Rangpur Lime Preserves with Honey and Chile
De Arbol (Capsicum Annuum) means tree like in Spanish. The plant has thick, upright, woody stems and the chile itself is narrow, curved and bright red in color. Believed to be closely related to the pequin, the De Arbol is thin fleshed, with tannic, smoky, grassy flavor and searing heat. This chile has a heat range of 7.5 on the heat scale of 1-10. De Arbol Chiles are comparable to a Cayenne Pepper. Scoville heat units 15,000 to 30,000.
Suggested Use:
De Arbol is a hot chile and a staple in Southwest kitchens. Add some heat to your next salsa or Mexican dish. Be adventurous and add them to your next stew or chili along with the other spices Add some heat to your next salsa or Mexican dish.
Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 lbs Rangpur limes (preferably unsprayed)
2 cups water
4 dried Thai or de arbol chiles, chopped, with seeds
1/4 tsp coarse sea salt
1 lb wildflower honey, divided
Instructions:
Day 1. Wash limes, scrubbing the skin. Slice each in half, then cut the middle pithy seam out with a shallow “V” cut. Run you finger along the seam, removing all of the seeds, saving as much juice as possible (reserve seeds & pith). Slice each lime half in quarters, lengthwise, then thinly slice the quarters crosswise, to end up with tiny triangles of peel + fruit. Add fruit + juice to a large measuring cup as you go. My yield of fruit + juice was 3 cups. Transfer fruit to a medium Dutch oven or preserving pot. Add water (adjust water slightly if your yield of fruit varies), chiles and salt. Gather lime seeds and pith into a tea ball or cheesecloth bundle: add to pot. Bring fruit mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Transfer to a heat-safe bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
Day 2. Prepare canner, jars and lids. Transfer fruit mixture to your preserving pot. Remove tea ball or cheesecloth (give cheesecloth a good squeeze). Add honey, reserving about 1/4 cup (2 oz) to stir in at the end. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil, without stirring, until liquid is reduced and syrupy, about 15 minutes. Temperature will read between 214 and 216 degrees F and a dollop of syrup will mound slightly, but not wrinkle, after 2 minutes on a frozen plate. Taste and stir in additional honey, if needed. Fill hot jars to 1/4-inch headspace, bubble jars, wipe rims, affix lids and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Yields about 3 cups.
From localkitchenblog.com