Sunday, December 25, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Polyjuice Potion Jelly Mold (non-alcoholic)
Polyjuice Potion Gelatin - set a cutesy little mold, garnished with smiling gummy worms . . .
Here's a quick remix of our old pal, Polyjuice Potion Jelly Shot. And this one's non-alcoholic, for the kiddlos. Looking for something more, well, BOOZETASTIC? Don't fuss - just click here for the alcoholic version!
Massive spooky XOXOX's to you all! M.
Polyjuice Potion Jelly Shots
Ginger Ale mixture
1 cup ginger ale
1 envelope plain gelatin
Pineapple mixture
1 cup canned pineapple juice (fresh won't work - the enzymes in fresh pineapple interfere with the gelatin)
1 envelope plain gelatin
Lime mixture
1/2 cup water
1 envelope plain gelatin
1/2 cup lime sherbet, melted
First, prep the mold (I used a 3-cup volume mini bundt pan) by lightly spraying with cooking spray. Then wipe the mold cavities out with a clean paper towel. This method will leave just the slightest residue, which will help unmold the gelatin without affecting the taste or appearance.
Prepare the three gelatin mixes as follows:
- Ginger Ale: Pour the ginger ale in a medium saucepan. Sprinkle with the gelatin and allow to soak for a minute or two. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until the gelatin is fully dissolved (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat.
- Pineapple: Pour the pineapple juice in a medium saucepan. Sprinkle with the gelatin and allow to soak for a minute or two. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until the gelatin is fully dissolved (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat.
- Lime: Pour the water in a medium saucepan. Sprinkle with the gelatin and allow to soak for a minute or two. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until the gelatin is fully dissolved (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat. Stir in the melted sherbet.
Pour each mixture into a separate bowl and refrigerate until partially set. (Just starting to change from liquid to solid - about 20 to 25 minutes.)
Give each mixture a quick stir. It should be a thick, but still liquid. Clumpy is fine for this method!! Drop alternating spoonfuls of the three mixtures into the pan, until all the gelatin has been transferred. Refrigerate until fully set (at least 6 hours or overnight - extra time is needed for the gelatins to bond).
To unmold, fill a large container or sink with warm water (not too hot!). With clean fingers, loosen the gelatin around the edges of the pan/mold. Next, dip the mold almost to the edge into the warm water for just a few seconds (10 seconds is usually a good start for larger molds, and 5 for individual). Dry the bottom of the mold with a towel and check the edges to ensure they have loosened up. (If not, repeat the dip for just a few seconds.) Place your serving plate on top of the mold and invert.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Candy Corn Jelly Shot Mold
Candy Corn Jelly Shot Mold . . . sweet mercy . . . so cute, so devour-able!
Hello! It's been a while. Missed you all sooooo much! Things have been a bit of a whirlwind. And, unfortunately I accidentally locked Intern Doug in the Test Kitchen pantry on my way out, so he's been indisposed as well. (Oh, stop - he's absolutely fine - those test kitchen shelves are well stocked to say the least!)
Assistant Intern James has been AWOL as well, details unknown, apart from his hair being less blue than usual - and I truly don't know if that is a sign of an uptick or a crisis. However, we are picking up a new intern over the holidays, Intern Max, and am hopeful this will resolve our staffing issues.
Anyway, during my sabbatical, many, many jelly shot thoughts have been thunk about the upcoming Jelly Shot Season, or as it is known in the ROW (rest of world), Halloween. Last year, we had some fun with cute kid-friendly treats, but this year, I'd love to really do it up right! Spooky, fun and boozy, that is! So, in addition to some new recipes, we'll be featuring some twists on old favorites.
We started with a little remix on an old favorite, Candy Corn Jello. Originally formulated hooch-free, this recipe adapts beautifully to a sweet, flavored vodka. I would recommend a whipped cream variety (Pinnacle makes a nice one, and I have heard others do as well), as it's probably the closest taste to the tooth-achingly sweet candy inspiration for the jelly shot - but really vanilla, cake flavored, or even a little creme de cacao (clear, please, not the brown tinted!) would be lovely.
