Need New Year's Hostess Gifts? 2 Impressive DIY Recipes From Cookbook Author, Winery

Recipes from author of Saving the Seasons cookbook, Kevin West, and SIMI Winery of Healdsburg.

NOTE: Any brands of wine can be substituted in these two recipes.

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Kevin West’s Apple Jelly

3 pounds small, tart, crisp apples—preferably green or heirloom varieties

6 cups water

4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 large bay leaves

2/3 cups SIMI Alexander Valley Landslide Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon or any other brand

4 cups sugar

Cooking steps:

1) Chop the apples, including the peels and cores. Place them in a deep pot and add water, which should not quite cover the fruit. Weight down the apples with a lid one size smaller than your cooking pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the apples start to collapse and break apart. Turn off heat and allow the cooked apples to cool for half an hour.

2) Strain the apples through a damp jelly bag and capture the liquid in a bowl. (You could also use a double layer of damp cheesecloth or a clean tea towel that you have moistened and wrung out.) You should have 5 to 5 ½ cups of this pectin stock, which will be cloudy. It’s fine to lightly squeeze or massage the bag in order to extract more liquid if you’re short, but stop before you squeeze our particles or chunks that would cloud the jelly.

3) Divide the pectin stock into two equal portions. You will have a better and more reliable outcome if you cook the jelly in two batches—and I promise that two small batches cook almost as quickly as one large batch.

4) Choose a wide, low-sided pot such as a 6-quart enameled casserole. Add half the pectin stock, 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/3 cup SIMI Landslide Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Stir in 2 cups of the sugar. Stirring frequently, reduce at a full boil for 12-14 minutes, or until mats of large bubbles—I call them “frog eyes”—start to foam up. Turn off the heat and check the set by spooning ½ teaspoon of hot jelly onto a chilled saucer and placing it in the freezer for 1 minute. If it forms a skin that wrinkles when you push your finger through it, the jelly is ready. Otherwise, bring the contents of the pot back to a boil for one minute longer, then check again. (You’ll reach the gel set faster if you’re using supplemental dried apple pectin.)

5) Working quickly now before the jelly sets up, discard the bay leaf and ladle the hot jelly into two half-pint jars. Seal, and store the cooled jars in the refrigerator for up to a month. (If you plan to can the jelly, leave ¼” headspace, seal, and process in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes.)

6) Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

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Kevin West’s Whole-Grain Chardonnay Mustard

Yields 1 ½ cups

2 tablespoons mustard powder

¼ cup water

½ cup yellow mustard seeds (3 ounces)

2 tablespoons brown mustard seeds

1/3 cup SIMI Sonoma County Chardonnay or any other brand

¼ cup sherry vinegar or white-wine vinegar

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon sugar

optional: 2 sprigs of fresh thyme

Cooking steps:

1) Whisk together the mustard powder and water in a bowl. Stir in the seeds. Set aside for 10 minutes.

2) Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover, and store in the refrigerator overnight.

3) The next morning, adjust the seasonings to taste. (Note that the mustard will be fiercely hot and somewhat bitter at first.) Discard the thyme springs, if using. If you prefer a smoother but still grainy texture, process the mustard for 30-60 seconds in a blender or with an immersion blender. Transfer the mustard to jars. Seal, and mellow in the refrigerator for three days before using. The finished mustard will keep in the refrigerator for a month.

Note: This recipe can be doubled or quadrupled to make a large batch for gifting.

• Also see:
• Turn That ‘Bad, Stupid’ Gift Into A ‘Beautiful’ Lesson Of Gratitude
• Holiday Party Cocktail: How to Make a Crystal Cosmopolitan
• Mull Over These: 2 Easy Spiced Wine And Punch Recipes For Holidays
• Need Last-Minute Stocking Stuffer? How About ‘Winter in Wineries Passport’?