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Jelly

Erken's general method for berry and fruit jelly: ripe berries are crushed or cooked, the juice is strained clear, sugar is dissolved before boiling, the jelly is skimmed and boiled until the drop test hangs firm. Alternatives: the juice is poured into dry-boiled sugar, or a cold-stirred jelly. Filled into warm jars and covered when cold.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 580 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

Erken's general introduction to jelly making in the preserving chapter. The text explains the principles of jelly formation and gives three methods: ordinary boiling of juice with sugar, boiling a sugar syrup into which the juice is poured, and cold-stirred jelly.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Prepare the berries

    Use ripe but not overripe berries or fruit. Do not peel the fruit. Some berries are crushed and strained raw, others are cooked with a little water, and still others release their juice if placed in a crock set in a water bath.

  2. 2

    Strain the juice

    Whether the berries have been cooked or merely crushed, strain them through a jelly bag or straining cloth tied over an upturned stool. Use only the clear juice.

  3. 3

    Dissolve the sugar

    Add sugar to the juice and make sure the sugar is completely dissolved before the juice begins to boil. Remove all foam as you go.

  4. 4

    Boil the jelly

    Boil with close attention: too short a boil gives loose jelly, too long a boil gives tough, syrupy jelly. Test by dripping jelly from the tip of a spoon onto a plate – when the drop hangs firm, the jelly is done.

  5. 5

    Alternative 1 – sugar syrup

    Boil water and sugar until all the water has evaporated and the sugar is completely dry. Pour the strained juice straight in, bring to a boil and skim well for 8–10 minutes.

  6. 6

    Alternative 2 – cold jelly

    Stir the clear juice and the sugar together cold until the sugar is dissolved.

  7. 7

    Fill and cover

    Pour the jelly warm into warm crocks, jars or small cups, preferably rinsed with grain alcohol. Cover once the jelly is cold, or the next day.

  8. 8

    Use the leftovers

    What is left in the jelly bag can be used for marmalade.

Changes from the original

No quantities are given in the original; the ingredient list is therefore generic (berries/fruit and sugar according to the amount of juice). The method has been divided into numbered steps in modern Norwegian, and "jelly bag tied to an upturned kitchen stool" is described as a strainer/cloth.

Time machine – what changed?

Pick two editions and see what Henriette Schønberg Erken added, removed or changed between them.

1914 (proofread, p. 580) → Modernised~84% of the text changedremovedadded
Gelé tilberedes av frugt og sukker. Frugten bør være moden, men ikke overmoden. Gelédannelsen skyldes et geléstof, pektin, som findes i frugt og bær; i overmoden frugt er pektinet delvis ødelagt modne bær eller omsat i andre stoffer. Frugt frukt (ikke overmodne; skal ikke skrælles. Enkelte skrelles). sukker (etter mengden klar saft). vann (til bær som må kokes for å gi saft). vinsprit (til å skylle glassene, om ønskelig). Bruk modne, men ikke overmodne bær eller frukt. Ikke skrell frukten. Noen bær knuses og siles, siles rå, andre kokes med tilsætning av vand, litt vann, og atter andre bær safter sig, idet seg om de lægges legges i en krukke, krukke som stilles settes i vandbad. vannbad.. Enten bærene er kokt eller kun bare knust, siles de i gjennom silepose eller sileklæde, bunden til silklede bundet over en omvendt kjøkkenkrak. Den krakk. Bruk bare den klare saft tilsættes med sukker; sukkeret skal være opløst saften.. Tilsett sukker i saften, før denne begynder saften og sørg for at koke; sukkeret er helt oppløst før saften begynner å koke. Fjern alt skum maa fjernes. Kokning av gelé kræver underveis.. Kok med stor agtpaagivenhet. Kokes den oppmerksomhet: for kort, blir geleen ikke stiv, kokes den kort koking gir løs gelé, for længe, blir den lang koking gir seig og sirupagtig. Dryp draaper av geleen sirupaktig gelé. Prøv ved å dryppe gelé fra en skespids paa skjetupp på en tallerken, og naar draapen hænger tallerken – når dråpen henger stiv, er geleen færdig. Heldes varm i varme krukker, glas eller smaakopper; disse kan skylles med vinsprit eller ikke, som man vil, overbindes (se side 576), naar geleen er kold, eller næste dag. Til gelé kan man ogsaa koke vand geléen ferdig.. Kok vann og sukker, sukker til alt vand vannet er fordampet og sukkeret ganske tørt, helt tørt. Hell den silede saft heldes da straks silte saften rett i, koker la koke opp og skummes skum godt i 8 à 10 minutter. Til gelé kan ogsaa 8–10 minutter.. Rør den klare saft saften og sukker røres koldt sammen. Hvad der sukkeret kaldt sammen til sukkeret er tilbake oppløst.. Hell geléen varm i sileposen, varme krukker, glass eller små kopper, gjerne skylt med vinsprit. Bind over når geléen er kald, eller neste dag.. Det som er igjen i sileposen kan anvendes brukes til marmelade.

Note on Modernised

Ingen mengder er oppgitt i originalen; ingredienslisten er derfor generisk (bær/frukt og sukker etter mengde saft). Framgangsmåten er delt i nummererte trinn på moderne norsk, og "silepose bundet til omvendt kjøkkenkrakk" er beskrevet som sil/klede.

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Frequently asked questions

Why must the fruit not be overripe?
The jelly sets because of pectin in fruit and berries. In overripe fruit the pectin is partly broken down or converted into other substances, and the juice then sets poorly. The fruit should be ripe but not overripe.
Should the fruit be peeled before making the juice?
No, fruit should not be peeled for jelly. Some berries are crushed and strained, others are cooked with a little water, and some release their juice when placed in a crock set in a water bath.
How do I strain the juice clear?
Whether the berries have been cooked or merely crushed, they are strained through a jelly bag or straining cloth tied to an upturned kitchen stool, so that the juice runs clear.
When should the sugar be added?
The sugar is stirred into the clear juice and should be completely dissolved before the juice begins to boil. All foam must be removed as you go, and the boiling requires close attention – too short a boil gives thin jelly.

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