From Ready for Dessert
Six to eight servings
I featured this recipe for Christmas dessert and it's truly one of my favorites. For one thing, who doesn't like Champagne? And for another, it can be made in advance and is a show-stopper when piled into nice stemware. To layer with the jelly, I sectioned pink grapefruit and navel oranges (I often candy kumquats, but couldn't find any that week at the market) then chilled them thoroughly. I also put a few very thin strips of candied orange peel in the glasses as well.
Because we were twelve people, I had to use a mix of vintage glasses that I found in the kitchen cabinet where we were celebrating Christmas. To be especially festive you can use Champagne, but a dry sparkling white wine works well too.
(Cheapskate Alert: I've used that cava from Spain in the black bottle with surprisingly good results!)
1/2 cup, plus 1/2 cup (250ml total) cold water
2 envelopes (14g) gelatin* granules
1 cup (200g) sugar
1 bottle Champagne or sparkling wine
juice or 1/2 lemon or lime
1. In a large bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup of the cold water. Let it bloom for 5 minutes.
2. In a saucepan, heat the sugar with the remaining 1/2 cup of water, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and pour over the gelatin, stirring until the gelatin is dissolved.
3. Add the Champagne (it will foam up, which is why you should have used the aforementioned large bowl), and stir, adding the lemon or lime juice.
4. Cover the bowl and chill for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
You can spoon the jelly into glasses, alternating with your favorite seasonal fruits and berries, perhaps adding some strips of candied citrus peel. It's also good topped with a scoop of sorbet.
*For folks who use sheet gelatin, you can use 9 to 10 sheets of gelatin, soaking them in a bowl of cold water and heating the sugar with 3/4 cup (375ml) water. Then lift the gelatin sheets from the water and add them to the warm sugar syrup after the sugar is dissolved.
For additional tips, see my post: How to Use Gelatin.