A tart-sweet feijoa and kiwi fruit jelly – flavoured with lime and mint, this crystal clear, soft-set, sweet jelly is a perfect addition to any cheese platter.
To deal with the disappointment that is yet another covid lockdown here, I’m breaking into my last jar of feijoa and kiwi fruit jelly, lathering it on some crackers and topping it with it cheese.
I think this is a perfectly acceptable dinner option, given the circumstances.
It may almost be June but if you hurry, you can still find some feijoa in the markets or from a friendly neighbour, whose tree is somehow heavy with the little green fruit.
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What are Feijoas?
Feijoa, sometimes called pineapple guava, are native to Brazil, though they’re grown in a few places around the world, including Italy, Spain and New Zealand, where they’ve been adopted as the favourite fruit.
The green fruit ripen in autumn, are a bit bigger than a large egg, and have a strong, floral smell before they’re even cut open.
Feijoas taste like a cross between a pineapple and strawberry, and they have a ripe, pear-like textured pulp with a jelly-like centre.
You can eat them fresh like you would a kiwi fruit, you can cook them into jellies and jams, quick breads and muffins, or substitute feijoa in your favourite apple or banana recipes.
What’s the Difference between Jellies, Jams and Preserves?
There are many variations of fruit preserves, so I’ve included a quick run down of some of the more common types of sweet preserves. But I am not an expert in canning and this is by no means a comprehensive list as it doesn’t include cheong (fruit tea ‘marmalade’), chutneys, coulis, curds, relishes, pastes or even fruit spoon sweets (like sour cherries in syrup).
The standard three are:
- Jelly: Jellies are made using only fruit juice and sugar. Pectin is sometimes included depending on what kind of fruit you’re using or what kind of set you’re after. Because it’s made using only the fruit juice, jellies have a smooth consistency and a clear, almost crystal-like clearness. Jellies can also be made from herbs, flowers, teas and liqueurs.
- Jam: Jams are made from fruit pieces or pulp, sugar and, depending on the natural pectin in the fruit you’re using, extra pectin. Jams are typically made using one type of fruit and they are chunkier and more opaque than jellies.
- Preserves: Preserves are made using the whole fruit, either in whole pieces, or chopped up, but they typically use up most of the fruit, including the juice, pulp and skin/rind.
Most other types we come across are a form of fruit preserve, including:
- Compote: Compotes are a ye olden time dessert made from whole pieces of fruit cooked in a sugar syrup with spices. The compote is then served warm or at room temperature with a spoon and a glass of water. Nowadays, compotes are best spooned over ice cream, pancakes and waffles. Compotes have no added pectin.
- Conserve: Conserves are jams made from two or more different kind of fruit (as opposed to jams), but could also include pieces of dried fruit, coconut or nuts. They also tend to be chunkier in texture that most single-fruit jams. Great with cheese!
- Fruit Butter: Fruit butters are made from slow-cooked fruit and sugar until the fruit pulp thickens and little moisture remains. Apple sauce is probably the most well-known fruit butter. Due to their long cook time, fruit buttes are typically smooth and creamy. Eat with a spoon or spread over some bread or even French toast. Fruit butters have no added pectin.
- Marmalade: Marmalades are probably the most well-known ‘preserve’. They use the whole fruit, including the rind. However, marmalades typically refer to those preserves that are made using only citrus fruit, including oranges, lemons and cumquats.
A Note on Pectin and Sugar
This is a sweet, soft-set jelly. Both feijoa and kiwi fruit don’t have a lot of natural pectin, so you’re relying on the sugar and the citrus peel to do most of the work.
Since making this feijoa and kiwi fruit jelly, I’ve learnt there’s a bit more pectin in feijoa skins as opposed to the pulp. So if you’re looking for a firmer-set jelly, try not peeling the feijoa before you chop them up and simmer them.
And seeing as it’s the end of feijoa season, any jelly or jam made now will naturally be lower in pectin then when the fruit are still slightly under-ripe. It just comes down to personal preference on jelly textures!
Adding the rind – in strips with the pith – from a whole lime instead of half would also help as its flavour wasn’t overpowering. Or even adding a tablespoon or two of lime juice would help to give it a firmer set, with the acid cutting through the sweetness too.
