Emerald Seas Dessert
1 cup boiling water
1 packet unflavored gelatin
1 cup sugar
2 envelopes gelatin unflavored
¾ cup fresh lime juice
3 large mint sprigs
1 ¼ cup cool water
Green food coloring
Dairy-free whipped cream
Chopped crystalized ginger (optional)
- Combine gelatin and ¼ cup cool water and set aside.
- Heat 1 cup water and sugar to a boil, stirring as sugar dissolves.
- Add gelatin and stir until dissolved and remove from heat.
- Add lime juice and 3 mint sprigs, both stems and leaves, and steep for 15 minutes.
- Remove mint and add remaining cup of cool water and food coloring. Stir to combine.
- Pour half of the gelatin mixture into mold and cool until almost set. This may require a short time in the freezer.
- Refrigerate remaining gelatin mixture until viscous then, using a mixer, beat on high until it has doubled in size.
- Add whipped gelatin mixture to mold and refrigerate until set.
- Serve with whipped cream and crystalized ginger, if desired.
Lemon Jelly
Charles B. Knox Gelatine Co.’s Dainty Desserts for Dainty People, c. 1920
2 envelopes Knox Sparkling Gelatine.
1 ½ cups sugar.
2 cups cold water.
3 cups boiling water.
1 pint lemon juice.
Soak the gelatine in the cold water five minutes and dissolve with the boiling water; add the sugar and stir until dissolved and cooled; then add the lemon juice and strain through a cheese cloth into molds.
Under-The-Sea Salad
Joys of Jello, 5th Edition
“Pears and cream cheese lie beneath a clear sea-green layer after unmolding.”
1 package (3 oz.) Jell-O lime gelatin
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup boiling water
1 can (1 lb.) pear halves)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 packages (3 oz. each) cream cheese
1/8 teaspoon ginger
Dissolve Jell-O Gelatin and salt in boiling water. Drain pears measuring ¾ cup syrup; add water, if necessary. Dice pears and set aside. Add pear syrup and lemon juice to gelatin. Measure 1 ¼ cups into a 1-quart mold. Chill until set, but not firm.
Meanwhile, soften cheese until creamy. Gradually add remaining gelatin, blending until smooth. Add ginger. Chill until very thick. Fold in pears. Spoon into mold. Chill until firm. Unmold on crisp lettuce. Makes about 4 cups, or 8 side salads.
Foam Over the Sea
Yankee Church Supper Cookbook, 1980
“An apt name for a pretty gelatin salad. The dressing is important to the dish.”
1 3-oz. pkg. lime gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 cup pear juice (drained from canned pears)
½ t. vinegar
½ t. ground ginger, or 1 t. chopped crystalline ginger
1 3-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 cups drained and diced canned pears (2 1-lb cans)
2 T. honey
1 cup mayonnaise
Dissolve gelatin in water, and add pear juice and vinegar. Pour half of the gelatin into a flat 6” x 10” glass dish and refrigerate until set. Cool remaining gelatin until syrupy and whip. Work ginger and creamed cheese into gelatin as you whip. Fold in pears. Spread mixture over gelatin which has set in the refrigerator. Chill. To make dressing, whip together honey and mayonnaise. Serve salad with lettuce and dressing. Serves 6.
Submitted by Carolyn Buck, Wapping Community Church, South Windsor, Connecticut
Comments: The foam of the ocean! The clear green sea! The refreshing and tropical taste of lime and mint! This modern recipe is a little bit church supper and a little bit ladies’ night.
Our desire for a fresh tasting dessert made from all natural ingredients encouraged us to use unflavored gelatin and easy-to-source ingredients like lime juice and mint. Eschewing shortcuts like flavored gelatin and artificial flavoring allowed us to create a dessert with clear flavor notes and an appealing sugar to sour ratio, while the addition of green food coloring and a more complex method allowed us to play with color and texture.
The green food coloring is optional, but we liked the deep green that one drop – yes, only one drop! – of coloring gave to the gelatin mixture. It’s bright and festive, but the dessert would be equally delicious without it. Also optional is the crystallized ginger, which adds a strong by refreshing natural flavor. We suggest serving it on the side, as it may not appeal to all.
As for serving suggestions, the dessert would look equally attractive in individual portions as it would unmolded on a plate. We like the idea of the mint green foam crowning a clear green layer of emerald sea in individual sherbet glasses.
Don't Break the Mold 