Jelly is a useful product that for many years remains at the peak of the “delicious” fashion. This cool sweetness is loved by both kids and adults.
Great news for those who watch their figure. Jelly contains a minimum of calories! Despite the fact that gelatin itself is rather high in calories (350 kcal per hundred grams), dishes from it are considered to be dietary. Since for the preparation of a liter of dessert you need only about 15 g of thickener.
Rules for making desserts with gelatin
In order for the jelly to set well and decorate the table, you need to know some basic rules of cooking. First you need to properly dilute the product. Most manufacturers indicate on the package all the necessary information, but there are some subtleties, without the knowledge of which you can easily spoil the dessert:
- gelatin is desirable to fill with boiled water. After the product "takes" the liquid, it must be then simmered over low heat;
- in order not to guess the consistency, it is important to respect the proportions. If a “light” hardening is necessary, no more than 20 g per liter of liquid should be used;
- if the recipe requires a dense "marmalade" result, a proportion of 40 + / 1 l will do;
- It is also worth taking care of the "temperature" mode. Do not boil the gelatin. After such high temperatures, it does not thicken. The same goes for the cold. If you cool the thickener in the freezer, there is a risk of hopelessly spoiling the dish;
- The most important criterion for the preparation of high-quality dessert (or aspic and aspic, where gelatin is also used) is its freshness. Before buying, do not be lazy and still look at the date of manufacture. Also take a look at the integrity of the packaging. It is unlikely that someone will like to find a caked lump in a bag when cooking, instead of a crumbly product.
How to breed gelatin for sweet dishes
A great way to calculate the amount of fluid you want is a 1/5 formula. That is, one part gelatin to five parts liquid. You can use water, as well as juices, compotes, or wine. The swelling process takes about half an hour.
Swollen gelatin needs to be dissolved. The best use is the use of a water bath, which will not allow it to boil.
Mixing the dissolved gelatin with the main mass is when both ingredients have approximately the same temperature. This approach will help to avoid lumps in the finished dish.
With soluble gelatin, things are much easier. Cooking information is usually indicated on the packaging and corresponds to the quality of the product. The necessary proportions of the liquid are usually given there.
Cooking savory dishes does not bear any fundamental differences. The only thing that is important to note is that gelatin can be poured into hot broth, and even boiled a little (not for a long time, otherwise the taste of gelatin will be found in the finished dish).
Cooking jelly at home
For the preparation of simple jelly need water, sugar, gelatin and fruit (or milk) filler. Gelatin is soaked, according to proportions, and the desired consistency, and after swelling, drain excess water, injected into the hot base, while not stopping stirring.
After the gelatin is dissolved, the mass is cooled and poured into molds. The hardening time depends on the amount of thickener used.
And in order to release the finished jelly from the forms, you need to put them in hot water, and then, covering them with a plate, turn them over.
We propose to complicate the task and learn how to make dessert jelly with gelatin at home.
Juice Jelly
For the preparation of "juicy" jelly will need:
- juice - 500 ml (any will do. But it is worth taking into account that sour juices may “require” more sugar);
- insoluble gelatin - 25 g;
- sugar - 1 tsp.
Cooking time - 2 hours and 20 minutes.
Calories - 45 kcal / 100 g
Mix gelatin with juice. Leave to swell for about 1 hour. After this time has expired, add sugar to the mass and send the container to a slow fire. It is better not to stir with a metal spoon. As soon as gelatin and sugar dissolve, stop heating. It is necessary not to let the mass boil.
The next step is pouring into molds. For decoration, you can lay out the bottom of the form of fruit or berries. Pre-wash them, and if necessary, remove the bones. This is important if you eat small children.
Spilling the future jelly in molds, it must be placed in a cold place to solidify.
After curing, dessert can be removed from the molds. It is best to resort to lowering the molds in hot water. But it is important to ensure that splashes do not fall on the finished dish, thereby spoiling its appearance.
Serve can be combined with ice cream, cream or as a stand-alone dessert.
Berry Jelly Recipe
It will take:
- berries (raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, etc.) - 500 g;
- sugar - 100 g;
- gelatin - 25 g;
- water - 500 ml.
Cooking time - 2 hours 30 minutes.
Calories - 300 kcal.
To start, soak the gelatin in cold water. Leave for one hour.
