After a recent family trip to Italy, my daughter asked me to try to replicate some Limoncello Jelly she bought while enjoying her time there. Well, I knew it couldn't be that hard so I agreed, but before I knew it, a few months had gone by, and it was December already. Yikes! I needed to get busy so she could have some for the holidays.
What Is Limoncello?
Limoncello is an Italian liqueur made from lemon zest. It’s mainly produced in Southern Italy, particularly in Sorrento, Capri, and along the Amalfi Coast. Traditionally, limoncello is made with Femminello St. Teresa lemons, a vibrant lemon variety native to the Sorrento Peninsula of Italy.
The liqueur is served chilled in small ceramic glasses as an apéritif or digestif (a drink served before or after a meal) to aid in digestion.
Limoncello is made by steeping lemon zest (peels) in highly concentrated ethanol or vodka until oil is released, then mixing the resulting yellow liquid with simple syrup. Its alcohol content varies, especially among homemade varieties, but is usually measured somewhere in the 25-30% range. (source: myrecipes.com)
This sweet, lemony jelly is fantastic as a filling or glaze for baked goods. It can also be used on chicken or fish then baked to form a lovely lemony caramelized coating.
Serve it alongside your cheese and crackers on a spread or even with mascarpone or goat cheese on a crostini. Eat it with fresh berries with or without whipped cream. It's bright, sunny and so cheerful! It brings amazing flavor to most anything you serve it with.
RECIPE
Ingredients
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup lemon juice (bottled or fresh)
1 box powdered fruit pectin (I used Sure Jell)
1 3/4 cups limoncello
3 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon butter (optional to reduce foaming)
Method
Place water and lemon juice in 6-quart kettle (or pot). Add Sure Jell and stir well to dissolve.
Heat to boiling, add limoncello and return to a boil. Add sugar all at once and bring back to a full, rolling boil (a boil that cannot be stirred down). Add the butter and boil hard for exactly 1 minute.
Remove from heat, skim any foam.
Ladle hot jelly into jars leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Cover with lids and rings and process in boiling water bath or steam canner 5 minutes. Remove jars and allow to cool undisturbed 24 hours on your countertop. Jars are sealed when button on top of lid is fully depressed and won't flex up or down.
Store in pantry up to 1 year.
Yield: 4 1/2 cups
Enjoy,
Mary
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