Grape-Thyme Jelly

Isn't that just gorgeous?

Tastes as good as it looks, too.

I needed a Grape-Thyme Jelly for the most recent Blog Party, which meant I needed to make it myself.

Which is fine, actually...I really like making jellies and marmalades. Go figure.




Last month, Lyn made a cake with Concord grapes, and was shocked to learn that grapes do, in fact, taste 'like that'.

I don't think I've tasted or smelled a 'real' grape before tackling this jelly...now I'm both a convert and an addict.

Because had I eaten a small, round, and purple fruit that tasted exactly like the grape juice we buy for Alex? I'd have remembered!

They smelled wonderful, too...even Matt, who has a notoriously poor sense of smell, was getting a bit of a scent-high from these little things. Too bad they're so hideously expensive. Sigh.



Sauternes is warmed, and then thyme leaves are steeped in it.



Meanwhile, the grapes (which I had much fun smooshing), chunks of apples, sugar and a enough water to cover the whole mess, gets a-cooking. Strain the fruit (I didn't have a jelly bag (?), so I used cheesecloth), and the grape liquid and the thyme-Sauternes get mixed together.



Add pectin, and let it bubble...the results? That beautiful jelly you see above. If you look closely, you can see the thyme leaves suspended in the jars.

As for taste? Matt didn't want me to give a jar to his parents. Or anyone else. He wants it all for himself!




Tagged with: Food & Drink + Jelly + Grapes + Fruit + Thyme + Preserving