DIY: Wine Jelly, Flavored Sugar and Salt

Tis the season for giving gifts. Sometimes the most touching gifts are homemade – for both the giver and the receiver. Just like the recipes in the Mama Says recipe collection, you can work with items in your pantry along with a decorative jar to create an innovative gift. Here are three homemade gift ideas; wine jelly, flavored sugars and salts.

Easy-to-make flavored sugars and salt. The possibilities are endless.

You can create flavored salt or sugar by placing an item in the salt or sugar for a short period of time to impart flavor. To flavor sugar, consider: vanilla beans, citrus peels, dried lavender buds, or edible flowers and leaves. Flavored/scented sugars are a great way to add flavor to a variety recipes – decorate cookies, stir it into coffee or tea, rim a drink glass, or dust your favorite dessert. While flavored salts add depth and spice to a variety of recipes from dips and marinades to chili or as a rimming salt. Flavored salt and sugars will keep indefinitely in an airtight container at room temperature.

View at Picasa Cabernet wine jelly along with jalapeno flavored sugar and salt.19-Dec-2009 05:39, Canon Canon PowerShot SD78, 3.2, 5.9mm, 0.077 sec, ISO 800

Basic Directions for Flavored Sugar or Salt

1. Place a cleaned item (vanilla bean, lemon peel, etc) on a baking sheet and set aside until dried. Skip this step if you using a dried item such as lavender buds.
2. Place one cup super-fine granulated sugar or salt (Kosher or table) into a zip lock bag. Add your selected item to the zip lock bag and seal, removing as much air from the bag as possible. Set aside for 5 – 7 days.
3. After the curing time, sift the sugar/salt to remove all traces of the item.
4. Store flavored sugar/salt in an airtight container or package in small decorative jars to give as gifts. Don’t forget to label and date your creation.

Canning – wine jelly. View at Picasa Canning – wine jelly.17-Dec-2009 09:24, 3.2, 5.9mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 800

Wine Jelly

Wow your friends with a jar of homemade wine jelly – just don’t forget to keep one for yourself. Any bottle of wine that you have on hand – red or white — it could be a favorite or a lone bottle on the shelf will make a delicious jelly and a marvelous gift.  Try wine jelly with cheese and crackers, on toast, or as a marinade or glaze with chicken, fish or a roast, as a pancake syrup, or drizzle over ice cream or a favorite cake.

Wine Jelly

Makes 6 half-pint jars.

Ingredients:

3 cups wine (one 750 ml bottle)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 (1.75 ounce) package dry pectin
4 1/2 cups white sugar

Directions:

1. Prepare canning jars according to manufacturers instructions.
2. In a large saucepan, combine wine, lemon juice, and pectin over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
3. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam off top, if necessary.
4. Ladle hot jelly into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Tighten 2 piece lids. Process for 5 minutes in boiling water bath or in a canning processor.

Inspiration: allrecipes.com

Mama Says – Cooking Notes: I used a bottle of Angels Landing Stages Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 in the wine jelly (out-of-the-ballpark delicious) and used one medium jalapeno (sans seeds) to flavor batches of flavored sugar and salt. Can’t wait for a holiday party to offer up brie with wine jelly and rim glasses with jalapeno sugar or salt.

Happy Holidays. And happy gift giving.

Enjoyed this post? See these:

1. Thrifty Hostess Gift Ideas
2. Valentine’s Day Sweet Gift Ideas
3. An Aunts Tale – Breakfast and Valentine’s Gift Ideas

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Tags: Angels Landing Cabernet, diy hostess gifts, flavored salt, gift ideas, gifts for foodies, jalapeno, make your own flavored sugar, scented sugar recipe

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 20th, 2009 at 7:03 am and is filed under Cost Savings Ideas, Our Favorite Things, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.