Chirp, chirp
I hope everyone had a lovely Easter and/or Passover! I’m not sure my Easter weekend could have been any more delightful and a highlight was definitely attending my friend Natasha’s amazing brunch on Sunday. She is a dedicated Breaking the Mold blog reader (and commenter) and when she asked me to bring a jello mold for her brunch, I knew I had to step up my game. She also helped me brainstorm what to make and thanks to her inspiration (and color palette suggestions) the result did not disappoint.
Natasha is fancy and has lived in France where a popular drink is champagne and sweet vermouth. I happened to have a bottle of super nice sweet red vermouth thanks to my friend Tyson (ahem, who doesn’t read my blog, ahem) and a bottle of super low-end Cook’s that I was reserving for my next boozey jello mold. When making champagne jello molds, the cheap stuff is actually best because the flavor comes through better and really, just save the good stuff for something else.
Natasha is also an interior designer and has a great eye for color and design. As we were discussing what fruit to put in the mold, she suggested a monochromatic approach that would go well with the other dishes she was planning to serve at the brunch. Yes folks, we sometimes color coordinate our party food. Martha Stewart would be proud.
The mold turned out beautifully and tasted pretty amazing. Some of the brunch guests had never had my jello before and were a little hesitant to give it a go. They didn’t seem too traumatized after tasting it though…so, that’s a win. Breaking the Mold blog: converting innocent people to jello-lovers (or jello-tolerators) since 2010.
Champagne & Sweet Vermouth with Strawberries & Pomegranate
Ingredients:
1/2 cup + 5 tablespoons water
3 envelopes of Knox unflavored gelatin (approx. 7 1/2 teaspoons)
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups champagne
1/4 cup sweet red vermouth
1 drop red food coloring (optional)
About 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries and pomegranate seeds
Start by soaking the gelatin in the 5 tablespoons of water. Then, dissolve the sugar in the 1/2 cup of water over low heat. Once dissolved, add the two cups of champagne and then whisk in the gelatin until it’s also completely dissolved. Add 1 drop of red food coloring and reserve 3/4 cup of the mixture before putting the rest in the fridge until the mixture thickens into a gel (approx. 60-90 minutes depending on…a lot of things – just check back often!). Whisk 1/4 cup of sweet red vermouth into the reserved 3/4 cup of the gelatin mixture and leave out at room temperature.
Once the gelatin mixture in the fridge has thickened into a gel, stir in the fruit and spoon into your mold. Return to the fridge to firm up (maybe another 30 minutes?) but check back frequently. You’ll want to pour the final layer when the jello is firm but sticks to your finger when you touch it. Once it’s reached that point, you can add a bit more fruit to the vermouth/gelatin mixture and spoon gently into the mold. Return to the fridge for at least another few hours to firm up. Finally, unmold on a pretty plate and impress all your friends.
Paige did a mini-photo shoot of every fabulous thing at this brunch so I’ve included a few more photos for your viewing pleasure.
Happy Molding!
Jell-O On A Boat
Hello lovely readers! I’ve recently returned from a glorious four night cruise to Mexico with my dear friend Catherine. We wanted a vacation that required minimal effort and provided lots of sun. Bingo.
Cruises aren’t necessarily known for the quality of their food but boy did they deliver in the quantity department. I think I’m still full.
Now, where there are buffets, there is usually Jell-O – and the Carnival Cruise buffets did not disappoint. Below is a tour of our ship’s gelatin-based offerings.
Clearly labeled so there’s no mistaking it for anything else.
Although I do have my doubts that these were made with name-brand Jell-O. They were room temperature and lacking in the flavor department. I give them a C.
This was a Mango Mousse that had so much gelatin and so little flavor that I could only choke down one bite. Contrary to what you may have been lead to believe by my ramblings on this blog, the gelatin ratio in a dessert is not directly proportional to how tasty it is. Catherine was able to literally peel the top layer off this dessert. That’s gross. I give this an F.
