Medlar Jelly is a modern British recipe for a classic method of preparing a clear jelly from bletted (over-ripened) medlar fruit. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Medlar Jelly.
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The common medlar, Mespilus germanica is the fruit of a large shrub or small tree in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit of this tree, also called medlar, has been cultivated since Roman times, is usually available in winter and eaten when bletted. The unusual thing about the medlar is that it does not and cannot ripen in the UK and should be collected as late in the Autumn as possible. As a result, they need to be removed from the tree, arranged on a large plate or tray, making sure they are not touching. Keep somewhere warm but out of the way (no need to be dark), possibly for a few weeks (typically 5 to 6), until soft and squeezable. This is the process of ‘bletting’. Once bletted, medlars make a fine fruit. Once bletted, medlar fruit can actually be eaten raw with a spoon and are quite delicious and unusual consumed this way.
This year, medlars, as with many other members of the rosaceae seem to have produced a bumper harvest and though I do not have any medlar trees nearby (I used to in the past), I was easily able to source kilos of the fruit on-line. After bletting I had some fresh, made pies and even added chopped fruit to one batch of Christmas mincemeat. Obviously, the next step was to make preserve. I always try to make medlar cheese (which goes very well with cheese) to bring to the family Christmas gathering. Next on my list was medlar jelly. Medlars don’t have quite enough pectin to set naturally so I either add an apple or a handful of crab apples to my jelly. It doesn’t affect the taste much, but ensures that the jelly sets.
Ingredients:
1.4kg bletted medlars
1 apple (or a handful of crab apples)
½ lemon
~1.2l water (see recipe )
granulated sugar (see recipe for quantities)
Method:
Cut the medlars and apple (or crab apples) into quarters. Add to a large saucepan with the water.
Bring to a boil then reduce the temperature and simmer gently until all the fruit is soft. This will take about 15–20 minutes. Don’t be too aggressive here as high heat will destroy the gentle flavour of the fruit. Low heat is best.
Spoon the fruit into a jelly bag (or a colander lined with muslin or cheesecloth) and suspend it over a bowl to catch the juice. Leave to drain for about 12 hours, until no more is dripping out. Don't poke or squeeze the bag as this may make the jelly cloudy). The solids left-over in the bag is ideal for making medlar vinegar don’t discard!
Weigh the juice, and measure out 25% of the fruit weight in sugar (ie 25g sugar per 75g juice). Combine the medlar juice, sugar and lemon juice to a large saucepan. The saucepan should be no more than half full. Heat the saucepan gently, stirring, to dissolve the sugar.
Place clean jam jars in the oven, and heat to 120°C/Gas Mark 1. Place the lids in a bowl and cover with boiling water.
Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat to bring the jelly to a rolling boil. Start testing for set, using either wrinkle, flake or temperature method. Once setting point has been reached, take the jelly off the heat.
Fill the jam jars with jelly, and screw on the lids. Allow to cool. Store on a cool, dark shelf. I tend to do this in a roasting tin in case one of the jam jars cracks (this has never happened to me, but it did to my mother --- better safe than sorry).
Medlar jelly is perfect served on toast like marmalade. It also makes a wonderful accompaniment to cheese and cold cuts of meat. It also works well as a sweetener for gravies and stews. It’s particularly good when used for turkey gravy.
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