Howdy, Jigglers! I know, I know, it's been a long time since I've posted any manner of gelatin-related content. Turns out I've been spending the last several months cooking up a different kind of jiggler, which has made me abnormally busy and sugar averse. However, my husband recently reminded me of my long-lost Jell-O quest, and so with his help I found a recipe that was both simple and quick to make and on the healthier side (as these things go): Cranberry-Apple Molds!
I already had the cranberry sauce, and we were trying to use up old cans of things--we still have some pandemic-era stock that's close to expiration--so this recipe was perfect for helping on that front.
In an effort to make this recipe a little healthier (key word: little), I used two cans of strawberry Jumex and unflavored gelatin instead of strawberry Jell-O, as at least the Jumex contains a little juice. I also added a glug (very technical term) of 100% cranberry juice for a little extra tart cranberry hit, as I know that Jumex is also loaded with sugar. Other than that, I made the recipe as written. I believe I used Pink Lady or Fuji apples, for reference.
I used some individual molds that I have, but I also molded this recipe in two larger molds, including a new one that has a scorpion in the top! Now, the colors of this mold make it a little hard to see (I'll have to do a mayo-or-cream-based mold in it sometime to really show off the shape), but you can more or less make out the scorpion there.
Then there was this mold I have barely ever used, and I thought this recipe would be pretty in it.
"Okay, yes, I see that it's pretty, but how does it taste?" I hear you exclaim. Well, you're in luck. This mold is pleasantly sweet, balanced with a nice cranberry tartness, and the apples are somewhere in between. Their crisp texture provides a lovely contrast from the gelatinousness of the rest of the mold.
Something extra impressive about this recipe is that the gelatin keeps the apples fresh and crisp for a very long time. I was eating this over the course of about 10 days, and the apples never browned or went soft. Now, I was conscientious about making sure that all the apple bits were dunked into the gelatin, thereby leaving them coated and thus protected from oxidation.
This recipe is in the Two-Way Salads chapter. I can see where you might serve this atop some butter lettuce or alongside coleslaw on the buffet table. But it would also be at home as a dessert. I'm amazed at General Foods' restraint in not recommending you to top it with mayonnaise--you know they wanted to. So good job, General Foods: good recipe, no mayo recommendation.
