That's right: you don't even have to touch a stove to create this layered cake of gelatin goodness. Since I wanted to make the Ribbon Loaf in the simplest way possible, I made it as written, using boxed Jell-O and everything, except I used real heavy cream instead of Dream Whip because it is just as easy if not easier to do it the real way. For some reason I couldn't find non-sugar-free lime Jell-O, so I used the sugar-free kind with a couple of teaspoons of sugar added, mostly for bulk but partly for maximum "burst of sugary goodness" points.
Now, though this recipe takes very little time and effort to make, it does take a little attention to detail. The applesauce-gelatin mixtures are fairly thin-textured if using storebought applesauce, so you need to spread it on the graham crackers carefully to avoid it glooping down the sides and generally getting all over the place.While all this is going on, you also have to be conscious of keeping the cracker stack even so you don't end up with a Leaning Ribbon Loaf. You can adjust it as you go, though mine did end up just slightly askew, but it was to such a small degree that no one would ever notice.
Then, once the full stack is formed (which actually required a few more graham crackers than those called for in the recipe), spreading whipped cream onto that applesauce mixture takes a little finesse, especially if you want to avoid any Jell-O coloration from showing from the outside of the loaf. I mostly succeeded in this, but there was one small patch of red that was visible from one side. Oh well.
The other detail that took a little doing, though, again, it's minimal as this recipe is trivially easy to make, was how does one sprinkle sliced almonds on the vertical sides of anything? I couldn't rightly figure out this conundrum, so, as you can see, I just studded the sides with the nuts and called it a day.
Once I had the finished product, it was evident right away that this certainly would be a fun dish to serve to group of unsuspecting friends. From the outside it looks like a fairly formal, if petite, cake. Then you cut into it and it's like BAM:
Color! Contrast! Drama! Jell-O! For how easy it is to assemble, it is on the impressive side. The taste is quite nice, as well. The intense fruitiness of so much Jell-O mixed into so little applesauce is balanced appropriately by the thick whipped cream on the sides, and the Jell-O soaks into the graham crackers to create a cakey texture. One note, though: if you refrigerate the loaf for only thirty minutes, as the recipe suggests, you will still have a bit of crunch in your crackers. If you want it to truly be cakelike before serving, I suggest waiting an hour or more. If you need to make it well ahead of time, that's fine, too: my Ribbon Loaf stayed perfectly nice and beautiful for five full days.
I imagine that the Jell-O flavors could be switched around at will successfully. The lime and raspberry are nice together, but any Jell-O flavor would go well with the applesauce, as well as with any other Jell-O flavor. As is the recipe looks very Christmas-y, but other flavors could be used for a given holiday or occasion (school colors, for instance), as the colors do stay separated and vibrant. This dish would also be extra creamy and delectable with a Jell-O pudding mix as one or both of the filling flavors, I bet. Ooh, imagine pistachio and vanilla or chocolate and banana (with the bananas chopped very finely if using, of course)! I might just have to try one of those in the future because that sounds great.
If you can't tell already, I very much enjoyed the Ribbon Loaf, from its ease of construction to the end result. It's sweet, festive, eye-catching, and even well suited to making with small children (I mean helping in the preparation, not as a side dish!). General Foods did a wonderful job on designing this recipe to create a Jell-O treat that is just different enough to be interesting but not weird.
No comments:
Post a Comment