Habanero Pepper Jelly
I’ve made Jalapeño jelly a few times now, and it always turns out to be VERY tasty, but I have never been able to get it to be spicy. Most of the recipes I find only call for one or two jalapeños, but I usually add a good handful. I guess since I empty out the seeds, they just keep the flavor without the heat. Well, I grew a couple of habanero plants in the garden this year, and decided to give the jelly another go. 
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The red peppers you see in that first picture are red bell peppers, added for flavor. But, yes, the rest of those are ALL HABANEROS! From what I can see in that picture, I am counting between 12-14, but I think there may have been a few more than that. I cut off the stems, but kept the seeds! I was determined to make this one HOT!
The second picture shows the natural color of those beautiful peppers, mixed with just the cider vinegar and sugar. Then we added red food coloring to make it a little more presentable. Besides, I wanted to make it clear this was going to be HOT… Red is the international color for hot, right? We even had to open the windows, because the smell was so powerful.
It was a bit of a production… lots of hands squeezing in to help out. I will say that having a few people to help make a BIG difference in canning this stuff. You have to work quickly to make sure everything stays sterilized, and it is great if you can get a couple of people to do each job. I would also recommend using a much larger pot than what I have pictured. I have made this recipe a few times now, and it has boiled over just about every time. And that my friends, is one sticky mess!
Stacey was very excited about the jelly. Can you tell?
Habanero Pepper Jelly
INGREDIENTS
- 1 large red bell pepper
- a couple of habanero peppers (I probably wouldn’t recommend more than about 10, even if you want it really hot.)
- 3 cups apple cider vinegar
- 5 lbs. sugar (I know that’s a lot, but this makes a bunch of jars of jelly)
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 pkgs. (usually sold in one box) liquid fruit pectin (i.e. Certo)
- a few drops of food coloring
METHOD
1. Place the peppers and vinegar in a blender and process until smooth. If you want this to just be flavorful, remove the seeds and de-vein the peppers. If you want it to be really hot, leave them in.
2. Bring a couple pots of water to a strong boil, and place your canning jars in them.
3. Place the peppers in a very large stock pot, add sugar and water, and bring to a boil for about 4-5 min.
Caution: This is VERY prone to boiling over, and it can happen VERY quickly. If you use a large enough pot, that may not be an issue though.
4. Remove from heat, and stir in the pectin and food coloring.
5. Here is the part where you should act quickly. The pectin will cause the jelly to solidify, so you want to move fast while it is still in liquid form. Pull a jar and lid from the boiling water, pour in the jelly up to about 1/2 inch from the top (using a canning funnel). Screw the lid on, and place on a towel to cool. The jars will seal themselves as they cool. You will here a very clear pop when the sealing is complete. It is best not to disturb them until after all jars have sealed.
I just want to caution one more time, the recipe (as I have it) is very spicy. You can make this with fewer habaneros, omit the seeds and de-vein the peppers to keep the flavor, but almost completely remove the heat.
This looks amazing!! Give me a little brie with a dollop of your jelly and I’d be a happy gal!
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I have some Tabasco hot pepper jelly I got as a gift and have NO idea how to serve it!!?? I do have some brie…perhaps a Thanksgiving appetizer?
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Sether Reply:
November 26th, 2009 at 1:20 AM
Yeah, pepper jelly is great as an appetizer. My absolute favorite way to serve it is with a simple block of cream cheese. All you do is set out the cream cheese, scoop/spread a little of the jelly over the top, and serve with some crackers (Ritz work well).
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