Jelly - General Cooking Principles
If you like light and tasty desserts, then you definitely need to try making jelly. “And what to cook it? - you ask. - I bought a colored bag in the store with my favorite taste, stirred it in warm water and cooled it until thickening. So much for jelly! ”. This is true, this method of cooking jelly is the most common. But such a dessert has nothing more than a real homemade jelly than, a quick soup from a bag of homemade flavored dishes. Doing homemade jelly a little longer than shoplifting, only it turns out to be much tastier and, importantly, useful.
Where does the word “jelly” come from? After all, it is known that this word is not only in Russian, but also in many foreign languages, and it sounds almost the same? Jelly (“gelee”) invented in France. This dessert and in the old days was prepared the same way as now - from juice, gelatin and sugar.
Jelly - preparation of food and dishes
What jelly can you make at home? In the bag shop, exotic fruits and fruits and berries familiar to us are drawn - choose what you want. Believe that homemade jelly has even more opportunities for the manifestation of your imagination. You can please your home not only with fruit jelly familiar to us, but also with a dessert made from milk, sour cream, jam! The famous delicacy of Panna Kota is in its essence milk jelly.
Another important advantage of homemade jelly is that you can cook it using any amount of sugar. If you adhere to a healthy lifestyle, do not put a lot of sugar, because the fruits themselves contain enough sweet glucose.
Of course, the main ingredient in jelly is gelatin. You probably remember how in childhood mothers spent a lot of time in the kitchen, soaking gelatin for a certain time. Today in the store you can buy regular gelatin (half an hour before cooking jelly, you need to fill it with a small amount of water and leave it to swell) and instant (it is poured with a small amount of warm water and quickly stirred). In addition, for the preparation of homemade jelly, agar-agar and pectin can be used. Agar-agar - a substance derived from brown algae. This ingredient is inconvenient to use jelly due to the fact that it needs to be soaked in water overnight before you start preparing a dessert. However, along with this, agar-agar is very useful, it contains many vitamins and minerals, and is able to cleanse the body of toxins.
Pectin is another gelling agent found in fruits and berries. Thanks to pectin, it is possible to make jelly without gelatin. Of course, such a jelly will not have a dense structure, but it will be useful and tasty. In addition, pectin can be purchased in bags. It needs very little to get jams or jellies.
When you cook the jelly, pour it into molds and let it cool. Of course, the most jelly will thicken in the refrigerator, but it will harden in the open air.
When the jelly is thick enough to get it, lower the form for a few minutes in boiling water and turn it over on a plate.
Jelly Recipes:
Recipe 1: Red Currant Jelly
Red currant is a very useful berry and tasty fresh. If you want to make a beautiful red dessert, then take note of this recipe.
Ingredients Required:
- Red currant 150 grams
- Water 600 ml
- Sugar to taste
- Gelatin 2 tablespoons
- Lemon juice 1 tablespoon
Preparation Method:
- Gelatin should be soaked in water for thirty minutes before preparing the dessert. For 2 tablespoons of gelatin for this recipe, use about two glasses of water.
- Wash currants and strain them through a sieve. Pour currant paste into enameled ware, cover with one glass of water and set on fire. As soon as the mass boils, boil everything for about five minutes, stirring with a spatula. Strain the currants through cheesecloth, add sugar to taste, lemon juice, put on the fire and bring to the boil again, make a slow fire.
- Remove the foam and add gelatin. Stir the liquid until it is completely dissolved. Add berry juice, mix again and pour into forms. Put the jelly to cool. Serve such red currant jelly, garnished with fresh berries or mint leaf.
Recipe 2: Red Currant Jelly without Cooking
Currants - berries, rich in vitamin C. If the currants are heated, then the vitamins are partially lost. To prevent this, prepare a delicious dessert without heat treatment. This jelly will not be as elastic as that which contains gelatin, but will be much more useful. By and large, you only need berries and sugar.
Ingredients Required:
- Sugar 400 grams
- Red currant 400 grams
Preparation Method:
- Wash berries well and sort out. Separate all the legs and leaves, green berries.
- Skip red currant through a meat grinder or chop with a blender.
- Add sugar to currant and mix well to dissolve sugar. You can add 50 ml of hot water.
- Spread such a mixture in molds and let cool in the fridge or roll into jars, covering them with parchment covers.
Recipe 3: Red currant jelly without gelatin
It's easy to make red currant jelly and without gelatin. Try this recipe and enjoy a delicious dessert. For 3 parts of berries, take 2 parts of sugar. In this case, the gelling substance will be natural pectin, which is contained in red currants.