Hope you are all well. I'll be back very soon with a brand new recipe and a bunch of fun remixes! In the meantime, big, giant, squooshy XOXOX's to you all!
Michelle
Candy Corn Jelly Shot Mold (adult version)
Use a 3 cup mold, or a 9”x9” cake pan for this little guy. I love a molded jelly shot, its kinda like a punchbowl! Here’s the mold we used: mini Kugelhopf mold.
Prepare the mold by spraying lightly with PAM cooking spray, or wiping each mold cavity with a little vegetable oil. Follow by wiping the mold with a clean paper towel. This will leave the slightest reside which will aid in un-molding the gelatin without affecting the taste or appearance.
Begin by preparing the milk layer.
Milk layer
- 2/3 cup water
- 2 envelopes Knox gelatin
- 1/2 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz can)
- 1/3 cup whipped cream flavored vodka
Pour water in a small saucepan, and sprinkle with the gelatin. Allow to soak for a minute or two. Heat over low heat until gelatin is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the sweetened condensed milk. Next, stir in the vodka.
Transfer the mixture to a microwave safe bowl. Spoon 1/2 cup of the condensed milk mixture into the mold. Set the remaining mixture aside. (Cover the bowl with the remaining milk mixture with foil and wrap a towel around it to further conserve heat and keep the mixture fluid.)
Place the mold in the refrigerator and chill until set (but slightly sticky when touched), about 30 minutes.
While the milk layer is chilling, prepare the orange layer
Orange Layer
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 envelope Knox gelatin
- 1 box orange flavored gelatin dessert mix (sugar free dissolves faster!)
- 1/2 cup whipped cream flavored vodka
Pour water in a small saucepan, and sprinkle with the Knox gelatin. Allow to soak for a minute or two. The mixture may be a little thick initially, but will loosen up. Heat over low heat until plain gelatin is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Add the orange gelatin dessert mix and stir until fully dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the vodka.
Pour mixture into a small bowl and refrigerate until the mixture has cooled to room temperature - this will probably take 15-20 minutes.
Ladle gently over the set white layer. Return the mold to the refrigerator and chill until set (but slightly sticky when touched, about 25 minutes.
When the orange layer is set (but slightly sticky when touched), unwrap the bowl containing the milk gelatin mixture, and stir in a few drops of yellow food coloring. If the mixture is clumpy, microwave it for 10-15 seconds (make sure it doesn’t get too hot, or it will melt the set gelatin and cook off the alcohol in the vodka).
Gently ladle all of the yellow mixture into the mold, over the set orange layer. Refrigerate until fully set – at least 6 hours, or ideally overnight, so the layers can fully bond.
To serve, unmold and place on a pretty plate. Visit our tips page for unmolding instructions! (If you are using a cake pan, just cut into desired shapes. Ideally, cut just before serving – the taste of the jelly shots will evaporate through the cut edges. I don’t know why, but this does seem to be the case!)
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
"Chocolate Frog" Jelly Shots
"Chocolate Frog" Jelly Shots, preparing to hop off the tray. . .
Just a tiny bit of Potter-inspired jelly shotting for you today. The recipe is a variant of the Bushwacker . . . very chocolatey though and missing the coconut. (Link for the delightfully creepy frog molds . . . )
For more Potter-rific fun (and you know you want it) see:
(AND, depending on how R&D goes today, it is possible I may have one more Potter-esque jelly shot trick up my sleeve for you!)
XO, Michelle
Chocolate Frog Jelly Shots
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 envelopes Knox gelatin
- 3/8 cup vanilla ice cream, melted
- 1/2 cup chocolate liqueur
- 1/4 cup Bailey’s
- 1/4 cup vodka
- 1/8 cup amaretto
Directions:
Prepare the molds with a light application of cooking spray. Wipe the cavities clean with a paper towel. This will leave a very slight residue which will aid in unmolding without affecting taste or appearance.
Pour water in saucepan, sprinkle with gelatin. Allow gelatin to soak for a few minutes. Heat over very low heat until gelatin is dissolved, stirring constantly (approximately 5 minutes). Add the melted ice cream. Once combined, stir in vodka and the liqueurs.
