Mint Jelly

[kpaumer]

Is there such a thing as real mint jelly anymore? The "mint jelly" I find at the supermarket contains apple jelly, or HFCS, with Blue and/or Green dye added.
Is mint jelly still considered an appropriate condiment to serve with Lamb? If so, do I have to settle for the fake stuff?

[mcsheridan]

I still like mint jelly now and again, if the lamb in question is just plain roasted or plain broiled, but if I'm doing a grilled butterflied leg o' lamb, then it's all about rosemary, garlic and olive oil, and Mint doesn't enter the picture! (Is it grilling time yet? YUM!) It won't get near my Irish Lamb Stew, either.

Polaner Real Mint Jelly has no apple jelly or apple flavor in it, just pure spearmint, but yes, it does have the dreaded HFCS. There are a number of mint jellies out there, organic, 'made with mint leaves', imported from the UK here:
http://www.thefind.com/food/info-mint...

Happy investigating!

[Babyducks]

Have you tried Mint Sauce? That's what my husband and his family use on lamb. It's usually found in the gourmet section of the supermarket. It's made my Crosse and Blackwell.

[Axalady]

We don't use mint jelly, we use Crosse and Blackwell Mint Sauce. It's a combination of malt vinegar, sugar and mint. Much better than cloyingly sweet mint jelly.

http://www.crosseandblackwell.com/pro...

[Das Ubergeek]

There's an Astérix joke about everything in England being boiled with mint sauce.

I can't imagine wanting to put sweets on lamb -- garlic, rosemary, lavender, thyme, savoury -- these are what I use.

[kb8240]

The mint jelly from the jar turns my stomach a little. Last time I made lamb chops I made an apple and mint salsa. Added the flavor and aroma without being neon green.

[Candy]

There is an imported Mint Jelly from England. The brand is Elizabethan Pantry. It is a golden mint jelly and contains sugar, vinegar, gelling agent, fruit pectin, mint and oil of mint. It retails for about $5.00

[HaagenDazs]

"Is mint jelly still considered an appropriate condiment to serve with Lamb?"

I would say from a foodie stand point, no. I think that chilled, cheap, processed mint jelly and fine lamb do NOT complement each other. I had it all the time growing up but I'd never serve it in my house now. That's not to say that you can't use mint though! It is certainly a valid flavor to accompany lamb, just use it in a more creative way. Try making a mint pesto, or even something as simple as a chiffonade of mint leaves on top of the roast/serving. Sauce with mint leaves in it... anything but the dreaded jelly! ;-)

But of course that's my opnion. If you want to glop some green goo on top of your prized leg of lamb, feel free.

[Blueicus]

Would it be more appealing if we called it mint aspic?

[HaagenDazs]

Hehe - aspic is a different thing and tends not to be made without meats as far as I'm concerned. Think head cheese. For lamb to come out of the oven/grill, and then attempt to make an aspic of mint and lamb... well your guests will be waiting for quite a while. Like hours.

[Blueicus]

Yeah, aspic tends to be a jellied clear stock of some sort used as a glaze... but from the aspic thread on this board some liberties are used regarding the name (tomato aspic, etc.)

[nemo]

I think the reason it's an apple jelly base is because mint doesn't have pectin. You can make your own, but I think it comes out a very pale color, if not almost gray. Apparently, somebody is buying the stuff because it's always on the grocery shelf! My favorite lamb flavorings these days are garlic and rosemary.