Babas Guava Jelly Recipes

GUAVA JELLY

Steps:

• Dice guavas into one inch cubes.
• Place in a large saucepan and cover with just enough water to cover the fruit well.
• Cover and cook till guavas are very tender, about half an hour.
• Cool.
• Cover a large bowl with a muslin cloth and invert fruit onto the cloth taking care to catch the liquid that drips through the muslin, into the bowl.
• Gather the four ends of the cloth and tie a knot and hang this'bag' for about four hours and collect all the drippings into the bowl.
• LIGHTLY squeeze out any juice left in the cloth.
• Discard pulp.
• Measure the liquid.
• For every cup of liquid add one cup of sugar and one tablespoon of lemon juice.
• (Eg. if there are four cups of liquid you would need to add four cups of sugar and four tablespoons of lime/lemon juice.) Put this mixture back on fire and bring to a boil.
• Lower heat and cook, stirring constantly (as the liquid tends to boil over), till the liquid starts coating the spoon thickly and the juice/jelly drips from the spoon in jointed drops.
• Let stand for half an hour and pour into jars while still warm.
• Cover and seal.

GUAVA JELLY, THE CARIBBEAN'S BEST

Steps:

• With a veggie peeler, peel off the guava skins. Add to a blender or food processor. Blend until relatively smooth. Over medium-high heat, add the water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the sugar to the pan, stir until completely dissolved. Add the vinegar, juice of 3 limes and salt into the pan. Stir to combine. Use a mesh strainer to push the guava mixture through and into the saucepan. Discard the seeds. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and let cool. Scoop into jars and refrigerate until use. The jelly further thickens with refrigerator cooling.

BABA'S GUAVA JELLY

Steps:

• Select guavas that are slightly under ripe. Wash, trim stem ends and cut in half.
• Put in large kettle and add water until it shows through the fruit.
• Cook gently until guavas are tender, about 30 minutes.
• Strain through colander into an enamel bowl (I suspect glass is OK).
• Stain the juice through linen (an old napkin will work) tying the ends up so it can hand over the spigot in the sink and drip into the enamel bowl overnight.
• Make the jelly in small batches. Place juice, lemon and sugar into an appropriate sized pot. A large one is good so it can boil quickly.
• Stir the mixture at first, until the sugar has dissolved.
• After the jelly comes to a full boil, let it cook for 18 minutes or until the jelly test done.
• Pour into sterilized jars, seal and use safe canning methodology.

BRAZO GITANO DE GUAYABA (JELLY ROLL WITH GUAVA)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour a 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan.
• Break eggs into a small mixing bowl; beat with an electric mixer until thick and lemon-colored. Beat in sugar gradually. Add water, lime zest, and vanilla extract and blend well. Beat in flour gradually until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and loosen the edges with a sharp knife. Turn out immediately onto a tea towel sprinkled with powdered sugar.
• Cut guava paste into chunks and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring in between, until spreadable. Be careful, it will get hot because of the high sugar content.
• Trim any stiff edges off of the cake and spread guava over. Roll up carefully in jelly roll fashion from the narrow end, using the towel to ease the cake over. Let cool in the towel on a wire rack for about 30 minutes.
• Remove the towel carefully and sprinkle additional powdered sugar over the top if desired. Slice to serve.

SURE.JELL GUAVA JELLY

Steps:

• Bring boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain jars well before filling.
• Cut guavas into thin slices; place in 4-qt. saucepan. Add water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 5 min. Thoroughly crush cooked guavas. Place three layers of damp cheesecloth or a jelly bag in large bowl. Pour prepared fruit into cheesecloth. Tie cheesecloth closed; hang and let drip into bowl until dripping stops. Press gently. Measure exactly 4-1/2 cups juice into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot. Add food coloring.
• Stir pectin into juice in saucepot. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
• Ladle quickly into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 5 min. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

GUAVA JAM

Steps:

• Cut each guava into 8 pieces. Place in a pot and fill with water until guavas are just covered; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until fruit is very soft, about 1 hour. Remove from the heal and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Strain contents of the pot through a fine mesh sieve into a 1-quart liquid measure, using a spatula to push fruit through the sieve so only seeds and skins remain. Take note, you should get about 4 cups fruit. Clean the pot and pour the fruit back in.
• For every cup of fruit, add 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Stirring constantly, bring to a simmer and continue to cook until sugar is dissolved and jam has thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. If the jam thickens on its own and drips very slowly off a spoon, do not add pectin. However, if it does not thicken up enough, add liquid pectin and simmer for 1 minute longer. Pull off the heat.
• While jam is cooking, inspect six 1/2-pint jars for cracks and rings for rust, discarding any defective ones. Immerse in simmering water until jam is ready. Wash new, unused lids and rings in warm soapy water.
• Fill hot, sterilized jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a clean knife or thin spatula around the insides of the jars to remove any air bubbles. Wipe rims with a moist paper towel to remove any residue. Top with lids and screw rings on tightly.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil and lower jars 2 inches apart into the boiling water using a holder. Pour in more boiling water to cover jars by at least 1 inch. Bring to a rolling boil, cover, and process for 10 minutes.
• Remove the jars from the stockpot and let rest, several inches apart, for 12 to 24 hours. Press the center of each lid with a finger to ensure the lid does not move up or down. Remove the rings for storage and store in a cool, dark area.