Have you ever prepared a meal for the sake of the condiments? I remember when I was little my used to say that fish sticks were just a vehicle for catsup. Thanksgiving was all about the cranberry sauce, on everything. I can't remember what Dad's lamb chops tasted like, but I sure remember that jar of bright green mint jelly! What treat for those rare occasions we did have lamb.
This past weekend boneless leg of lamb was on sale, and being one who can never pass up a good deal, I got one. No time like the present to learn how to roast a leg of lamb. I did my research and already knew pretty much how I would do that. That's not the exciting part.
The exciting part would be the mint jelly. In deference to my childhood memories, I simply could not have lamb with out mint jelly. The challenge was to make a mint jelly without using cups and cups of sugar or artificial food coloring. I recalled Dad frequently reminding me that we weren't having mint jelly, we were having mint flavored apple jelly. And then I saw Helen's verrines and she gave me the perfect starting place for my SCD, sugar free apple-mint jelly.
Mint Jelly2 cups (1 bunch) fresh mint leaves2 cups apple juice, 100% juice not from concentrate1/2 cup cold water1 packet (1 tbsp) gelatin
Pour the water into a small dish and sprinkle the gelatin over top to bloom, set aside. In the blender, mix the apple juice and mint in a few short bursts. Transfer mixture to a small sauce pan and heat to boiling. Remove from heat and cover to steep for about 1 hour. Pour mixture through a fine sieve or cheese cloth, pressing to get as much liquid as possible. Discard mint (or use it again for tea). Return mint infused apple juice to the sauce pan and heat, slowly mixing in the gelatin until it dissolves completely. Transfer to a glass jar for storage and allow to cool and set in the refrigerator.
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