Sunday, March 03, 2019

Tejocote, A New-to-me Fruit

Tejocote, Mexican Hawthorne (Crataegus mexicana), trees aren't a common sight in northern California, even though they seem to grow so well here. But, my friend's next door neighbor has a tree that right now is raining golden fruit, and it is impossible for me to see all this fruit sitting there, not getting used, without experimenting with it.

My friend's neighbor gave us a bag he had picked, and my friend and I picked up even more fallen fruit. Curious, I bit into one. It was bitter and pithy. It didn't taste like something I wanted to eat. But, I had read that they didn't taste great fresh, and it was really how they were used as an ingredient that made them special. They are necessary for the Mexican holiday drink ponche, and some people also make a sweet tamale filling with them or add them to atole. I also read in various sources that they're used for candies and jellies, and that they were rich in pectin, so jelly sounded like the perfect place to start experimenting.



*I rinsed off the fruits, put them in a big pot, covered them with water, and boiled them until they were soft. Then I mashed them with a potato masher and boiled them for a few more minutes. Finally, I poured the contents of the pot in a couple jelly bags in order to strain the liquid from the solids. This is standard practice when making "juice" for jelly with quince, berries, or other fruit.

The juice was the color of fresh apple juice, but goopy, already almost syrupy. I have never worked with a fruit so rich in pectin, not even quinces or limes. When I tasted the juice, it still was a little bitter, not very acidic. It tasted incredibly earthy, not like dirt but like dark clouds and parched corn and winter. It really needed brightening. So I reached for the blood oranges that Scott and I have been getting at our farmers' market. It still needed a little more something special, so I added some sweet vermouth. The juice is so rich in pectin it could handle the addition of alcohol without resulting in a too-loose jelly. The three flavors, tejocote and blood orange and vermouth, came together beautifully. And the jelly turned out not just delicious, but a lovely warm pink color.



































Tejocote Jelly with Blood Orange and Vermouth
Makes 3 pints

You will need:
4 cups tecojote juice (see above*)
4 cups sugar
1/2 cup strained blood orange juice
peels of two small very dark red blood oranges, cut off in wide strips with a vegetable peeler
the strained juice of one lemon
3 oz sweet vermouth

To make the jelly:
Pour all the ingredients into a preserving pan or large pot and stir. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. The juice will clarify when cooked but, since it is so rich in pectin, it will also form clumps of pectin. Cook until the mixture is boiling vigorously and the bubbles look like fish eyes. Since this fruit is so pectin-y, this will happen much faster than with other jams or jellies.

Once the mixture has reached the jelly stage, carefully pour it through a strainer to collect the rind and any extra clumps of pectin. When I made this, I poured it through a strainer into a large pitcher, which I then used to fill my jars.

Pour into six prepared half-pint jars and sterilize according to the USDA's guidelines on home food preserving safety.

2 comments:

lance said...

I just started some seeds of these and am hoping they will grow as I want to try as a bonsai tree. They used to be smuggled into the USA by Mexican produce people back in the early 2000's when I was in the produce business. Necessary for Christmas punches as you say here in this excellent article Christine. Merry Christmas all.

Kevin said...

This is an inspiring post. I was looking for something to do with our Tejocotes. Thank you! :)