I flunked my own first lesson. This was going to be be just a basic jello with fruit, jelled to perfection in a tall mold so you could see the sweet cherries suspended inside. You can see how that turned out. But I did manage to salvage it.
As it turns out, jello desserts are actually pretty easy to mess up. But if you actually just pay attention they are very simple to make.
Here is the recipe, copied straight out of the Jello Cookbook.
*Cherry Medley (variation of Cherry-Mallow Mold)*
- 1 can pitted dark sweet cherries
- 1 package (3 oz) Jell-O Black Cherry or Cherry Gelatin
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
Drain cherries, reserving syrup. Mix cherries and 1/2 cup reserved syrup. Set aside. Dissolve Jello Gelatin in boiling water. Add almond extract and remaining cherry syrup. Chill until very thick. Fold in cherry mixture. Pour into 2 quart mold (5 cups). Chill until firm.
Simple right? Well part of my problem is I don’t remember if I followed the directions on the package or the recipe. The recipe accounts for the additional liquid provided by the cherry juice. I might not have.
Then I lost track of time and let it firm to long at the point where you fold in the cherries and juice. The jello should be very thick and syrupy but not so thick that it seperates when you stir it, like mine here. You can see that it will not be a clear, solid gelatin when it firms up. Except we already know mine didn’t firm. Too much liquid.
It tried to be a brave little soldier but it’s knees gave out, turning into the goo you see in the first photo in less than a minute (I could tell is was too soft before turning it out and had my camera ready!).
But…
I salvaged it!
Tomorrow – Part 2 – Success!
