Concord Grape Experiment #1

I've finally been able to experiment with concord grapes, as I had recently been thinking about how I can use them in my cooking.  I'll post a few of these creations over the next few days. 

The first, pictured on the right, is a Jalapeno Concord Jelly.  The juice of the grape is infused with slices of spicy jalapeno and chilled to make a jelly. The grape juice tastes a bit like Welch's to be honest, but the spicy kick of the jalapeno was a very nice addition.  I chose to use the jelly with fresh raw oysters.   The briny, fresh oyster was perfect with the sweet/spicy flavors of the jelly.  The fresh chopped mint was added as a garnish to work with the grape flavors and balance to some of the spiciness.

See the recipe below.....

Take about two cups of fresh concord grapes and puree them in a food processor for a few minutes.   Strain the grapes through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds/skins, etc. 

Chop half of the jalapeno into a small dice, seeds removed.  Put the grape juice into a small pot with about two or three splashes of orange juice.   Throw in jalapeno, a pinch of salt, a squeeze of lemon juice and place on low heat. Bring to a simmer.  You are just looking to cook at low heat for a few minutes in order to get the flavors to meld together. Pour about 1 1/2 cups of the liquid, while still hot, into a shallow pan.  Add one packet of gelatin and mix well.  Place in the fridge for at least 3 hours to let firm up.