Recipe: Mint Jelly

This week we have been very privileged in Sydney to host the Rotary International Convention! My parents are very involved in Rotary, with my dad having been District Governor a few years ago. As in my last post, my sister is also a Rotarian and very involved in fundraising for Rotary projects.

One of the feature events for the Convention was a series of Home Hosted Dinners. This was an opportunity for the Rotarians visiting Sydney from all over the world to have dinner with local Rotarians. My parents invited six couples to their home for dinner! It was great fun, but boy can Rotarians talk up a storm! 

Kiah and I did the catering for the dinner, and we had an interesting time researching ingredients and dishes that were authentically Australian, or had some kind of Australian twist. The menu that we came up with was:

Entree
Tasmanian Salmon Gravlax, cured in raspberries, citrus and vodka

Main Course
Slow roasted lamb, marinated in rosemary and garlic, served with roast potatoes, garden peas & beans, and mint jelly

Dessert
Lemon & Honey Anzac Tart, served with cream and a Tasmanian Leatherwood honey drizzle (recipe here)


One of the most commented-upon elements was the home made mint jelly! I read a few different recipes online, and came up with my own that combined the best of all of them :) Mint jelly is traditionally eaten with roast lamb in Australia and the UK, but my husband said he would be happy to just have this jelly with fruit or ice cream! It is a lovely balance of sweet and tangy, with loads of mint flavour.

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RECIPE: MINT JELLY

Serves 24

Photo courtesy of Kiah Westlund

Ingredients
800g caster sugar
3 cups picked mint leaves, roughly chopped
400ml white wine vinegar
200ml water
8 sheets gelatin, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes
Extra mint leaves, chopped finely

Method

1. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, mint leaves, vinegar and water. Bring to the boil on high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Remove from the heat and cover, leave to infuse for 1 hour.

3. Squeeze all the water out of the gelatin leaves and whisk gelatin into the warm minty mix. 

4. Strain the mix and pour into a 20cm square baking dish or cake tin lined with cling wrap. Sprinkle the extra chopped mint leaves through, and place into the fridge to set for at least 4 hours.

5. To serve, tip the set jelly out onto a board and slice into cubes.


Enjoy!