Faux Fruit
2 packages Jell-O (pineapple, orange and cranberry are all awesome)
1 1/4 cup boiling water
3 medium/smallish-sized oranges
OR
2 packages Jell-O
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cold vodka or grain alcohol
3 medium/smallish-sized oranges
Preperation:
These recipes are devestatingly easy to do, but the end result is really charming (and great for summer parties and cookouts). It should be noted that I didn’t come up with this idea, but I’ll be damned if I remember where I did. Also, I’m really not a Jell-O fan traditionally, but for some reason the end result tastes more like gummi bears than gelatin. Plus, the novelty of eating something that looks like a fruit slice but isn’t is neat.
First, cut each orange is half width-wise through the center of the sections (otherwise you may end up with a hole that would leak the not-yet-formed Jell-O out where the stem used to be) and then scoop out all of the pulp, being careful not to break any of the skin. Use the disgarded fruit for a salad or whatever you usually do with oranges. Now boil the water. If you’re not making the alcoholic version, I suggest using the Jell-O “Jiggler” recipe which eliminates the cold water, thus making the Jell-O firmer, and as a result when you slice the orange halves later, the cut will be much cleaner and presentable. If that’s the case, boil 1 1/4 cups of water per 2 packages of Jell-O. Mix the water and gelatin for a few minutes until the crystals are completely dissolved. Now I suggest setting the orange halves up in something steady like a muffin tin so as to cut down on spillage. Ladle the mixture into each halve up to the very, very top. Place the tin in the fridge and wait three hours. Upon firming, slice the halves as you would any ordinary orange. Arrange on a swell platter and enjoy. They’re cute.
Oh, and if you’re making the alcoholic version, try out some flavored vodka if you’d like. Absolut Citron with cranberry Jell-O would probebly be very nice.
BONUS:
I was thinking that it would be really fun to make one giant Jell-O shot by halving a pineapple, scooping out the fruit and pouring in pineapple gelatin made with Rum– perhaps even Malibu for that great coconut flavor. A halved watermelon filled with watermelon Jell-O and vodka or even grain alcohol would probablty be ace, too.