One of the most delicious and healthy berries of the season is, of course, blueberries. It ripens in late June, immediately after wild strawberries. Usually jam or jam is made from its fruits. However, there is another cooking method in which all the beneficial properties of the berry are preserved. So, how to cook blueberry jelly?
Essential Ingredients
To make a classic blueberry jam, we need only three products:
- the berry itself (blueberries must be fresh);
- plain white sugar (about the same as blueberries);
- water.
You can vary the options for making jam or blueberry jelly. The recipe that will surprise your household is very simple. You just need to add a few slices of lime or mint to the treat. They will give a special aroma and unique taste to the delicacy. In addition, blueberries in combination with citrus fruits will make your jam much healthier.
Blueberry Jelly Recipe for Winter
One of the classic options for preparing winter treats is that the berry must be boiled over medium heat for about 15 minutes. However, let's talk about everything in order.
- First you need to sort out the fruits, which means that the berry should be placed in a large container. Then it is desirable to remove the stalks and get rid of the leaves.
- Rinse blueberries best under a stream of cool water, and then put in a colander to glass all the liquid.
- Cooked berries must be chopped. This can be done both in a meat grinder and with a blender. In this case, it is better to choose a stationary apparatus, otherwise it will be difficult to avoid splashing the juice with an immersion device.
- Now you can add sugar, and you need to pour in about as much so that the ratio of crystals to berries is “one to one”. In this case, blueberry jelly will be quite sweet. And if you add less than the recommended norm, then the taste will turn out more acidic.
- The prepared mass must be transferred to a pan with a thick bottom and put on a slow fire. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring constantly so that the berries do not burn.
Ready blueberry jelly should be put in jars and rolled up until the jam has cooled.
Gelatin Recipe
Blueberries are a very healthy berry that has a beneficial effect not only on our eyes, but also on the whole organism. It strengthens the immune system, which is why it is so important to stock up on berries for the winter. The unique healing properties of blueberries are manifested not only in fresh form, but even when jam is made from it. Any novice hostess can cook blueberry jelly, because there is nothing complicated in its preparation. Just follow the recipe. So, we need:
- 500 g blueberries;
- 1 liter of drinking water;
- 50 g of gelatin (approximately 5 packages of 10 g);
- 1 cup of sugar.
The most important thing is to properly prepare the gelatin base. To do this, it must be soaked in about 300 ml of cold water and allowed to swell for one hour.
While preparing gelatin, you can do and berry. All blueberries should be sorted and washed under a stream of cool water. And then get rid of the stalks and other garbage. After that, you can start the cooking process:
- Put 700 ml of water on the fire, bring to a boil and carefully add blueberries.
- Stir thoroughly every 5 minutes so that the berry does not stick to the walls of the pan.
- Pour 150 g of sugar and cook for about 15 minutes.
Now you need to do jelly again: you need all the gelatin to dissolve. And for this, it can be placed in the microwave for literally 1 or 2 minutes, depending on the power of your equipment. Then the gelatin should be carefully poured into the cooled blueberry syrup and mix well. You will get a thick, mushy mass, which can be laid out in tins or rolled up in jars.
How to cook berry jelly for the holiday?
The festive table can be decorated with an unusual treat made from berry syrup and gelatin. The advantage of this treat is that it can be prepared both from fresh fruits and from frozen ones. In any case, blueberry jelly will turn out to be incredibly fragrant and delicious in taste.
So, we need the following:
- blueberries - about 1 kg;
- sugar - 150-200 g;
- gelatin - 15 g;
- a slice of lemon or lime;
- half a glass of any red wine.
Step by step recipe
Usually, any jelly is made from berries and gelatin and is used both as a filling for cakes and pies, and as an independent treat. The following blueberry jelly recipe with gelatin is perfect for special occasions. So:
- First of all, you need to squeeze the juice from the berries. Make it better with a blender. Then strain blueberries through cheesecloth or strainer to make juice without berry mass.
- Pour juice into a saucepan, add 1 cup of sugar and put on low heat. Cook for 5-7 minutes, and add wine at the end.
- Prepare gelatin in advance: soak it in cold water at the rate of 1 liter of water per 50 g of powder. In the end, it is recommended to drain the excess fluid.
- Introduce ready-made gelatin into boiling berry syrup, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming.
- Pour the resulting jelly into molds and leave in the refrigerator for several hours.
Some ideas and recommendations
After the blueberry jelly has cooled, it is recommended to remove it from the molds and put it on a beautiful plate or tray. A little tip: it will be much easier to disconnect the jelly if you lower the molds in hot water and hold for a few seconds.
Finished treats can be decorated with whipped cream. On each piece put a teaspoon of whipped cream and pour on top of cherry syrup.
Another bright idea for decorating the festive table: place berry jelly in an orange peel, freeing it from the insides in advance.
Serve in the form of fruit slices. To do this, cut an orange filled with blueberry jelly with a sharp knife. Guests and your household will be delighted with such a treat!