idea! I plan to use it as a glaze on meat…maybe even on ribs?
Great idea with the pomegranate – sounds delicious. This month, I did a very New England-y canning project – peaches, maple syrup and maple whiskey. It is on my blog, just posted in the link above.
Rachel, that sounds amazing! I made butterscotch peach jam this summer – sounds as though it would have been even better with the addition of actual scotch. 🙂
I love the color and the idea of using it on ribs. May be good on fish too. I’ll have to try it with cranberry. I assume its same amount of juice as pomegranate but just cranberry?
Xena, I was also considering using it as a base for barbecue sauce maybe. Yes, the recipe with cranberry is a 1-to-1 substitution.
Oh–that looks lovely. Having recently gotten back from Turkey I am into all things pomegranate! Very nice post.
Pamela, isn’t pomegranate the best?
Are you posting the strawberry recipes too? I’m hoping!
Meg, haha! I’ll see what I can do.
Looks fab. Just wondering how long it keeps?
Gill, if you water-bath can it, it will last up to a year. If not, then probably only a month or two in the fridge.
Glutton for punishment here. Should i use fresh juiced pomegranates
or store bought juice?
Oh, Debbie. I used fresh juice from the farmers market. WAY too lazy to juice myself…and still equally delicious!
There is no farmers market here this time of year. I was thinking of using bottled pure pomegrante juice from the store.
Debbie, yup, 100% pomegranate juice from the grocery store will also work. Enjoy!
I recently bought homemade pomegranate port win jelly and I love it. Will probably make some using your recipe. Thank you.
Susan, thanks and enjoy!