The pink marshmallows looked pretty sad – even worse than my first attempt at homemade marshmallow wrangling. They didn’t taste awful but I didn’t go back for a second bite. I give them a D.
The “yellow” and “red” jellies sure looked nice and they had a good texture and consistency. They were lacking, however, any discernible flavor profile. I give them a C+. The plus is because (after spending all morning in the sun and a few piña coladas) you can add two candied walnut crumbs for eyes and make this:
Ah, the sea.
Happy Molding!
The Cupcake Stands Alone
I wish I’d remembered to take a group shot before I handed these cuties out but I didn’t, so this one will have to do. Also, who thinks I should invest in an actual camera this year? I really shouldn’t be subjecting you lovely people to my grainy/poorly lit/awkwardly staged cellphone pictures.
At any rate, I decided to take a crack at the delightfully named “jello poke cake” last week. I was in a sugar (and tequila, if I’m being honest) induced baking frenzy thanks to Valentine’s Day and thought cupcakes would be a nice vehicle for these adorable (and previously referenced) sprinkles.
These cupcakes are sweet enough to put a healthy adult into a diabetic coma but they were delicious and adorable and pink – all important criteria for Valentine’s Day treats.
Strawberry Jell-O Poke Cupcake
To make these delightful sugar-bombs, start by preparing your cupcakes. Boxed mixes work great for this – I used plain vanilla but you could use any flavor that you think would go well with your chosen Jell-O flavor. Once the cupcakes have cooled, use a fork to pierce the cupcake 3-4 times all the way down to the bottom.
Dissolve 6 tablespoons (a three ounce box) of your Jell-O – I used strawberry but again, your choice – into 1 cup of boiling water. You’ll want to set the cupcakes in a pan (preferably on a wire rack) to catch the Jell-O run-off. Carefully pour the Jell-O over each cupcake so that it can soak through the pierced holes. Then, refrigerate for at least 3 hours to let the Jell-O set.
Top with your frosting of choice – I used a simple white icing recipe and added a few drops of food coloring. Be sure to garnish with something fun!
Did everyone have a nice Valentine’s Day? Anyone else whip themselves into a treat-making frenzy? Have one margarita too many with fabulous friends (Natasha and Alexa – holler!)? Maybe that was just me?
Happy Molding!
Sugar, Sugar
Happy Valentine’s Day, dear blog readers!
I hope you’re spending today with a loved one – romantic or otherwise. It’s a very sweet holiday but certainly not worth feeling lonely or sad over – not when there are pink marshmallows to be enjoyed!
For these, I used my usual marshmallow recipe and added red food coloring towards the end. I also used an 8×8 dish to mold these so they came out a bit thicker than the ones I made for my holiday party. They were a little more difficult to tackle with the pizza cutter but if you roll up your sleeves and show that marshmallow who’s boss, you’ll manage just fine.
After slicing and dusting with powered sugar, I heated up dark chocolate to spoon on the top of each one.
This was my chance to finally break out the most adorable sprinkles I’ve ever seen. Seriously. Just tell me those aren’t the cutest tiny hearts you’ve ever seen.
The best part of being an adult is that it’s perfectly acceptable to have three of these for dinner. Especially because no one was around to judge me. Except the cat. But her nickname is “little miss piggy” so I’m sure she was cheering me on.
Anyway, hope you’re having a great day. And if you’re not, here’s what the Oatmeal has to say on the subject. God bless him. Just remember that if sexy rumpus isn’t an option, pink marshmallows and a Manhattan will do a pinch.
Happy Molding!
Oh, Jell-O…
I came across this retro Jell-O advertisement while combing the internet for entertaining blog fodder. The only part of the ad that this Women’s Studies major doesn’t take issue with is the line: “actually, Jell-O is everybody’s best friend.” Incredibly sexist advertising aside, that’s hard to disagree with.