To remove the berries from the stem, rinse with running water and leave on a napkin until excess water runs off. Then grind the berries through a sieve, squeeze the juice. Dissolve the swollen gelatin over low heat.
Berry puree must be boiled for a few minutes with sugar, until it is completely dissolved. Then cool and add to berry juice.
In a mixture of berry puree and juice, add warm gelatin, stir until completely mixed.
Dip the molds with water, put some fresh berries on the bottom, pour over the mixture and leave to set.
Lingonberry Jelly Recipe
For cooking you will need:
- cowberry berries - 1 kg;
- sugar - 800 g;
- gelatin - 50 g;
- water - 500 ml.
Cooking time - 2 hours 30 minutes.
Calorie per serving - 600 kcal.
Soak gelatin in water and leave to swell for one hour. While preparing a thickener, you need to sort out the berries, pour boiling water over them and drain the water, leaving a little at the bottom. Then you need to grind lingonberries and squeeze through gauze.
In the juice collected from the berries, you need to add sugar and put the container on the fire. Boil until sugar dissolves, stirring. The next step is to add gelatin. It is important to ensure that the next few minutes the mass does not boil. That's the whole procedure.
Ready jelly need to decompose in banks. By the way, they can not be sterilized. This berry is not prone to fermentation. Flip the rolled up jars, put them on the lids, and after cooling down, store them in a cool dark place.
For lovers of dairy desserts - white jelly
To make it you will need:
- milk - 350 g;
- water - 150 g;
- sugar - 3 tbsp;
- gelatin - 1 tbsp.
Cooking time - 2 hours 30 minutes.
Calorie - 200 kcal.
Preparation of milk jelly to begin with the preparation of gelatin. Pour water over it and leave for 1 hour. Heat the milk practically to the boil, remove it from the stove, add sugar and warm it a little more. Gelatin is separated from the liquid remaining after swelling.
Stir in the gelatin into the pre-cooled milk. For flavor, it is advisable to add vanilla sugar. In the form of jelly to pour through a strainer.
You can extract the dessert from the containers in a standard way: immerse the form in hot water.
Strawberry Jelly Cake Recipe
Jelly - a universal product. It is tasty enough to serve as a separate dessert, and also goes well in ready meals. It is often used in confectionery, in particular when baking cakes.
To jelly served as an excellent addition to the cake, you need to cook it properly, following all the rules. If gelatin is soluble, you can, following the instructions on the package, immediately proceed to the preparation of the mass.
If it is normal, first you need to fill it with water and let it stand for a while. Total thickener will need 10 g. The following is the recipe for homemade gelatin gel and strawberry cake.
So, gelatin is prepared. In addition to him, you will need:
- water - 100 g;
- strawberry - 150 g;
- 3 tbsp sugar
Preparation time (including gelatin swelling) - 2 hours 20 minutes.
Calories - 65 kcal.
Pound the berries in a saucepan, add sugar, then pour 2 tbsp of water. Together boil a few minutes. After a little cool, decant the excess liquid and introduce into the strawberries gelatin.
- If the jelly is supposed to be used as a layer, you need to pour it into the mold and let it freeze. Then cut into pieces and put on the cream, then cover with the next cake layer;
- and if the cake is to be decorated, he should pay special attention. To begin to cool to room temperature. Having prepared the sides on the cake so that the liquid does not “run away”. The best thing for this is cardboard, rolled into a ring and stuck in the top cake. It is necessary to fill very carefully. To harden the cake should be placed in a cool place. After the thickener grabs, the sides of the cardboard can be carefully removed.
Notes of confectioners
- if there are fruits in the recipe, it is better to add a little more gelatin. Otherwise, the juice, which will give, for example, oranges, can prevent grasping thickener. Which will lead to a fidgeting layer inside the finished dessert;
- You love sweets, but watch your figure, your salvation is jelly. It is non-caloric and useful. You can also use a sugar substitute instead of sugar, which further reduces the caloric content of the dessert;
- colorful jelly looks very impressive in transparent tall glasses. If before pouring the first layer to fix the glass in a tilted position, you can get a great jelly "awry". And in order to distinguish between colors, you can use a milky layer as an intermediate layer.
In a word, there is no more “creative” product than gelatin. With it, you can create great desserts, as well as beautifully decorate ready-made. And the use of gelatin in the diet is simply indisputable.
Another recipe for making jelly is in the next video.
