RECIPES FOR GELATINE DESSERTS

46. PLAIN GELATINE.--A very good dessert can be made of fruit juice solidified by means of gelatine. Any canned fruit juice or any mixture of juices that will blend well and produce a jelly of agreeable flavor may be used for this purpose. These are usually brought to the boiling point before being added, but in case juices that may be injured by heating are used, they may be added cold and the gelatine dissolved in boiling water. When this is done, a little additional lemon will be necessary in order to increase the flavor.

Plain jelly made according to the accompanying recipe may be served in various attractive ways. One method of serving it is shown in Fig. 4. To prepare it in this manner, pour the gelatine mixture into stemmed glasses and allow it to solidify. When partly solid, decorate the top with wedge-shaped pieces of pineapple and place a cherry in the center, as illustrated. When entirely solid, place the glass on a small plate and serve. The fruit may be omitted if desired and whipped cream served on the gelatine.

Plain jelly is also attractive when poured into a large mold, allowed to solidify, and then turned out on a plate. If the mold is moistened with cold water before the gelatine is poured into it, no difficulty will be experienced in removing the jelly when it becomes solid. The center of the mold may be filled with whipped cream before it is put on the table or the jelly may be served plain and the whipped cream then added to each serving from another dish.

PLAIN GELATINE

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Soak the gelatine in the cold water until it is well moistened. Strain the fruit juices, heat to boiling point, and pour over the gelatine. Add the lemon juice and a sufficient amount of sugar to sweeten. Allow to solidify and serve in any desired manner.

47. ORANGE JELLY.--An excellent dessert is the result when orange juice is used for flavoring and gelatine for thickening. This jelly may be poured into molds that have been moistened with cold water, or, as shown in Fig. 5, it may be poured into orange skins made to resemble baskets and then garnished with whipped cream.

ORANGE JELLY

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Soak the gelatine in the cold water until it is well moistened, and dissolve with the boiling water. Add the sugar and the lemon and orange juice strained. Pour into a large mold or individual molds and set aside to solidify. Serve in any desired way.

48. COFFEE JELLY.--If fruit juices are difficult to obtain, coffee jelly, which will be found to be very pleasing, may be used occasionally. However, it is necessary that whipped cream be served with coffee jelly in order to make it a really delightful dessert.

COFFEE JELLY

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Prepare the coffee freshly and make it stronger than that which would ordinarily be used for the table. Be sure that it contains no grounds. Soak the gelatine in the cold water, and dissolve in the boiling water. Add the sugar and coffee. Pour into moistened molds and allow to cool. Serve with sweetened whipped cream.

49. FRUIT GELATINE.--Almost any combination of fruit juices, as well as any single fruit juice, may be used with gelatine in the making of fruit gelatine. The accompanying recipe contains fruits that may be used, but other fruits than those given may perhaps be found to be even more agreeable.

FRUIT GELATINE

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Moisten the gelatine in the cold water and dissolve in the boiling water. Add the sugar and the orange, pineapple, and lemon juice, and allow this to cool. Dice the pineapple. Prepare the oranges by peeling them, removing the pulp from the sections, and cutting it into small pieces. Slice or dice the banana and break each nut into six or eight pieces. Mix the fruits and nuts, place in a mold that has been moistened with cold water, and pour the cold jelly over them. Allow this to solidify, turn from the mold, and serve with whipped cream.

50. LEMON SNOW.--If a light, spongy dessert to serve with a heavy dinner is desired, lemon snow should be tried. It may be made with other sour-fruit juice and is particularly agreeable if the color of the fruit juice used is a pretty one. Fruit coloring may be used in the preparation of dishes of this sort if desired.

LEMON SNOW

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Soak the gelatine in the cold water, dissolve it in the boiling water, and add the sugar. When cold, add the strained lemon juice. When the gelatine mixture is just beginning to solidify, add the egg whites, beating with a rotary beater until the mixture begins to hold its shape. If desired, a fruit of some kind may be placed in a mold that has been moistened with cold water and the mixture poured over it, or the plain mixture may be poured into the mold without the fruit. Whipped cream or custard sauce improves this dessert to a large extent.