Happy Molding!
Pumpkin Mousse Parfaits & Exciting News
So I’ve started this post about 18 different times over the last few weeks but always wound up distracted or fallen asleep before I could finish it – oops! But the other day I discovered something truly exciting that I just had to share. Are you ready? Are you sure? OK, if you’re sure…
Next week is National Jell-O Week.
What.
I know! We can thank (at least in part) the Mormons for their dedication to the cause and also the fine people at Kraft Foods for continuing to manufacture and promote this true American delicacy.
Luckily, I have a Friday Dinner planned for February 17th so I’ll be able to celebrate in style. And, since Valentine’s Day is also next week – and everyone knows Valentine’s Day is a veritable goldmine of gelatin-related recipes – I have lots (OK, more like several) of fun posts planned.
I’ll tide you over with this recipe for Pumpkin Mousse Parfaits that I made for my holiday party back in December. I found the recipe last fall while catching up on my Good Housekeeping at my grandma’s apartment. I made them in individual cups so everyone could have their own which meant this dessert was not only delicious but also, adorable. Next time I’ll wait to sprinkle the ginger snaps over the top until just before serving but otherwise this recipe was spot on.
Pumpkin Mousse Parfaits
Thanks to Paige for the photo!
Mousse Ingredients:
1 envelope Knox unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup dark rum
15 oz. canned pumpkin
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 extra large egg yolks
2 teaspoons finely grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped Cream Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Garnish:
3 1/2 cups-ish gingersnap cookies, crumbled
3 tablespoons-ish dry, crystallized ginger (if desired)
Start by sprinkling the gelatin over the rum and letting it soften while you prepare the other ingredients. Combine the pumpkin, sugars, egg yolks, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt – whisk until well combined (no lumps!).
To dissolve the gelatin in the rum, use a double broiler or a saucepan with a bowl. We’ve covered this before but you just bring a few inches of water to boil in a saucepan and then put the heatproof bowl (I use a glass Pyrex one) on top and let the steam heat whatever you’re dissolving (chocolate, gelatin, etc.). Once the gelatin is dissolved, whisk it into the pumpkin mixture and set aside.
Whip the cream and vanilla (from the mousse ingredients list) until soft peaks form and then fold into the pumpkin mixture.
Whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla (from the whipped cream ingredients list in case you haven’t been paying attention) until medium peaks form. Don’t over beat the cream!
Now, here is where the original recipe suggests layering your pumpkin mousse, then whipped cream, then the crumbled cookies, then more mousse, more whipped cream, and finally, more crumbled cookies and ginger. This certainly looks nice and if you know that the parfaits will be consumed that evening then go for it! If you think you might have leftovers, however, I would suggest just doing the mousse and whipped cream layers – topping with the crumbled cookies just before serving. This way the leftovers will keep for another day or two without having to worry about soggy cookies (almost as bad as soggy pretzels).
Note that you can layer these into individual serving vessels like a glass (or plastic cup like I did) or you can make this in one large glass bowl and allow people to serve themselves (scooping out however much they want).
However you’ve chosen to layer your parfaits, you’ll want to cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight) so they can firm up. No un-molding necessary! Simply serve to your impressed guests.
Well, there you have it folks. I’ll be back to share my Valentine’s Day and National Jell-O week adventures soon. Hopefully you’ll be able to stand the wait…
Happy Molding!
Chocolate + Rum = Snow Day Dessert
I don’t need to tell those of you who live in the Pacific Northwest that we’ve been having some weather lately. For those of you who haven’t experienced the sweet chaos that is a Seattle snow day, I’ll just leave this link here as background. Now, because I live on the top of a very high hill and because I was raised to be highly suspicious of any kind of inclement weather (you’d never know I’m the daughter of a Vermont native), I spent most of the week snowbound in my apartment. My company’s campus was closed but thanks to the laptops we’re all thoughtfully provided, work continued! I’m not a huge fan of working from home and three days was plenty to tide me over for quite some time. Despite my relative stranding and mountains of work, I did manage to get out for some snow-angel-making and sledding (that’s still socially acceptable for adults, right?).
