Jellied Eyeballs (non-alcoholic)

Eye See U!  Jellied Eyeballs gaze out of their little cupcake wrappers . . . . 

This picture cracks me up. I love the glistening little eyeballs in the cupcake wrappers - its a juxtaposition of so warped and so sweet . . .

Those who have been following the blog for a while will recall that this is our second Halloween pass at the eyeball theme - last year we featured an adult, full blown alcoholic Kamikaze jelly shot recipe. Feedback was that a non-alcoholic version would be great for children's Halloween parties, so here it is.  The recipe is simply . . . white cranberry or white grape juice with plain gelatin.  Kinda deceptively healthy, isn't it?  You could also use 50/50 lemon-lime soda and juice . . .


Our technique has gotten sharper too - use of our trusty half-hemisphere mold ups the optical creepiness factor tenfold!

Hope you enjoy!

Cheers,

Michelle

Jellied Eyeballs

Implements:  cotton swab or small paintbrush, 1/2 inch diameter round cookie cutter, a little PAM or vegetable oil (for the molds), paper towels
Pan: hemisphere mold (1 mold, 15 cavities), two small dishes (mini-loaf pans work well)

Ingredients:

3 cups white cranberry or white grape juice
4 envelopes Knox gelatin
Green and Blue food coloring

Prepare the hemisphere mold.  Spray a little PAM on a paper towel, and wipe each mold cavity.  Then, wipe each mold cavity with a clean paper towel.  This will leave the very slightest residue which will assist in unmolding but won't effect the taste of your jelly shots.  (Note, if you are substuting agar agar for gelatin, it is unnecessary to prepare the molds.  Agar agar won't set in the presence of oil - but don't worry, you won't need it - agar agar unmolds very cleanly!)  


Place juice in saucepan and sprinkle with gelatin.  Allow to soak for a minute or two.  Heat over very low heat until the gelatin is dissolved.  (About 5 minutes.)  Remove from heat.


You will need two 1/2 cup portions of the gelatin mixture for the "iris" portions of the eyeballs.  Pour one into each mini loaf pans. Add a few drops of food coloring in desired eye colors (we used blue and green) into each, mix well. Place pans in freezer, allow to quick set (approximately 15 to 20 minutes), until firm but not frozen. 

Reserve the remaining gelatin mixture in container on counter. 

When the the colored gelatin has set, cut out circles with the small 1/2 inch diameter cookie cutter (these will be the “irises”). Transfer the colored circles to a non-stick plate or cookie sheet. Dab a round dot in the center each using the blue food coloring. Place the plate in the refrigerator and allow the food coloring to set for a few minutes (until no longer shiny). 

Check the reserved gelatin mixture.  It should be room temperature, but not set. 


Spoon about a teaspoon of gelatin into each mold cavity.  Retrieve the colored gelatin circles from the refrigerator.  Place one in each mold cavity, dot side down.  Fill to the top with the remaining gelatin mixture.  Chill mold in refrigerator, until fully set, several hours or overnight.  


To serve, unmold and garnish as desired.  


Yield: 15 jellied eyeballs

More »

Halloween Festivities

Jelly Shot Platter

Front to Back:

Raspberry Kamikaze, Kamikaze Eyeballs

Tequila Sunset, Mojito

 We look forward to our neighborhood Halloween party every year;  it errs well on the side of a "bash"!  Best side to err on, really. . .

So, many thanks to our gracious hosts in the House on the Hill for yet another lovely All Hallow's Eve.  The food was fantastic; the Mad Scientist charismatic (we heard he melted a styrofoam head!); and the outdoor bar cozy with space heaters.  We had a wonderful time catching up with our grown-up neighbors and checking out all of the adorable kids' costumes pre-Tricks-or-Treats. 

In the "spirit" of ghoulish fun, we brought a sampler plate of jelly shots to the party:  Mojito, Tequila Sunrise, Kamikaze Eyeballs, and Raspberry Kamikaze.  The two varieties of Kamikaze were made with our new, fancy silicon molds . . . such fun!  While we are quite partial to the Raspberry Kamikaze,  we hear that the Mojito jelly shots were among the favorites of the party-goers this time.

Hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween!

Cheers,

JSTK

More »

What Beautiful Eyes You Have . . .

The Kamikaze Jelly Shot

The votes are for the favorite collegiate flashback cocktail!  By a landslide. . . the Kamikaze!  We had to have a little fun with the technique, with Halloween just around the corner . . .  As such, we proudly present  Kamikaze Jelly Shot Eyeballs!  Aren't they creepily adorable?!