Pour mixture into molds (or standard glass or non-reactive metal 1 lb loaf pan approximately 8” x 4” will work!). Refrigerate until fully set (several hours or overnight).
To unmold, fill a larger container or clean sink with warm water (not too hot!). With clean fingers, loosen the gelatin around the edges of the mold cavities. Next, dip the bottom of the mold into the warm water for just a few seconds (10 seconds worked for me). Dry the bottom of the mold with a towel and check the edges to see if they are loose, if not, repeat the dip for just a few more seconds. Place a nonstick cookie sheet on top of the mold and invert. The gelatin frogs should drop right out. Return the “frogs” to refrigerator until immediately before serving.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Super Bowl Jello Shots
This recipe was originally posted this back ... yikes, 2011! We've updated the photo for the 2015 Super Bowl - Seahawks v. Patriots, but everything else has stayed the same. Go Teams!
Packers and Steelers Jello Shots face off on the serving platter . . . which jello shot will reign supreme??
Regarding setting time, while its ideal if these can set overnight, however, I made this particular batch this morning, finished by 9 a.m., and cut the jello shots for photographs at 12:30 p.m. - and they were fully set and fine. The most important part is to make sure that the creamy gelatin is room temperature - not warm at all - or your little colored cubes will get melty and murky.
Some of you have noticed that new posts on JSTK haven't been as frequent - thanks for your messages. I am indeed alive and over the flu, but have been working through with some unfortunate and time consuming events. (Not health related, thank goodness . . . and hopefully will be resolved soon.) I really do have the best followers ever - and want to thank you from the bottom of my jelly-shotting heart for visiting JSTK and all your wonderful comments . . . you are an absolute ray of sunshine to me and I wish I could reach out and give you all a big hug and kiss (or a firm and earnest handshake if you have personal boundary issues . . . ) In the meantime, Intern Doug has graciously agreed to expand his extensive internship duties to an occasional post on JSTK - very exciting! Go Intern Doug!
And Gooooooo Team(s)!! Cheers and XOXOX,
Michelle
“Team Colors” Jello Shots
Step One – Team Colors Gelatin
- 2 cups water
- 2 envelopes Knox gelatin
- 2 3 oz. boxes flavored gelatin dessert in team colors (For the Packers, I used Pineapple and Lime flavors - for the Steelers black, I added two drops of McCormick black food coloring before chilling. Sugar free or regular gelatin is fine - I am partial to the sugar free gelatin – it dissolves so easily!)
- 2 cups ice cold vodka or rum (separated, and note that flavored liquor is nice but not required)
Pour water into a small saucepan and sprinkle with gelatin. Allow to soak for a minute of two. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is dissolved (about 5 minutes).
Pour the flavored gelatin powder into two separate bowls. Divide the hot gelatin mixture and add one part to each bowl. Stir until dissolved. Let cool for a few minutes, then stir in the liquor. Pour into four separate containers to chill - I used four standard 1 lb loaf pans (about 8” x 4”) in order to have relatively symmetrical gelatin blocks. Chill until fully set, several hours or overnight.
Step Two – Creamy gelatin
- 2 cups water
- 2 1/2 envelopes Knox gelatin (1/2 envelope is about 1 tsp gelatin powder)
- 1/2 of a 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
Pour water into a medium saucepan and sprinkle with the gelatin. Allow to soak for a minute or two. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is dissolved (about 5 minutes). Stir in the can of condensed milk. Set mixture aside to cool to room temperature.
Remove the colored gelatin from the refrigerator and cut into small blocks. Carefully mix the blocks as desired and place in a 9 x 13 glass or non-reactive metal pan (or use two standard 1 lb loaf pans – that’s what I used to make the colors for both Superbowl teams). Return blocks to refrigerator until milk mixture is cool.
Once the milk mixture is cooled, divide equally and pour it over the gelatin blocks. Skim off any small bubbles that form. Chill until fully set, several hours or overnight.
To serve, cut into squares and plate.