By the time Friday rolled around, the snow was melting but the roads were just crummy enough that I lost half my Friday Dinner attendees. No matter! That just meant more chocolate-rum mousse for the hearty souls who trekked their way to my apartment. I don’t recall how I came across this recipe but I reasoned that if the New York Times saw fit to print it in 1966 then it was probably worth trying. The recipe sounded a bit strange but it was easy to make and only required me going to the store for milk since I had everything else on hand. I have to say, it turned out to be exactly what everyone needed to get over our cabin fever. I will modify it a bit next time though, because it was a little too knock-your-socks-off boozy. The recipe calls for the mousse to be served with whipped cream and I decided to add a chewy cherry cocoa cookie (CCCC for short?) using this amazing recipe and adding chopped dried cherries instead of chocolate chips. I also took liberties with the garnish and sprinkled unsweetened shredded coconut on top because, well, coconut is delicious and bonus points because it looked like snow. I like to think Martha Stewart would be proud.
Chocolate-Rum Mousse
Mousse Ingredients:
1/4 cup cold whole milk
3/4 cup boiling whole milk
1 envelope Knox unflavored gelatin
6 tablespoons dark rum
1 large egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup (approx. 6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
2 ice cubes
Whipped Cream Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
Put the cold milk and gelatin in a blender to soften and blend at a low speed to combine. Add the boiling milk and blend until the gelatin is dissolved. Next, add the rum, egg, sugar, and salt. Blend at a high speed and add the chopped chocolate until smooth. Add the cup of cream and ice cubes, continuing to blend until the ice cubes are liquified. Pour into a serving bowl or individual dishes (this serves about 8) and chill at least a few hours or overnight. Whip the cream and vanilla before serving.
Note that I used 2 cups of half-and-half instead of 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of cream (hey, it worked) and I used dark chocolate instead of semi-sweet. Next time, I will use only 4 tablespoons of rum and add a few more ounces of chocolate. However, several dinner attendees loved it just the way it was so, to each their own – and no judging!
Happy Molding!
Nothing Says “Party” Like a Marshmallow
OK, that’s probably a bit of a stretch. But I made two batches of marshmallows for a holiday party I hosted back in December and they were quite festive. I made one batch in a jelly roll pan so they would be thinner and then drizzled them in chocolate and sprinkled bits of candy cane on them. Like this:
The second batch I made in a smaller pan so they would have more puff to them and put bits of candy cane on top before they set. Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures of my second batch which is a real bummer because I gave them away as favors at the holiday party in little cellophane bags and they were ADORABLE. I really channeled my inner Martha Stewart on that one.
So I don’t have photos of those but I do have some fabulous photos (thanks to Paige) of the chocolate drizzled marshmallows. I will also walk you through the marshmallow making process which may sound daunting but totally isn’t. Trust me. I used a different recipe than I did last Christmas which I found to be far superior and will now be my go-to for marshmallows. Aren’t you lucky that you have me to test drive these recipes for you? This way, only one of us ends up with a kitchen covered in marshmallow goo. Better for everyone, really.
Disclaimer: The “that’s what she said” jokes pretty much write themselves in a post about making marshmallows but I’ll leave you to fill them in where you deem appropriate.
Holiday Party
Marshmallows with Chocolate and Peppermint
Ingredients:
3 1/2 envelopes (2 tablespoons plus 2 1/2 teaspoons) Knox unflavored gelatin
1 cup cold water
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar for dusting
Start out by oiling your pan (size will depend on how thick you want your marshmallows to be but something approximately 13×9 would work well) and dusting with powdered sugar. This is important because your marshmallow goo will be incredibly sticky when you pour it in.
