You know what? Canning in the winter is quite enjoyable. I need to do more of it. Especially when the temperature drops, standing next to three boiling pots on the stove is quite lovely. A nice change from the frigid depths of the living room.
Earlier this year I received a note from Tom of Singer Farm Naturals, who found one of my posts touting the deliciousness of garlic scapes (which, I agree, are underutilized). Tom offered to send me a sampling of his organic garlic varieties (he grows over 20 unique varieties). How could I say no?
When the box came just this past week, I was overwhelmed. Think about it. You buy garlic in little mesh bags in the grocery store. It’s just garlic. Plain old, generic garlic. It’s not like apples, there are no options… garlic is garlic. Or so I thought.
I couldn’t have been more wrong. Ever since the fragrant box arrived, we’ve been exploring the varieties like fine wines. Spaghetti with garlic and olive oil, garlicky spinach soup, classic garlic bread…
Anyone have a breath mint?
But I wanted to do something that would really highlight the garlic. And I wasn’t quite sure what that would be, until I saw this:
Smoked Gouda and garlic jam.
It was a comment left on the Kerry Gold giveaway post by Michelle, describing her ultimate grilled cheese. I saw the words “garlic jam” and I knew I had it. Thanks, Michelle, for the inspiration I needed!
While I couldn’t find any recipes for garlic jam, recipes for garlic jelly were all over, including in my canning bible, which had a recipe for Roasted Garlic Jelly that I ended up using. I made two batches, one featuring the Lorz Italian variety of garlic, and the other featuring Persian Star. Both delicious, both garlicky and wonderfully rich, and oh so slightly different. While I think the varieties are best distinguished in their raw forms, (garlic tasting party, anyone?), this jelly is a real treat.
Yes, indeed. I think this will make one fine grilled cheese.
Roasted Garlic Jelly
Makes 9 4-oz. jars. Recipe from Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.
Ingredients:
- 3 medium heads garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, divided
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, crushed
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 (3oz) pouches liquid pectin
Directions:
- Using a sharp knife, cut off tops of garlic heads, exposing cloves. Place each head on a small square of aluminum foil set on a baking sheet. Top each head with 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar. Scrunch foil loosely around garlic heads and roast in preheated oven until garlic is golden and very soft, 45 to 60 minutes. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Separate cloves, pinching each one to extract the soft roasted garlic. Discard skins.
- In a medium stainless steel saucepan, combine roasted garlic, wine, water, white balsamic vinegar and peppercorns. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and boil gently for 5 minutes. Cover, remove from heat and let steep for 15 minutes.
- Transfer garlic mixture to a strainer lined with several layers of dampened cheesecloth or a dampened coffee filter set over a deep bowl. Let drip, undisturbed, for about 30 minutes. Measure 1 2/3 cups garlic juice. If you do not have the required amount, add up to 1/4 cup dry white wine or water. (This step can be done up to one day in advance. Cover and refrigerate juice until ready to use).
- Meanwhile, prepare canner, jars, and lids.
- Transfer garlic juice to a large, deep stainless steel saucepan. Stir in lemon juice and sugar. Over high heat, stirring constantly, bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Stir in pectin. Return to a boil and boil hard, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and quickly skim off foam.
- Quickly pour hot jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight.
- Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool, and store.
Did you make this recipe?
Let us know what you think!
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This is one situation where garlic breath is actually a good thing.
My own nameless concoction…saute lots of garlic in olive oil, sometimes use green onions, red onion or shallots. Place over cooked pasta, along with chopped fresh herbs..parsley, basil, and/or chives. Sometimes some fresh chopped tomato. Then top that off with crumbles of feta and let that melt into the pasta a bit. Grind some black pepper. Then eat. I love garlic and use it nearly every day.
I love roasted garlic, but my favorite recipe with garlic is Coquille St. Jacque — heavenly! I am dying to try this garlic jelly. Love your blog. Yes, I “LIKE” you on fb.
My favorite garlic recipe is just roasted garlic from the oven smeared on toasted crostini. Mmmmm
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My favorite garlic dish is white pizza. Garlic, olive oil, cheese… you can’t go wrong!
