When was the last time you had jell-o? Really?
How about jell-o jigglers? Or the Jelly candies in the mini containers that you see in the Asian store?
How about jell-o from a brass mold?
For me, it was about 4 months ago at a local Vietnamese resturant, the jell-o (layered in green, and diamond shaped with a sword style toothpick) was "dessert" after a long meal with friends.
The green was from Pandan Leaves which are used a lot in South Asian cuisine, mostly for the vibrant green color and for its unique flavor. The layers, like stripes were jell-o and coconut jell-o. All green.Now because I'm not afraid of food, I tried the very vibrant dessert hoping first that I wouldn't be put off by the coconut, and second that I would miraculously fall in love with the pandan flavor.
Neither happened.
For the record, pandan doesn't have that much of a flavor. I think of it like green tea. Yes green tea has a flavor, but when you add orange zest to the tea leave and brew a cup you taste the orange and not the green tea. In my research I've discovered that many things use pandan for color but the flavor is then masked by something, usually coconut, and is no longer identifiable in the final dish.
Since this experience I've seen many different versions of pandan layered jelly desserts, all vibrant and interesting and it reminded me of my grandmother's jell-o molds. The one that were always so perfectly displayed on the walls, but never actually used to make jell-o.
Now the Food Librarian know how to wield her jell-o. Her layered jell-o is very similar to the pandan jelly recipe, but her Broken Glass Jello says "to hell with molds!"
Food Librarian's Flicker Photo Stream
Many interesting and...exotic things have been done with molded jell-o in the world of the bored housewife.
And may recipes have revolved around new and interedting ways to entertain you guests with edible centerpieces. But who really eats jell-o molds anymore? It is going to be my personal project to come up with a molded jell-o idea that my friends will actually eat, and that I would actually. Something that's impressive to look at and will 'wow' the flavor skeptics of the kitchen. Like those people who believe aspics went out of style before the rein of bell bottom jeans.All I need now are taste testers, and a lot of jell-o. Any volunteers?
Jell-o Mold Competition Flicker Stream
Thanks to Frozen Wings for recipe and picture of the Pandan Jelly.
Thanks to Stella Was A Diver for the exotic molded meal.
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