Ingredients Required:
- Red currant 600 grams
- Sugar 400 grams
- Water 100 ml
Preparation Method:
- Pour 100 grams of water into the pan and put the washed red currants into it. When the berries begin to burst, mix them with a spatula, squeezing and chopping red currants.
- Add sugar to the pan, boil the contents for about five minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Strain the resulting mixture through cheesecloth and pour the liquid into forms.
Recipe 4: Black Currant Jelly with Cream
Unusual black currant jelly with cream will surprise with taste and pleasant color.
Ingredients Required:
- Black currant 150 grams
- Raspberries 100 grams
- Gelatin 1 bag (15 grams)
- Dry red wine 50 ml
- Water 150 ml
- Cream 150 ml (no more than 15% fat)
- Sugar
Preparation Method:
- Half an hour before the jelly is made, fill the gelatin with water by swelling.
- Wash the berries. Mix them with water and pass them through a sieve, squeezing the juice from the mash.
- Pour the resulting juice into an enamel pan and put to boil over a fire, add granulated sugar and gelatin to it. Stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. After that, strain the resulting liquid. When it is cool, cream, stir and pour into molds. Put the jelly to cool.
Recipe 5: Black Currant Jelly and Strawberries Jelly
Black currant in taste is combined with almost all the berries and fruits. Prepare a healthy berry jelly with white wine.
Ingredients Required:
- Black currant 400 grams
- Strawberries 400 grams
- Sugar to taste
- Dry white wine 150 ml
- Gelatin 1 bag (15 grams)
- Lemon juice 2 tablespoons
Preparation Method:
- Soak gelatin in water half an hour before making jelly.
- Squeeze blackcurrant and strawberry juice, after washing the berries.
- Add sugar to taste, wine, lemon juice to fruit juice. Put the container with the mixture on the fire and bring to a boil.
- Add to the boiling juice swollen gelatin, stir until it is completely dissolved.
- Remove liquid from heat, pour into molds and let cool.
Recipe 6: Gelatin Jelly
Surely you can find a bank at home with compote rolled up in summer from fresh fruit. The habitual drink can be turned into an exquisite dessert, adding gelatin to compote. This delicacy can be decorated with grated chocolate or whipped cream before serving. Is sugar to be added to dessert? If you think that compote is not sweet enough, then add, but note that when hot, the liquid seems less sweet than it actually is. Ingredients Required:
- Compote 500 ml
- Granulated sugar
- Gelatin 1 bag (15 grams)
Preparation Method:
- Dilute the gelatin in a small amount of water half an hour before preparing the dessert.
- After twenty minutes, pour the compote into a saucepan and put it on a fire.
- As the compote heats up, add swollen gelatin to it and stir until it is completely dissolved in the liquid. Pour the mixture into forms and cool.
Recipe 7: Gelatin Juice Jelly
Such a dessert can be prepared even for very young children from the age of two, because homemade jelly is a useful and natural product. You can use any type of fresh juice. However, do not take packaged juice for jelly - it is not healthy and rich in sugar and dyes.
Ingredients Required:
- Apricot juice300 ml
- Sugar to taste
- Water 100 ml
- Gelatin 1 bag (15 grams)
Preparation Method:
- Soak gelatin in 100 ml of water and leave for half an hour so that it swells.
- Put the gelatin on the stove over this period and heat it to dissolve, stirring slowly, but do not bring to a boil.
- Pour juice into gelatin and stir so that no lumps remain. Pour the liquid into the cups and let cool.
Recipe 8: Milk Jelly
The famous dessert “Panna Kota” is a variation of milk jelly. Several ingredients mixed in the right order, and an exquisite delicacy is ready! To make jelly look interesting, you can make it in layers with fruit.
Ingredients Required:
- Milk 1 cup
- Sugar to taste
- Vanilla
- Raspberries 100 grams
- Gelatin 25 grams
- Water 50 grams
Preparation Method:
- Half an hour before making jelly, gelatin must be filled with water and allowed to swell.
- Mash raspberries with a spoon. However, for this recipe you can use the berries and in the whole form.
- Put the milk on the fire, boil it with sugar and vanilla.
- Add gelatin and raspberry to chilled milk. Stir until complete dissolution of gelatin, then pour into forms. Let the jelly freeze.
Recipe 9: Milk Jelly (Method 2)
If your children do not want to drink healthy milk, then why not make a delicious dessert from milk? You will see that in this form a useful product will simply disappear before our eyes!