Get your stand mixer set up (OK, I know not all of us have a stand mixer but I would really not recommend trying this with a hand mixer – borrow from a friend/parent/quirky neighborhood blogger if you have to) and beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Carefully spoon this into a bowl and set in the fridge until later.
Clean off the egg white residue and use the mixing bowl to let the gelatin soak in 1/2 cup of the cold water.
Gelatin Soaking
Combine the sugar, corn syrup, 1/2 cup of cold water, and salt in a saucepan and slowly heat until the sugar is dissolved. Now, you need a candy thermometer for this next step – OK, I know I’ve lost a few of you here but honestly, spring for a decent candy thermometer and you can thank me later. Most candy thermometers come with a clip so you can attach it to the side of your saucepan. Do that. Make sure the tip of the probe is submerged but not touching the bottom of the pan and heat the mixture until it starts to boil. Let it boil (without stirring) until it heats to 240°F (about 10 minutes, give or take).
Boiling Sugar Mixture
Remove the probe and very carefully pour the boiling sugar mixture into the mixing bowl where you’ve been soaking the gelatin. Whisk briskly (yes, briskly) until the gelatin is dissolved.
Combine the Syrup and Gelatin
At this point you might be wondering what you’ve gotten yourself into and WHY you listened to me because this bowl of syrup just smells funny and how is this going to turn into something puffy and delicious. Obviously the magic is in your stand mixer. Turn that baby onto high speed and mix until the syrup turns thick, white, and tripled in volume – this could take anywhere from 5-10 minutes depending on the mixer you’re using.
Whipped Marshmallow
Once the mixture is where you want it, add the egg whites from earlier and the vanilla extract (you could also use something like peppermint extract but you won’t need as much, try 2 teaspoons).
Don’t over beat! Once everything is just combined, wrestle the goo into your oiled and powdered pan and try to smooth it out with a spatula.
Pouring the Marshmallow
Evening out the Marshmallow
Sift a thin layer of powered sugar on top (here’s where you could add candy cane bits or some other garnish) before putting in the fridge (uncovered) to chill for at least three hours but ideally overnight.
Candy Cane Topping
Unmolding is quite easy – just run a thin knife around the edge and gently lift the giant marshmallow out and onto a clean surface for cutting. A pizza cutter works well but you could also use a sharp knife or even poultry shears. As you cut, dip each edge (they’ll be sticky) in a bit of powdered sugar.
If you just make the plain marshmallows then you can spice them up a bit with chocolate and some kind of topping. A note about drizzling chocolate: it’s messy! Also, it’s important that you use baking chocolate – chocolate chips won’t melt the way you want them to. To melt the chocolate you’ll want to get a few inches of water simmering in a saucepan and put a glass bowl on top of the saucepan (unless you’re fancy and have a double boiler). Put the chopped chocolate in the bowl and watch until it’s completely melted – stir to make sure it’s smooth. The tricky part is the drizzling. If you have a pastry bag, use it! I didn’t. I made due with a ziplock bag with a tiny cut in the corner which worked fairly well but be careful! That chocolate is hot, hot, hot.
Drizzling Chocolate (not a tidy activity)
All in all, a pretty successful effort. Has anyone else attempted marshmallows before? Tell me I’m not the only one crazy enough to do it…
Happy Molding!
Chocolate Panna Cotta Will Cure What Ails You
It would be a mistake to underestimate the healing powers of chocolate. It really would. Now, I’m not a “chocoholic” or whatever silly name you’d like to call someone who’s obsessed in chocolate. In fact, I generally don’t gravitate towards super rich chocolatey desserts. This panna cotta, however, is amazing. And it’s heavier than the yogurt-based panna cotta I’ve made before and yes, there’s dark chocolate involved, but it’s not too much. In fact, it’s just the right amount of much.
