[Sca-cooks] Mint Jelly?

[Philip W. Troy & Susan Troy]

Elise Fleming wrote:
>
> Greetings.  This is specifically addressed to folk with European
> eating experience.  Do the English/British or others use the same
> type of mint jelly with lamb that Americans do?  We are (most of us)
> used to a clear, apple-based, mint-flavored, solid jelly.  When I
> was in York for Easter, the mint stuff was a mint sauce, made of
> real mint leaves, and it was a sauce - runny like sauces are, not
> stiff like the jelly we are used to.  Is our mint jelly commonly
> used abroad or does the mint stuff come from the sauce tradition?

As far as I know, the Angliski-style mint sauce is  essentially
pulverized mint leaves with vinegar, a pinch of salt, and perhaps some
sugar. You can buy it in import stores; Coleman's makes a version, but
it's easy enough to make (although I've never been able to really solve
the blackening problem).

Mint jelly served with lamb appears to be more of an American thang, but
I believe there is a long-standing English tradition of making herbal
jellies with various pectin sources such as apple or quince cores. I
remember reading a story as a child which featured an old lady who made
parsley jelly, among others.

I'm not quite sure how such herbal jellies are eaten, though.

Adamantius
--
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com

"It was so blatant that Roger threw at him.  Clemens gets away with
things that get other people thrown out of games.  As long as they
let him get away with it, it's going  to continue." -- Joe Torre, 9/98