Ingredients Required:
- Milk 1 cup
- Gelatin 20 grams
- Water 50 ml
- Sugar Powder
- Vanilla
Preparation Method:
- Pour the gelatin with water and swell for an hour before making the jelly.
- Put the milk on the fire, add icing sugar and vanilla, mix and bring to a boil.
- Pour gelatin into milk, stir until completely dissolved and bring to boil again.
- Remove the milk mixture from the heat and pour into the molds. Refrigerate as soon as the mixture has cooled to room temperature.
Recipe 10: Sour cream jelly
Sour cream jelly has the same delicate milky taste as milk jelly, but it will turn out to be more satisfying and dense in structure. Sour cream jelly can be used as a base for the cake, decorate chopped jelly pies and other desserts. Prepare a simple swept jelly without additives.
Ingredients Required:
- Sour cream 450ml
- Milk 150 ml
- Gelatin 20 grams
- Sugar powder to taste
- Vanilla
Preparation Method:
- Half an hour before making the jelly, pour the gelatin with the preheated milk.
- Pour the milk with gelatin into a saucepan and place on the stove. While stirring but not boiling, dissolve gelatin completely in milk.
- Remove the pan from the stove and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Sour cream should also be at room temperature. Mixer combine the icing sugar and sour cream to a liquid state.
- Pour the milk into the cream in a thin stream, without ceasing to mix the mixture with a mixer.
- Fill it with sour cream and leave to cool. Serve ready sour cream by decorating with melted chocolate or fruit syrup.
Recipe 11: Sour cream with banana
If you add a banana to sour cream jelly, then you change the taste of the dessert, making it almost unrecognizable. This dessert will turn out very tender and not at all like ordinary jelly. Sour cream before cooking dessert, heat to room temperature.
Ingredients Required:
- Sour cream 450 ml
- Sugar Powder
- Bananas 2 pieces of medium size
- Gelatin 20 grams
- Chocolate for decoration
Preparation Method:
- Pour gelatin with water and leave to swell for half an hour.
- Whip sour cream with a mixer with powdered sugar.
- Add dissolved gelatine to sour cream, continue mixing with a mixer.
- Peel bananas and cut into cubes.
- Add bananas to sour cream and pour into shapes. Let cool.
- Sprinkle the finished jelly with grated chocolate.
Recipe 12: Jelly from jam
This jelly is very easy to prepare, since you only need four ingredients - jam, granulated sugar, water and gelatin. Nevertheless, the result will pleasantly surprise you. This dessert can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Use liquid jam, currant or raspberry, without large berries.
Ingredients Required:
- Liquid jam 200 grams
- Gelatin 20 grams
- Water 400 ml
- Granulated sugar
Preparation Method:
- Pour the gelatin in water thirty minutes before the dessert is made.
- Put the jam in the pan, add 200 ml of hot water (but not boiling water), mix.
- Put the pan with the jam on the fire, add sugar (just not a lot, since the jam is already quite sweet), bring to a boil. Remove the jam from the stove and cool to room temperature.
- Pour the swollen gelatin into the jam and stir until all the lumps are dissolved.
- Pour the jelly over the forms and let it cool.
Recipe 13: Cherry Jelly
Cherry jam is especially convenient for making jelly, as the berries in it can be separated from the sweet juice. Of course, the cherry berries should be seedless, if you want to add them to the dessert later. Do not overdo it with sugar, because the jam is already sweet enough.
Ingredients Required:
- Cherry jam 500 ml
- Water
- Granulated sugar
- Gelatin 15 grams
Preparation Method:
- Fill the gelatin with water and let it swell for thirty minutes.
- Separate the cherries from the sweet thick juice. In the juice, add one glass of warm water, mix. Add gelatin and stir until the jelly lumps are completely dissolved.
- Pour the cherry jelly over the molds, add the cherry berries to it and set to freeze.
Recipe 14: Raspberry Jelly
It doesn't matter if you use fresh berries or frozen ones, the jelly will turn out incredibly fragrant and tasty.
Ingredients Required:
- Raspberry 200 grams
- Sugar to taste
- Water 500 ml
- Gelatin 15 grams
Preparation Method:
- Fill the gelatin with water for half an hour before preparing the dessert.
- Pour water into a saucepan and add sugar, stir and put on fire.
- As soon as the water boils, add raspberry berries to the pan. Boil the berries for about twenty minutes.
- Strain the resulting compote, add gelatin to the liquid and mix until completely dissolved.