I made this for one of my Friday Dinners and originally intended to serve it with a stout reduction. The stout reduction was a big flop but I learned some valuable lessons from the failed experiment. For example, if something is destined to fail from the start, adding more ingredients to it isn’t going to help. If the internet tells you that there’s a proper way to make a stout reduction, you should listen to the internet. Don’t try to be a hero. Perhaps this lesson applies to more than just recipes! Hmmm, I’ll let you ponder that while I get on with the recipe part of this post.
Chocolate Panna Cotta
*Apologies for the crummy photos. Paige had nothing to do with these.
Ingredients:
1 cup milk
2 cups whipping cream
2 1/4 teaspoons Knox unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup sugar
6 ounces chopped dark chocolate
Something for garnish
Start by sprinkling the gelatin over the cup of milk and let it soak about 5 minutes. While that’s happening, heat the whipping cream and sugar in a saucepan until the sugar is dissolved. Bring the cream to a boil, remove from heat, and quickly add the chopped chocolate and whisk until melted. Whisk well! Then, whisk the warm chocolate mixture into the milk/gelatin mixture until completely dissolved. Pour into your molding receptacle (a quick shot of canola oil spray wouldn’t hurt if you’re squeamish about unmolding), cover, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. When you’re ready to serve, run a knife around the inside edge of the cups to loosen the panna cotta before unmolding on plates. You could also serve this in a pretty glass and avoid the awkward unmolding part altogether!
Be sure to garnish with something tasty. I’ve made various different sauces for panna cotta in the past but this time I went with a few slices of banana and it ended up being perfect. Bananas may just be the perfect food. Courtney knows what I’m talking about.
That is a fine looking plate of panna cotta and banana slices. Yes, ma’am.
I’ll be back soon with a glorious post about everybody’s favorite puffy stuff: marshmallows. Unfortunately, I won’t have a New Year’s mold to share because I was down for the count on New Year’s. The month of December just took the wind right out of my sails and I was sick, sick, sick for the holidays. Big jello plans going forward though – I even received a few jello-related Christmas gifts! Exciting stuff. Stay tuned.
Happy Molding!
Grandma Marjorie’s Cranberry Salad
Grandma Marjorie April 13, 1916 - December 2, 2011
As I mentioned in my very first recipe blog post, I owe my affection for Jell-O to my mom’s mom – Grandma Marjorie. I haven’t posted since Thanksgiving because it’s been a difficult month (heck, year) for my family and for me. We lost my Grandpa Harlan on December 28th last year and we knew this Christmas would be tough without him. Christmas was my grandmother’s very favorite holiday and in some ways, I’m glad she didn’t have to spend a Christmas without her husband and partner of 69 years.
I’m so very thankful for the lifetime of memories I have of my grandma and for the valuable (and practical: how to set rollers in my hair, apply lipstick, and obviously, mold jello) things she taught me. I’m also thankful that I was able to make her a dish of her classic orange jello recipe a few weeks before she passed away. It was so nice to hear her reminisce about when I was little and how much I loved her jello…
She wasn’t well enough to make it to Thanksgiving dinner but I made her traditional cranberry mold. The day after Thanksgiving was the last time I saw her. I made this recipe again for the funeral just a week later.
Grandma Marjorie's Cranberry Salad
Ingredients:
3 oz. box Raspberry Jell-O
3 tablespoons sugar
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup sour cream
1 cup boiling water
Dissolve the Jell-O and sugar in the cup of boiling water. Stir in the can of whole cranberry sauce and chill until thickened into a gel (about 1 hour). Stir in the sour cream, celery, and walnuts. The traditional recipe calls for you to then pour into an 8×8 glass dish, chill overnight, and serve sliced into squares on a lettuce leaf. I chose to use one of my metal molds so people could take as much (or as little) as they wanted. Quite festive, I think…
Thanksgiving Dinner (because admit it, you were dying to know)
Happy Molding, Happy Hannukah, and a very Merry Christmas to you and yours.