Eyeball shaped Kamikaze Jelly Shots 

(giant ghoul hand sold separately)

(Recipe and eyeball technique instructions follow . . .)  If you're not in an optical mood, a plain cube of Kamikaze looks quite nice too!

Kamikaze Jelly Shots

2 cups vodka

1 cup water

½ cup Cointreau

½ cup Rose’s lime juice

4 envelopes Knox gelatin

(if desired, a teaspoon of simple syrup, Karo syrup or agave nectar may also be added to smooth out the flavors . . .)

Combine ingredients in pan on stove, heat over low heat until gelatin is dissolved (approximately 5 minutes). Pour into pan, chill until set. Cut into squares.

Makes one 9" x 9" pan, a 9" diameter round cake pan, or two standard loaf pans, approximately 36-48 shots depending on how you slice . . .

Halloween "Eyeball" Technique Primer

Ingredients:  1 batch of the Kamikaze Shot recipe (above)



Implements: ½ inch diameter round cookie cutter, 1 ½ inch diameter round cookie cutter, food coloring in blue, green and red, small paintbrush (or just use your pinky), small plates, a fork, paper towels

Prepare the Kamikaze jelly shot recipe as shown above. 

Pour two 2/3 cup portions of Kamikaze shot mixture into two separate bowls. Add a few drops of food coloring in desired eye colors (we used blue and green) into each, mix. Place bowls in freezer, allow to quick set (approximately 15 to 20 minutes).

Reserve ¾ cup of the shot mixture in container on counter. Pour remaining shot mixture into 9" x 9" square pan or 9” diameter round pan, put in freezer to quick set (approximately 15 to 20 minutes).

When set, remove the bowls of colored shot mixture from the freezer.  Cut out circles with the small 1/2 inch diameter cookie cutter (these will be the “irises”). Transfer the colored circles to a plate, paint (or dab with your pinky) a round dot in each using the blue food coloring, making a pupil in the center. Allow the food coloring to dry a minute or so (until no longer shiny).

Remove the pan of un-tinted shot mixture from the freezer when set. “Rake” the mixture thoroughly with a fork, forming small globules of gelatin.

Pour the reserved shot mixture into the pan of raked mixture, mix well. Insert the “irises”, painted side down, gently pushing them to the bottom of the pan, allowing enough room between each to cut out a proper “eyeball” with the larger cookie cutter. (You will likely have more “irises” than you can use– select the best ones and toss the rejects.)  Note: the surface of the shot mixture will be rough - not to worry, this rough textured side will face down, and the top of the shots will be smooth. 

Squeeze several drops of red food coloring onto a plate. Dab the food coloring into the crevices on the surface of the shot mixture with a paper towel, working in about a 2" x 2" inch sections. Gently wipe excess mixture off with a clean paper towel to remove excess red food coloring - the red food coloring should remain in the crevices only, giving your eyeballs a lovely "bloodshot" effect.

Return pan to refrigerator, allow mixture to set fully - at least 2 hours (can be made a day ahead). Cut out the “eyeballs” with the larger round cookie cutter - ideally just before serving to keep a clean round shape to your shots. Serve to initially horrified, eventually delighted guests. . .

Cheers,

JSTK

More »

Mojito Madness!

The beginnings of a Mojito Jelly Shot

Summer,  won't you stay a while longer?  JSTK is pulling out all the stops to keep the seasonal change at bay.  When we met last night to formulate new varieties for the test plates, Mojito was at the top of our list.  Consider it our version of an anti-rain/sleet/snow dance . . . 

Also attempted, the daiquiri  . . . in strawberry and banana.  Fresh fruit, we concluded, was a must. Strawberry has some potential.   Banana may be a bit tricky, due to a distinct translation issue.  Bananas were pureed, strained, and combined with the ingredients and proportions of a classic daiquiri (per author and Master Mixologist Dale DeGroff, aka "The Man" of  all things cocktail).  In a glass, blended with ice . . . gorgeous.  Gelatinized, however, nothing short of a Horror Show!  Back to the drawing board we go for a reformulation of the banana daiquiri . . . 

Speaking of Horror Shows, we are working on a jelly shot treatment for Halloween!  In the shape of EYEBALLS!  (Tester #5, this one's for you . . .)

Cheers, JSTK

More »