Concord Grape Jelly with Sherry and Chocolate
Our Concord grape jelly recipe puts a sophisticated spin on the traditional favorite. With just a handful of simple ingredients like Concord grapes, cocoa powder, sherry wine, sugar, lemon juice, and pectin, you can whip up a batch of this unique jelly in no time.
Servings: 2 8 oz. (250 ml.) mason jars
Ingredients
- 2 lb. grapes fully de-stemmed and washed
- 1 lb. sugar
- 3 tbsp. cocoa powder
- ¼ cup. Sherry wine
- 1 tsp. Pomona pectin
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
Instructions
Initial Cooking:
- Start by measuring the required amount of grapes for your recipe.
- Use a potato masher to gently break the grape skins and extract their juices.
- Add sugar to the crushed grapes and let them sit for about 2 hours to dissolve the sugar. Then, on low heat, bring the mixture to a boil, which should take around 25 minutes.
- Allow the mixture to boil for an additional 5 minutes. Then, turn off the heat and let it cool completely.
Straining the Jam:
- Using a mesh kitchen strainer and a ladle or large metal spoon, press and rub the cooked grape pulp and skins against the mesh to push the pulp and juices through. This step removes grape seeds and keeps the skins out.
Second Round of Cooking:
- Return the strained grape jelly to the pot.
- Mix lemon juice with pectin to form a slurry. Add to the grape jelly mixture
- Add cocoa powder and mix thoroughly with the jelly mixture
- Add sherry wine and bring it to a gentle boil on medium low heat.
- Once bubbles appear on the surface, lower the heat and continue cooking for another 10 minutes.
- Perform a doneness test by spooning a teaspoon of the cooking jelly onto a fridge-chilled plate. It should thicken to the desired consistency.
- For a thicker jam, extend the cooking time by 5 more minutes.
- Have your canning jars ready so you can pour and process your Concord grape jelly immediately.