What better way to show off the beauty of fruit than to suspend it in a tangy jelly.

Tips:

- Jellies should be firm enough to hold their shape and be turned out without collapsing but, of course, the whole point of a jelly is that it should wobble! If your jelly is too firm to wobble, it may simply be too cold. Jellies become very firm on chilling and may need to be brought back to room temperature.

- Gelatine is best known as a setting agent for jellies, but it is also used in just about any dessert that needs to be moulded or turned out, such as light jellies, creamy bavarois or cheesecakes. Gelatine is available as powder or granules and in clear sheets or leaves. As a rule, 6 sheets of gelatine is equal to 3 teaspoons of powdered gelatine or a 10g sachet. This is enough to soft-set 2 cups liquid.

- Gelatine does not freeze well and separates when thawed.

- Agar-agar, a vegetarian alternative to gelatine, is found in health food shops - use 1 teaspoon agar agar to set 1 cup liquid.

- Fruit jellies can be made with a variety of fruits. But some fruits just don't work well in jellies: pineapple, papaya, kiwi fruit and figs all contain enzymes which prevent the jelly setting.

- Fruit juices and purees can both be set, though juices give clearer, more sparkling jellies.

- Cut the fruit into whatever size pieces you think would look best. Your spoon should be able to slide through the jelly and cut through fruit easily, so pieces which too big will make it harder to cut and eat.

- Rinse out the mould and shake dry. Make sure the mould is not too big for the jelly or it will be difficult to turn out. Pour a small layer of jelly into the mould and refrigerate until set - this gives a nice shiny surface when the jelly is turned out and ensures the fruit doesn't stick out of the tip.

- Carefully place the fruit in the mould and pour the remaining jelly over it. Give the whole thing a sharp tap on the work surface to dislodge any air bubbles, cover and refrigerate.

Make up a quantity of jelly using gelatine as follows.

To dissolve powdered gelatine, sprinkle it in an even layer over the surface of a little cold water (about 2 tablespoons) and leave it to become spongy. For it to dissolve properly it is important that the gelatine lies on top of the water and not underneath. Put a large pan filled with about 4 cm water on to boil. When it boils, remove from the heat and carefully lower gelatine bowl into the water (the water should come halfway up the side of the bowl)

Stir until the gelatine has dissolved, then leave to cool slightly. Leaf gelatine must be soaked in a large bowl of cold water until floppy, then remove it and squeeze out any excess water. It call then be stirred straight into a hot liquid or melted like powdered gelatine.

Gelatine sets at 20C so, if you are incorporating melted gelatine into a hot liquid make sure it is not too cold or it will form lumps or strings. Leave the jelly to cool.

- Jellies look lovely set in champagne or wine glasses.

- To turn out a jelly, use a wet finger to pull it away from the mould all the way around. Invert onto a wet plate and give the whole thing a firm shake to break the airlock - you should hear a squelching! If this fails wrap a warm cloth around the mould for a few seconds and try again. A wet plate ensures you can move the jelly around. A dry plate will stick to the jelly.



Source: The Essential Dessert Cookbook (Murdoch Books)