We are in high strawberry season here in Texas and, because I hate for any of these delicious gems go to waste, I’ve made it my mission to eat them all. We’ve got a big bowl of them on the kitchen counter but we can’t keep up with the garden. I swear I’m picking two for every one that we eat!
I know what you’re thinking; it’s a great problem to have. And you’re right.
In addition to Strawberry Goat Cheese Muffins, I’ve made a batch of Strawberry Curd. I’ll be making a big batch of Strawberry Balsamic Goat Cheese Ice Cream this weekend, but today’s recipe wins the prize for fancy-fancy.
Strawberry Champagne Gelee.
Gelee is basically a high-brow, homemade version of Jello. It’s dead easy to make, but the results are so impressive!
Ingredients:
1 pint strawberries, sliced (plus a few more for garnish)
2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 bottle sparkling wine, Processco or Champagne, chilled
Instructions:
Divide the strawberry slices evenly amongst the molds. (You can use almost anything as a mold– egg cups, tea cups, ramekins.) Put the molds in the refrigerator, alongside the sparkling wine. The wow factor of Champagne Gelee comes from capturing the bubbles, and in order to do that, everything needs to be as cold as possible when you assemble it.
Place 1/4 cup of water in a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin on top. This is referred to as “blooming” the gelatin. After five minutes, place the saucepan over low heat and add the sugar, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, and allow the mixture to sit room temperature for two or three minutes.
Working quickly, gently add the cold sparkling wine to the gelatin mixture and pour it over the fruit in the molds. Place the molds in the fridge and chill until completely set– four to six hours.
To un-mold the gelees, place the molds into a bowl of hot water, filled to a half inch below the top of the molds. When the edges are slightly liquidy (it only takes a couple of minutes), place an inverted plate on top of each mold and flip the gelee out on to the plate. Garnish with more berries and serve with the rest of the sparking wine.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Since the sparkling wine in this recipe isn’t heated at all, it retains 100% of it’s alcohol content. Fun, fun, fun for adults; not so much for non-drinkers and/or children. For a non-alcoholic version, substitute the sparkling wine with a 12 ounces bottle of ginger ale. You can also use whatever berries are in season.
*”Come quickly, I am drinking zee stars!” is a quote attributed to the monk Dom Perignon when he discovered champagne.
Everyone eating!
