Colourful Jelly Art Dessert

If you remember I had shared the Striped Chocolate Jelly with you the last Christmas season. That was the first gelatin dessert I had ever tried out. That time I had melted the gelatin over a pan of hot water; but this time I did it a different and easier way. Read on to learn about it. I have been meaning to try this out for quite a while and so I finally decided to make this for our family Easter lunch. There were double helpings so I was pretty pleased. This dessert is light and not rich at all; ideal for this hot season.

Ingredients:
4 boxes jelly crystals, each in a different colour/flavour (You could also use just three if you'd rather have some more white than colour in it)
1 tin condensed milk - 450 gms (I used Amul's Mithai Mate; you may choose to use Nestle's Milkmaid)
2 sachets (10gms each) gelatin crystals
1/2 cup water
1 cup boiling water

Method:

• Make the jellies in 4 individual vessels as per the instructions on the box and  refrigerate.
• Once the jellies have set, proceed.
• Put half a cup of water in a bowl and sprinkle the gelatin crystals into it.
• Let rest for about 2 minutes.

• Pour the boiling water into it and stir till the gelatin is completely dissolved.

• Add the condensed milk and mix well.
• You may keep this in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes so that it cools.

• When the jellies are set, cut into cubes.

• If you want to decorate the top, you can slice the jelly and use moulds to cut out the desired shapes.
• Lightly oil a glass bowl.

• Mix together the different coloured jelly cubes into the bowl.
• Keeping aside some of the milk gelatin mixture to top the dessert in order to get a clean white finish, pour the rest over the jelly cubes.
• The jelly cubes will float and come to the surface.
• To avoid this you can pour some of the white mixture first and then let it set before adding some more and more.

• Finally top the dessert with the white mix that was kept aside. I'm afraid I almost forgot to do this so my dessert is not a full white on the top even before I decorated it.
• Refrigerate again and once firm, decorate as you wish. My little niece helped me with this.

• Take out of the refrigerator, after a few minutes, overturn onto a plate.
• Slice with a sharp knife and serve. 

Striped chocolate jelly dessert

I was inspired to make this from a striped coffee jelly dessert recipe I saw on the Net but I didn't quite like the idea of using all coffee in the dessert so I made my own changes substituting some of the coffee powder with cocoa powder and so I am presenting to you this striped chocolate jelly. This is my first time working with gelatin and I was a bit apprehensive about how this would turn out. I made this dessert for Christmas and it turned out to be quite a hit. Do try it out and let me know what you think.

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How to make a layered chocolate jelly dessert

Ingredients:

½ tin Sweetened Condensed Milk (Milkmaid)

4 regular teacups Water

8 tbsps. Instant Coffee

4 tbsps. Sugar

4 tbsps. Unflavored Gelatin

- See more at: http://www.hildastouchofspice.com/2011/08/striped-coffee-jelly-pudding.html#sthash.WTsHmjpM.dpuf

½ tin Sweetened Condensed Milk (I used Amuls' Mithai Mate but you may also use Nestle's Milkmaid)
5 teacups water
2 tbspns. instant coffee (I used Nescafe)
6 tbspns. cocoa powder (I used  Cadbury's)
5 tbspns. sugar
5 tbspns. unflavored gelatin

½ tin Sweetened Condensed Milk (Milkmaid)

4 regular teacups Water

8 tbsps. Instant Coffee

4 tbsps. Sugar

4 tbsps. Unflavored Gelatin

- See more at: http://www.hildastouchofspice.com/2011/08/striped-coffee-jelly-pudding.html#sthash.WTsHmjpM.dpuf

½ tin Sweetened Condensed Milk (Milkmaid)

4 regular teacups Water

8 tbsps. Instant Coffee

4 tbsps. Sugar

4 tbsps. Unflavored Gelatin

- See more at: http://www.hildastouchofspice.com/2011/08/striped-coffee-jelly-pudding.html#sthash.WTsHmjpM.dpuf

Method:

• Soak the gelatin in one cup of water in a vessel.
• Dissolve the gelatin by heating the vessel in a double boiler or over a pan of hot water.
  Heatthe remaining water and dissolve the coffee powder and the cocoa powder in it.
• Divide the cocoa and coffee mixture into one part and two parts.
• Add one third of the dissolved gelatin and half the sugar to one portion.
• Keep aside this black jelly.
• Add the sweetened condensed milk to the other two parts of the cocos and coffee mixture along with the rest of the gelatin. 
• Mix thoroughly.
• You can also adjust the sweetness of the two mixtures by tasting them and adding more sugar if desired.
• Take a cake tin or any suitable bowl which can resist heat if you want to turn out the jeely pudding on to a plate.
• Pour one third of the milk mixture and chill in refrigerator till set.
• Then stir the cocoa coffee mix and pour half over the set jelly.
• Chill in the fridge again.
• Stir each mixture well before layering and continue like this so that you have 3 milky layers (1/3 qty used each time) and 2 dark layers (1/2 qty used each time) in between as shown in the picture.
• Chill after each layer has been poured in and when it sets, pour in the next layer.
• Just before serving, keep the jelly out for a few minutes and then invert onto a platter.
• Alternatively, you could dip the cake tin in hot water for a few seconds to loosen the dessert.
• Cut into squares or into whatever shapes you see fit.

  

  Chocolate jelly layered dessert

  
  

Soak gelatin in one cup water.

Dissolve by heating over a pan of hot water or in a double boiler.

Dissolve coffee powder in the remaining three cups of hot water. Divide the coffee liquor into two equal portions.

Add half of the dissolved gelatin and sugar to one portion.

Keep aside this black coffee jelly.

Add sweetened condensed milk to the other portion of coffee along with the remaining gelatin. Mix well to get milk coffee jelly mixture.

In a small loaf tin pour 1/2 inch layer of black coffee jelly & chill until set.

Then pour a ½ inch layer of milk coffee jelly over the set black coffee jelly. Chill in the fridge again.

Stir each of the jelly well before layering.

Similarly, alternate layers until both the jelly is used up. Chill until set.

Dip loaf tin in hot water to loosen the coffee pudding. Invert & unmould gently onto a plate.

Cut into sufficiently thick slices. Serve chilled with whipped cream & decorate with cherries if desired.

- See more at: http://www.hildastouchofspice.com/2011/08/striped-coffee-jelly-pudding.html#sthash.WTsHmjpM.dpuf

Doce Bhaji

Doce bhaji is a typical Goan tea-time sweet that is quite popular. My nephew called it a solid porridge when he was little. It is often made for lactating mothers but is enjoyed by all.

Doce Bhaji Recipe

Ingredients:

2 measures (milkmaid tin) broken wheat

1 ½ measure (milkmaid tin) sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 coconut – 1 thick coconut juice,  2 thin coconut juices

4 cardamoms, skinned and powdered

3 tblspns ghee

Method:

• Clean broken wheat to remove any foreign particles.
• Soak overnight; for about 10 hrs, no more as it can turn sour. 
• Put the thin coconut juice, powdered cardamom, salt & wheat in a vessel & keep stirring with the straight edged ladle, taking care that the mixture does not stick to the bottom. 
• When the wheat is cooked, add sugar.
• When the sugar is dissolved, add the thickcoconut juice. 
• Keep stirring continuously for about an hour. 
• If it bubbles too much, reduce the heat. 
• When it leaves the sides, add the ghee. 
• On thickening, pour into trays greased with a little ghee. 
•  Easily spoils when weather is warm. Refrigerate. 

How to make Doce Bhaji