Cherry jell-0 with bananas, orange jell-o with crushed pineapple, strawberry jell-o with fruit cocktail AND cool whip topping…..growing up, my mother had a delightful way with jell-o, which was a weekly staple at my house. I’m sorry to say, much to the detriment of my children’s happiness, jell-o has not been a staple in our house. Looking through recipes recently for something refreshing to make the Tuesday night tennis ladies, I stumbled across a recipe for Watermelon Jello in Sunset Magazine (August, 2011) using fresh watermelon. Intrigued, I decided to make it. The recipe was so simple, I decided I would experiment with a mango version, also. The watermelon was good, very light, but not a lot of intense flavor. One change I made is that I did not strain the watermelon after pureeing. I would have, had I not used a seedless watermelon. Straining would have made a clearer product, but I don’t mind a little watermelon murkiness. Good, but not great, I probably wouldn’t make it again….On the other hand, the mango was fabulous – light and refreshing, but packed with intensity. Perfect dessert for a hot summer day. I only got three cups of puree out of my four mangos, so I supplemented with a cup of Jumex mango nectar. I’m not going to mess with success, so I will do it the same way next time!
Mango Jello
by architect mom
Ingredients:
- 3 cups mango puree (after peeling and coring- about 4 medium mangos)
- 1 cup mango nectar (Jumex or Kerns)
- 3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
- 3/4 cups sugar
- mango slices for garnish
- sweetened whipped cream flavored with a little lime juice
- peel from (1) lime for garnish
Cooking Directions:
- Sprinkle gelatin over one cup cold water in a small bowl and let dissolve for about a minute.
- Microwave for about one minute until hot and gelatin is melted. Whisk in sugar until dissolved.
- Whisk gelatin mix into mango puree/juice. Pour into a 9×13 dish or (6) individual dishes.
- Chill until set – about 2 hours.
- Garnish with lime whipped cream, slice of mango and lime shavings.
Watermelon Jello
adapted from Sunset Magazine (August 2011)
Ingredients:
- 4 cups pureed seedless watermelon (original recipe called for straining, but I like it a little heartier!)
- 3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
- 3/4 cup sugar
- watermelon balls
- sweetened whipped cream
- mint leaves for garnish
Cooking Directions:
- Sprinkle the gelatin over 1 cup cold water in a small bowl and let dissolve for a minute.
- Microwave for about a minute until mixture is hot and gelatin is melted. Whisk in sugar until dissolved.
- Whisk gelatin mixture into watermelon puree. Pour into a 9x 13 dish or (6) individual dishes.
- Chill until set – about 2 hours.
- Garnish with whipped cream, mint, and a few watermelon balls.