Summer continues to delight us with warmth, fragrant berries and juicy fruits. If the kids already refuse to eat them in their natural form, and you don’t really want to cook pies on a hot day, make berry jelly!
Dessert constructor
Any berries and fruits are suitable for making jelly. You can make a jelly out of a mixture of berries by filling them with rich compote or syrup with the addition of gelatin if you want the berries to be clearly visible. Jelly can be prepared in bulk cake form or in small serving cups, in any case, you have the opportunity to work on how it will look when finished. For example, lay out the bottom of a large dish with neat slices of fruit in a salad bowl so that a beautiful pattern is obtained on the surface of the jelly. Place mint leaves on the bottom of the glass, then they will show off at the very top of the portioned dessert. You can make multi-layered jelly by letting each layer harden in shape, it's a little longer, but the result looks spectacular!
How to make layered colorful jelly?
To do this, you need to prepare several bases for jelly. It can be fruit juice, rich compote, clear syrup with mint or lemon juice, fruit puree, natural yogurt, milk or cream. To prepare a multilayer jelly, gelatin, according to the instructions on the package (number of grams per volume of liquid), is added to each of your chosen bases. Filling each layer, you need to give it time to harden or at least “grab”, and only then fill in the next one.
Easy way to avoid calories
Yes, yes, yes, jelly is a great option for a low-calorie dessert. It is prepared without butter and flour, and you can vary the amount of sugar yourself. You can even do without it completely, using natural juice as a base!
Jelly mix or gelatin?
Jelly mix is convenient, quick and easy. True, you should pay attention to the composition of the product, if it does not cause you questions - cook it. If flavorings and flavorings confuse you, it is better to use regular gelatin, syrup and natural fruits.
Adult jelly
What's stopping us from adding a little spice to dessert in the form of berry liqueur or sparkling wine? Only the presence of children at the table. If you are preparing a treat for adults, feel free to experiment. Pineapples in champagne can solidify perfectly and not lose their taste at all!
3 helpful tips before you get started
- What to make jelly in? A silicone cake or cupcake mold is a very good option! Jelly looks especially impressive in a curly cake pan. If this is not found in the household, use deep salad bowls or bowls. The volumetric form (especially if you are preparing jelly for the first time!), It is better to line the inside with cling film, so it will be more convenient for you to remove the jelly from it after hardening. For portion serving, glasses, muffin tins, disposable cups or cups are suitable. Sparkling wine jelly is, of course, best served in wine glasses!
- How to remove the jelly from the mould? Place the mold and jelly in a bowl of hot water for a few seconds to heat up the sides of the mold a little, then cover the mold with a plate and invert. If the jelly is not on your plate, repeat the procedure.
- Which gelatin to choose? Most often in stores you can find gelatin in powder form, but confectioners prefer sheet gelatin, so it is not rare in recipes. To calculate the amount of gelatin for your dessert, carefully study the packaging of gelatin (sheet or powder) - how much liquid it is designed for. Keep in mind that the volume of the liquid is what you use as a base - compote, syrup, milk or yogurt. Sheet gelatin can be bought in large stores, the assortment of groceries of which is quite wide, ordered online or found in pastry shops. Do not use gelatin, the packaging of which says "for jelly" or "For jellied fish" - spices are already added to such packages.