One of the recipes I featured on THVII This Morning today was the Smokey Cheese Ring from Riceland Foods.* I’ve made cheese rings of one sort or the other over the years, but this was my first time to make it with rice as one of the ingredients. One taste was all it took to take away my skepticism. It was delicious and much lighter than my older versions. And served with this Cranberry Habanero Jam made it even more so.
The recipe calls for it to be served with raspberry jam, but I wanted something more seasonal so I opted for the Cranberry Habanero Jam. You know I love the heat in this as evidenced by the number of variations I have used, including this Habanero Peach Jam version which has been a huge hit among my family and friends.
I also opted to top the cheese ring with toasted pecans and to serve the jam as a center feature. While it is prettiest probably drizzled with the jam, I wanted guests to be able to control the amount of heat they wanted on their servings. either way, it’s a delicious dish and one of those terrific Make-Ahead Appetizers that will make your party preparations so much easier.
This jam makes several servings. I made 24 4 ounces jars to use as little gifts for friends and neighbors. They would also make really nice party favors, I think.
I hope your holidays are gull of friends and family and fun. I’m trying not to let the hectic pace that always seems to occur, become overwhelming. Careful planning and preparation is one of the ways I do that. Of course, there’s always upteen loaves of Gary’s Favorite Pumpkin Bread still to be made:)
But that’s okay by me.
- 2 12-ounce bags fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
- 7 orange habaneros, cored and seeds removed (if desired)
- 1 large red bell pepper, cored and seeds removed
- 1 piece of fresh ginger about the size of a quarter and 1/4-inch thick (or less), peeled, optional
- 7 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 32 ounces cranberry juice (not cranberry cocktail)
- 2 pouches liquid pectin (I use Certo.)
- Prepare the jars and lids.
- Roughly chop the cranberries; place in a large saucepan.
- Finely chop the habaneros, orange bell pepper and ginger in a food processor.
- Mix the peppers, sugar and lemon juice into the cranberries; stir well.
- Stir in the cranberry juice.
- Bring the mixture to a rapid boil, stirring frequently.
- Add in the liquid pectin and bring back to a hard boil for one minute.
- Remove from the heat and skim off the foam, if desired.
- Pack into sterilized jars and seal.
- Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes; cool completely before storing.
- Check lids for proper seal.
- If you are not accustomed to water bath canning, I suggest you purchase a good guide. I'm a big fan of Ball's canning manuals myself.
- The pamphlet in the box of Certo is a good general guide for making jams and jellies.
- This recipe will make 8-10 half pints of jam
Loved seeing the clip from thvi! This looks good. Wish I didn’t have a problem with peppers.