Persimmon Jelly (2)

After accidentally making a persimmon jelly that was really a jam, I'm making a real Persimmon Jelly by adapting the 1920s recipe for Pomegranate Jelly.

Persimmon Jelly 

5 -6 persimmons

250 ml water

1 lime, juiced (peel and keep the rind)

120g white sugar

1 egg white, and the egg shell

5 leaves gelatine

1 teaspoon cochineal

Wash but do not peel the fruit, cut into quarters and put in a single layer into a preserving pan. Cover the fruit with water, bring to the boil and simmer, semi covered, for an hour or so, until soft. Strain the liquor through a fine sieve. There should be about 500ml of liquid.

Whisk the egg white with a little water.

Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 to 7 minutes; remove the gelatine mass and gently squeeze out the water.

Put the persimmon liquor, water, sugar, lime juice and rind, the egg white and egg shell into an enamel saucepan. Over a gentle heat, whisk the mixture until it comes to the boil; skimming the scum as it rises. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the gelatine and cochineal, cover the pan; let it stand ten minutes.

Pour a kettle of boiling water through a jelly bag (or a piece of muslin or a clean tea-towel) to warm it. When the water has drained off, pour in the jelly and let it strain into a wetted mould. (I put the wetted jelly mould in a large saucepan, placed the sieve across the top and lined it with a double layer of muslin.) Refrigerate the jelly for at least 3 hours, or overnight, to set. Serves 6.