Another way to create a thicker jelly would be by adding some homemade apple pectin to the fruit pieces as they boil, though that would alter the flavour significantly, and depending on how it was made, could create a cloudy jelly.
But sometimes, you just have to make a preserve with what you’ve got or want to use up. So, follow the recipe below, or add in more lime, use jam-setting sugar instead of granulated sugar, or add some apple pectin. No matter what, it’ll still taste divine slathered over your favourite cheese; but maybe avoid the blue cheese…
Looking for more fruit-filled recipes? Try these:
- Drink: Citrus Black Tea Affogato
- Starter: Tomato, Peach and Burrata Salad
- Salsa: Salmon with Kiwi Berry Salsa
- Grain bowl: Fruit and Vegetable Quinoa Salad
- Salad: Plum and Salmon Salad
- Dessert: Peach Galette with Sour Cream Pastry
Feijoa and Kiwi Fruit Jelly
Ingredients
- 1 kg feijoa
- 3 kiwi fruit, peeled
- 12 mint leaves
- Rind strips from half a lime
- Water
- 1 cup sugar , per 1 cup fruit juice
Instructions
- For a softer-set jelly, peel the feijoa, and for a firmer-set jelly, leave the peel on. Chop the feijoa and kiwi fruit into medium sized, even pieces and place into a large pot. Roughly tear the mint leaves and add them to the pot, along with the lime rind strips.
- Add enough water to the pot to cover all the fruit and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for around 30-40 minutes, or until the feijoa and kiwi fruit are soft and very pulpy. Once ready, turn off the heat and gently squash the fruit a bit to release any last bits of fruity liquid.
- Place a strainer over a bowl and line it with muslin, cheese cloth, or any fine mesh material. Carefully, pour the liquid and fruit into the strainer, making sure to catch all the liquid in the bowl beneath. Keeping the strainer over the bowl, enclose the fruit in the cloth and tie it up with some kitchen string. Tie the fruit bundle to something higher so it can slowly drip juice into the strainer and bowl. Leave this to drip overnight, so hang it somewhere where it won’t get knocked over. DO NOT be tempted to squeeze the fruit bundle if you want a crystal-clear jelly. It’s the straining of the juice with no pulp that gives it that lovely translucent look.
- The next day, measure the juice in cups and pour into a clean pot. Add 1 cup if sugar per 1 cup of fruit liquid. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Stop stirring and allow to come to a boil and bubble away, periodically skimming the foam and scum that rises to the top. You will feel the jelly start to thicken as you do this.
- While the jelly is cooking, sterilise the jars. Either by conventional canning – placing them and their lids into a pot filled with boiling water and a steaming rack for 10 minutes – or by placing only the jars in a oven 100°C oven for 10 minutes (the lids will still need to be sterilised by boiling water). Set aside on a clean towel. Refill this pot with water and bring to a rolling boil.
- Jellies usually reach a setting point at 104°C, but this, and the time it takes, can vary depending on the amount of pectin. To check test the jelly, use a teaspoon to pour some jelly onto a chilled plate; let it cool for a few seconds and then run your finger through it. If it pools back together, it needs to cook for longer. If it wrinkles and pulls away, it’s ready.
- When ready, remove the pot from any residual heat from the burner. Allow any bubbles to subside and skim off any remain scum. Carefully ladle the hot jelly into the still hot, sterilised jars, making sure to not fill them right to the top and to keep the lip and threads of the jar clean.
- Hot-water process the jars by putting them back into the pot of boiling water. Make sure there is enough boiling water to cover the jars completely and process for 10 minutes.
- Carefully remove the jars from the boiling water, place onto a towel and leave undisturbed for 24 hours before opening. Store in the fridge for up to a month, or if canned properly, longer.
Notes
Nutrition
Linking up with Fiesta Friday, hosted by Angie, and Liz @ Spades, Spatulas & Spoons. Go check out their wonderful recipes.
1 Comment
That seems like a perfectly understandable reaction to yet another lockdown. I am so sorry. Thanks for the definitions of the different ‘jam and jelly’ types. This looks delicious although I have never seen feijoa fruit here. Thank you so much for bringing it to the Fiesta Friday party. Many of us can sympathize with you.