Sunday, December 25, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
Fire Breathing Dragons . . .
It's a little bit Spicy, it's a little bit Sweet . . . its
Hello at long last. I hope you all aren't too cross with me for lack of posting - have missed all of you terribly. I was hoping to pin my lack of posting on Intern Doug and his maniacal-ly chaotic ways, but that would be wrong, wouldn't it? Isn't that how things go in Corporate America? Praise moves up the chain, and blame goes down? Or do I have that wrong. Oh well.
To depart for a moment from my limited grasp of corporate lore and vernacular (as well as my inappropriate, incorrect and unforgivable blame-shifting to staff), I thought I would share a little Miami-glam gem whipped up for the Miami New Times (click here for the full article). Its a little bit sweet, and little bit SPICY - just like Intern Doug. (Just kidding Doug! We all know that you are a very dedicated and talented gelatin professional, and I for one greatly enjoyed your solo posts - the recipes and photos were divine!)
Hope you all enjoy the Fire Breathing Dragon! I am thinking that one could use jalapeno vodka in this recipe, and omit infusing with fresh jalapeno, however weighing the cost of a pepper versus a bottle (not to mention the shelf space) infusing seemed the way to go.
Cheers and XOXOXOX,
Michelle
P.S. Cake Month I promised, and Cake Month you shall have. New recipes to follow next week! XO.
Fire Breathing Dragon (inspired by the Doraku restaurant cocktail in South Beach, FL)
The recipe below uses a standard non-reactive glass or metal loaf pan (about 4" x 8"). Click here (under Ensuring a Good Impression) for instructions on silicone molds!
- 2/3 cup mango vodka
- 1/8 inch thick slice of fresh jalapeno pepper (with seeds)
- 2/3 cup mango juice blend (used Ceres)
- 2 envelopes plain gelatin
- 2/3 cup peach schnapps
In a mixing glass, lightly muddle the jalapeno with the vodka. Set aside.
Pour the mango juice into a saucepan and sprinkle with the gelatin. Allow to soak for a minute or two. Heat on low, stirring constantly, until the gelatin is dissolved (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat.
Strain the vodka through thoroughly to remove any seeds, and add to the gelatin mixture with the schnapps. Stir well.
Pour into loaf pan or molds. Refrigerate until fully set (several hours or overnight). To serve, cut into desired shapes (or unmold). Pin an orchid behind your ear and enjoy a jelly shot!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Fruited Champagne Jelly Shot
Fruited Champagne Jelly Mold simply SHRIEKS patriotic fervor -
in the subtlest, most dignified manner imaginable . . .
, as the guest of honor will be none other than the supremely dashing Mr. M., who has taken leave of his large, shaded patio in the south of France for an all-too-brief visit to the Midwest.
Fruited Champagne Jelly Mold should be perfect - sounds kinda sophisticated, is light and refreshing for a hot afternoon, and is not, too too boozy (important for this event as the champagne will likely be flowing and Intern Doug will be shaking and pouring French 75s until his arms seize up.) The internal garnish of fruit (red berries! blueberries!) provides venue for a discreet display of nationalist pride, without bonking anyone over the head with such.
Happy 4th of July everyone!! Wherever you are, enjoy the fireworks, and have a jelly shot for goodness sake! (And welcome back to the prairie Mr. M. - it has been far too long and we have missed you terribly!!)
XOXOX
Michelle
Fruited Champagne Jelly Shot Mold
Implements: 3 cup non-stick mini-bundt pan (this is the one I used)
Ingredients:
- 3 cups champagne, sparkling wine or prosecco (divided)
- 4 tbsp. sugar
- 4 envelopes Knox gelatin
- 1/2 cup peach schnapps
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
- 8-10 large strawberries, sliced
Lightly spray bundt pan with cooking spray. Wipe off the excess with a paper towel. A slight residue should remain, just enough to help unmold your gelatin, without affecting the taste or appearance.
Pour 1 cup of the champagne and the sugar into a medium saucepan. Sprinkle with the gelatin allow to soak for a minute or two. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until the gelatin is dissolved (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat. Stir in the rest of the champagne and the schnapps.
Pour 1 1/2 cups of the gelatin mixture into the prepared mold. Refrigerate until the gelatin is the consistency of egg whites (15 to 20 minutes). Stir in the blueberries and return to the refrigerator for 5 minutes. Place the sliced strawberries on top of the blueberry/gelatin layer, pouring a bit of liquid gelatin in over each layer, until the mold is full. (You may have a bit of gelatin left over.) 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. Next, dip the mold almost to the edge into the warm water for 10 seconds. Dry the bottom of the mold with a towel. Place your serving plate on top of the mold and invert. The gelatin should pop out. If not, return the mold to the warm water bath and repeat.
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.