294630 Wed Oct 29 13:23:28 -0800 2003 6 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1616348 I was trying to make fruit jellies from the French Laundry book. I didn't have the specified apple pectin so I used regular supermarket fruit pectin. Was that my mistake? Can the two not be interchanged? My results was way too loose, it didn't hold up enough to be cut into squares and rolled in surgar. In fact, it was more jam/jelly consistence. So I melted the whole thing and added more pectin and recooked the whole thing, still not solid enough. The recipe is as follows: 1 C apple juice 1/2 C + 2 T lemon juice 1/4 C + 2 T water 2 1/4 C + 3 1/2 T sugar 1/2 C corn syrup 2 T apple pectin So mix everything except the 3 1/2 T of sugar and pectin and cook until hot and bubbly, mix half of the hot mixture into the pectin and surgar mixture and return that into the pot and cook until 219 degrees. So is it just that apple pectin can't be subsituted with regular fruit pectin, or did I do something wrong? Wed Oct 29 13:23:28 -0800 2003 0 Wendy Lai 1 1616355 About the only advice I can give is rather than cooking to a specific temperature when making jellies (I don't) I keep checking the consistency periodically by pouring some onto a plate. I also check for how it sheets or glops off the spoon. It really sounds to me, if you want thicker results, that your problem is too short a cooking time. Wed Oct 29 13:51:59 -0800 2003 1616348 0 Colleen 2 1616361 I didn't cook it for very long, because it reached 219 rather quickly. Maybe I'll give it another try with more pectin. What happens if there is too much pectin? Does it have a taste? Will it just be super chewy? Wed Oct 29 14:19:39 -0800 2003 1616355 0 Wendy Lai 3 1616367 Wendy: I don't know if you'll need the extra pectin with the longer cooking time, but sure. Pectin doesn't have a taste, but when your jelly sets up it may be really, really stiff (bordering on gummy) but still edible. Try it with more pectin and a longer cooking time, and if that's too stiff, try less pectin and a longer cooking time--that's how you have to work things out sometimes, just keep trying different permutations until you get what you want. Good luck. Jellies--both the spread-on-toast type and the turkish delight type can be frustrating to make when you don't have much experience with them, but when you do get it right, it's very satisfying. Wed Oct 29 14:52:44 -0800 2003 1616361 0 Wendy 4 1616368 Wendy: Sorry about putting your name on that last post--my mind was somewhere else. I also forgot to mention--with the longer cooking time, and the high sugar content, watch it carefully and stir it frequently. This stuff can scorch or burn very quickly. Wed Oct 29 14:54:41 -0800 2003 1616367 0 Colleen 1 1616524 When making jellies,you must consider the natural pectin present in the fruit that you are using,which varies widely.Different fruits require different amounts of pectin to set,and there are many kinds of pectin,as well.Making jellies well is an art,and takes a fair amount of trial and error.Too much pectin will result in fruit flavored hockey pucks. Thu Oct 30 08:49:47 -0800 2003 1616348 0 M.K. 2 1616547 It sure is an art - in addition to getting the pectin right, its important not to cook the fruit too long or the sugar will caramelize and the fresh fruit flavor will be lost forever. I cant say I have mastered this art yet, and I respect those who have it. Thu Oct 30 11:05:55 -0800 2003 1616524 0 jen kalb