51. SPANISH CREAM.--A gelatine dish containing eggs is usually a delightful dessert, and Spanish cream is no exception to this rule. If it is properly made, a part of the mold will have the consistency of a custard, above this will be a layer of jelly, and on top will be a layer of fluffy material. This dessert is more attractive if a little pink coloring is used in its preparation.

SPANISH CREAM

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Soak the gelatine in the cold water. Heat the milk in a double boiler, add the gelatine, and cook until it is completely dissolved. Separate the eggs, beat the yolks, and to them add the sugar and salt. Stir into the mixture in the double boiler, and cook until the eggs have thickened. Remove from the fire, beat the egg whites until they are stiff, and fold them into the mixture. Add the vanilla. Pour into a mold that has been moistened with cold water, cool, and serve. If coloring is added, it may be put in upon removing the dessert from the stove.

52. STRAWBERRY CREAM PUFF.--One of the most attractive desserts that can be made of gelatine is strawberry cream fluff. It is especially delicious in warm weather, but plenty of time must be allowed for it to solidify. Any desired way of serving it may be followed out, but a method that is always pleasing is illustrated in Fig. 6. The gelatine mixture is piled into stemmed glasses and then surrounded by thin pieces of sponge cake or ladyfingers, as here shown. A few fresh strawberries or strawberries that have been canned in thick sirup make an attractive garnish. If a deeper shade of pink is desired than the strawberry juice gives, pink coloring may be added before the whipped cream is beaten into the gelatine.

STRAWBERRY CREAM FLUFF

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Soak the gelatine in the cold water. Heat the strawberry juice to the boiling point, and add it to the soaked gelatine. Add the lemon juice and sugar and place the gelatine where it will cool. When it has started to solidify, beat into it the whipped cream and continue beating until the mixture stands up well when dropped from a spoon. Place in a mold and cool. Serve in any desired way.

53. PINEAPPLE CREAM FLUFF.--If pineapple is preferred to strawberries, pineapple cream fluff may be made according to the accompanying directions. Canned pineapple may be utilized nicely in the preparation of this dessert. If it is in rings, it should be chopped into small pieces, but grated pineapple needs no further preparation. Fresh pineapple used for the purpose must be cooked before it can be used in this dessert.

PINEAPPLE CREAM FLUFF

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Soak the gelatine in the cold water. Heat the pineapple juice to the boiling point and add it to the soaked gelatine. Add the sugar and set aside to cool. After the gelatine has started to solidify, beat the whipped cream and the grated pineapple into it. When solidified and ready to use, turn out on a plate and serve with whipped cream. If desired, the pineapple may be left out of the dessert and, instead, a spoonful placed on the top of each serving.

54. MARSHMALLOW WHIP.--Something rather unusual in the way of a gelatine dessert can be had by making marshmallow whip according to the accompanying recipe.

MARSHMALLOW WHIP

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Soak the gelatine in 1/2 cupful of water. Bring 1 cupful of water to the boiling point, dissolve the gelatine in it, and place in ice water to cool. Put the sugar to cook with 1/2 cupful of water, and cook until the sirup will spin a thread or until it will form a firm ball when tried in cold water. Beat the egg whites, pour the hot sirup gradually over them, and continue beating. Add the gelatine, which by this time should be commencing to solidify. Divide the mixture into three equal parts. To one add a little pink coloring and some strawberry flavoring and pour into a mold that has been wet with cold water. To one of the remaining parts, add the chocolate, which has been melted, mixed with a tablespoonful or two of sugar and 2 tablespoonfuls of water, and cooked to a smooth paste. Continue beating this until it is stiff, and then pour it in the mold on top of the strawberry flavored whip. To the remaining third, add the vanilla, beat until it is stiff, and pour on top of the chocolate whip. These colors may be arranged in any desirable way, others may be used, or the whip may be made up simply in one color or in two. After it has become set and hardened, turn from the mold, and serve, using whipped cream if desired.