Roasted garlic bacon vinaigrette + chicken + rice is pretty tasty, but I think garlic mashed potatoes will always be top ;D
Garlic jelly is ingenious! I can think of lots of ways to utilize it. I cannot wait to try the recipe out.
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I love it on everything…but I especially love adding it to my jars of homemade salad dressing–mmm!
garlic bread. mmm mmm bread.
ps. i love the way my hands smell for days after chopping really fresh garlic cloves.
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I tweeted! I’m @Fettbot!
I love garlic eggplant on the grill with soy sauce and sesame seed glaze! Let me know if you want the recipe!
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Garlic Potatoes
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Favorite garlic recipe is chili garlic sauce that is the base for any and all my
Chinese food meals!
homemade pizza smothered in roasted garlic… YUM!!
Can’t think of just one- cause I love everything with garlic!
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Vampires need not apply. I just entered to win an organic garlic sampler from @loveandoliveoil! Enter here: http://bit.ly/eDdv43
I recently had a salad at a Mediterranean restaurant that I think tops my garlic list. It was a simple green salad but had this amazing garlic and lemon dressing. I’m pretty sure it was just pureed garlic with lemon juice and I was in love!
I love garlic with butter and pasta.
I totally love the idea of canning when it’s cold outside! It was not pleasant standing in front of the hot stove processing tomatoes this summer. Winter canning is such a great idea!
Umm..favorite garlic recipe…Ina Garten’s garlic bread. It’s a bit different than normal garlic bread. You saute herbs in the oil with the garlic then put butter on half and the garlic oil on the other half.
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Garlic in my mac n cheese seriously I use 2 heads!!
Langos – it’s a hungarian fry bread and they spread garlic all over it before adding sour cream and cheese – to die for!
Roasted garlic, smeared on toasty, crusty french bread. MMMMM good
Garlic Jelly – now that sounds wonderful! I can imagine it on a grilled cheese sandwich. I too love canning. Just made Cranberry Pepper Jelly last weekend – YUM! I have to ask you, where did you find those labels?? Love them! :-)
I make a garlic green bean pasta that is pretty much my favorite pasta ever. Fresh green beans, grated parm, lots of garlic and some olive oil…it’s fantastic.
OMG. Here is how much I love garlic: I have a poster in my kitchen of a string of garlic under which it reads, “Italian Caviar”; I have three kinds of garlic in the fridge and one in the pantry, and I honestly believe people would be happier if they ate some every day. Favorite garlic recipe is a tie between pretty much everything that has it; but here’s my easy, go-to, quickie garlic love affair: clove, baked in oven, softened, smeared on sourdough, with a little bit of butter, a little bit of asiago, and yes, a little bit of garlic SALT. Because you can’t get enough garlic! :)
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Garlic naan. Love it!
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I love garlic in pretty much anything, and always put in way more than the recipe calls for. But for a garlic recipe, I really love garlic bread. Made at home with oven roasted garlic, olive oil, and butter. Mmm…
garlic and butter, slowly simmered for hours on end to make a delicious, slightly sweet spread…. mmmm….
I put garlic in everything, but I like it on its own, just roasted with olive oil. humina humina!
Roasted Garlic is still hard to beat!!! But I grew up eating a simply timeless old world dish called PASTA AGLIO E OLIO (GARLIC AND OIL)
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Garlic in olive oil, salt, pepper, with spinach, tomatoes, mozz cheese and pasta :)
I of course I “like” You on facebook hehe
I’m tweeting too! :)
Oh my, I can’t just pick one. I literally put garlic in nearly everything I cook. I can’t get enough of it and would love to win this giveaway!!!!
mmm so many things with garlic, along with curry and cinnamon and ginger, they are my top favs. i always try to incoorperate garlic into my bread types such as the chinese scallion pancakes :)
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I follow @loveandoliveoil on twitter and tweeted about giveaway
http://twitter.com/#!/Terri6580/status/15617862953598976
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Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic….it is so good.
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I love garlic! Probably my fave recipe is shrimp scampi. Yummmmm….
Penne arrabiatta