- Pour the jelly over the forms, add the berries and let the dessert cool.
Recipe 15: Strawberry Jelly
If you want to make strawberry jelly, then know that this can be made from both fresh and frozen berries. We recommend you add a little mint to your dessert, and the jelly will have a delicate pleasant aroma and a refreshing taste. For making strawberry dessert, use instant gelatin. If you are preparing a dessert of frozen berries, then let them defrost before cooking. Ingredients Required:
- Strawberries 200 grams
- Gelatin 15 grams
- Sugar to taste
- Water 600 ml
- Fresh Mint
Preparation Method:
- Pour water into a saucepan, add sugar and set on fire.
- Strawberries need to be washed, tails removed.
- As soon as the water boils, put the strawberries in the pan and cook for about half an hour. Remove from heat.
- Pour approximately 100 ml of the resulting compote and dissolve the gelatin in it, stirring it with a spoon.
- Strain compote from berries. Mix the compote with the dissolved gelatin. Pour into shapes. Dip strawberries in each form and freeze in the fridge.
Recipe 16: Cherry Jelly
A light and tasty dessert made from natural cherries smells much brighter and stronger in taste than the jelly that comes from sachets. And, of course, a natural product is many times more useful.
Ingredients Required:
- Cherries 200 grams
- Water 500 ml
- Gelatin 15 grams
- Granulated sugar
Preparation Method:
- First of all - soak gelatin in a small amount of water, about an hour before making jelly.
- You need to wash the cherry, remove the cuttings and get the bones.
- Squeeze the juice from the berries.
- Pour berries with water, add sugar to them and set on fire. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and cool. When the cherry mass has cooled, add swollen gelatin to the pan and stir until the mass is homogeneous and without lumps.
- Add juice to the cherry mix. Stir and pour into molds. After that, put the jelly to cool in the fridge.
Recipe 17: Jelly with Fruit
To prepare such a jelly, you can use pieces of any fruit. We take apples, raspberries and apricots.
Ingredients Required:
- Apple 1 piece
- Apricots 4-5 pieces
- Raspberries 100 grams
- Granulated sugar to taste.
- Gelatin 15 grams
- Water
Preparation Method:
- Pour the gelatin with water and swell for half an hour before preparing the dessert.
- Wash fruit. Peel the apples, remove the core and cut into small cubes. Remove the seeds from the apricots, as well as the apples, finely chop or chop the blender. Ripe raspberries.
- Fill fruit with water, add granulated sugar and put on fire. Bring to a boil, cool.
- Pour gelatin into the fruit, stir it with a spoon until completely dissolved. Pour the jelly over the forms and let it thicken.
Recipe 18: Gooseberry Jelly
Gooseberry jelly is obtained in an absolutely unusual taste, with small fruit grains. To taste the jelly was even more unusual, it is recommended to add to the gooseberry kiwi.
Ingredients Required:
- Gooseberry 250 grams
- Kiwi 1 piece
- Granulated sugar
- Water 200 ml
- Gelatin 15 grams
Preparation Method:
- Soak gelatin in water for thirty minutes before preparing the jelly.
- Gooseberries need to be washed and cleaned of green stalks.
- With kiwi, remove the skin.
- Chop the fruit in a puree with a blender or mince.
- Add 150 ml of water and granulated sugar to the fruit puree and set on fire. Bring to a boil while stirring, remove the pan from the stove and cool.
- Add gelatin to the fruit and stir the liquid until no lumps remain. Pour the liquid into the forms and put to cool in the refrigerator.
Jelly - secrets and useful tips from the best chefs
- If earlier only gelatin was used to make jelly most often, more useful agar-agar and pectin are becoming increasingly popular today.
- You improve the taste of jelly by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice or a natural dry wine in the same quantity. Wine can be used both white and red.
- Do not cook jelly in aluminum cookware. When the gelling agent interacts with this metal, the dessert will darken and may acquire an unpleasant metallic taste. Use an enamel pot and containers.
- How to decorate the finished dessert? Unleash your imagination! Use chopped nuts, dried fruit, jams and preserves, whipped cream, baked chocolate or caramel.
- Jelly will look more appetizing if you make it in layers. This process is simple, but takes a little longer. Make a milk mixture according to the recipe “milk jelly” Pour it into molds and put thicken in the refrigerator. After a couple of hours, make the mixture according to the recipe of any fruit jelly and, when it cools to room temperature, add it to the milk one and again put it in the refrigerator. You get a two-layer jelly. In the same way you can make several layers of jelly.
