September 1, 2008

adventures in jell-o


So, I'm always looking for an excuse to break out the ol' gelatin molds - really, it comes up in life less often than you'd think. It's probably part of my inexplicable affection for things that are somewhat twee and overly precious. At any rate, I'd had my eye on this recipe for Apricot Gelatin Salad for quite some time, despite the disastrous (and vaguely dish soapy) result from my usually dear Nigella's Gin and Tonic Jelly several birthdays ago. I decided to try it out.


It is really a very orange salad. On a fancier day, I would have filled in the center with some member of the berry family and a few mint sprigs or something presentable. I think that if I were to make it again, I might go a little easier on the added liquids, because I don't think that the end product was as set as it could have been. And I did have a moment of crisis when, upon turning on the blender full of apricots, I learned that at least one of said apricots sneakily still had it's pit intact. That said, I'm going to file it away in the victory column.

Apricot Gelatin Salad

The Taste of Home Cookbook


2 cans (16 ounces each) apricot halves
dash salt
2 packages (3 ounces each) orange gelatin
1 can (6 ounces) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup lemon-lime soda

Drain apricots, reserving 1 1/2 cups juice. set apricots aside. In a small saucepan, bring apricot juice and salt to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat, add gelatin, stirring until gelatin is dissolved.

In a blender, combine orange juice concentrate, lemon juice and reserved apricots. Cover and process until smooth. Add to gelatin mixture with soda, mix well.

Pour into a 6-cup mold coated with nonstick cooking spray. Cover and refrigerate until firm. Unmold and transfer to serving plate.

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