Gelée de Genièvre
(Juniper Berry Jelly) Recipe

Origin: France      Period: Traditional

In France there is a long tradition of making ripe, raw, juniper berries into jams and jellies and here is a traditional recipe for one of these preserves.

Ingredients

1kg very ripe fresh juniper berries
300ml apple juice
sugar equivalent to the volume of liquid
juice of 1 small lemon

Gelée de Genièvre
(Juniper Berry Jelly) Preparation:

Method:

Rinse the juniper berries to wash them in cold water then drain, place in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 1 hour.

Take off the heat and allow to cool slightly before pouring the contents of the pan into a food processor. Blitz to purée the berries then tip the mixture into a fine-meshed sieve. Allow the liquid to drain through into a bowl then press down gently with the back of a spoon to extract as much of the juniper berry juice as possible.

Stir in the apple juice then weight the liquid and measure an equal weight of sugar. Pour the juniper and apple juice mix into a saucepan along with the sugar and lemon juice. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves then bring to a boil and skim off any scum from the surface of the jelly. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes then measure for the setting point by placing a plate in the fridge. Spoon a little of the jelly onto the plate and when it forms a skin as you push it with your finger or the back of a spoon the gelling point has been reached.

When ready allow the jelly to cool very slightly before pouring into clean, sterilized jars that have been warmed in a cool oven. Seal, label and store until needed. Ideally this jelly should have a soft consistency.

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