Clementine Jelly and Brandy Cream
Happy New Year
Brandy and citrus! What a combination.
This dessert tastes like a Creamsicle. It’s festive. It’s visually striking. I like it and I think you will too.
Clementine Jelly and Brandy Cream
Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Chilling time: 3 hours
Total time: 3 hours, 10 minutes
Ingredients:
For the clementine jelly:
800g clementine juice (for me this was the juice of 30 clementines)
2 tbsp (25g) sugar
8 sheets (13g) platinum-grade gelatin (or 24g powdered gelatin)
Pinch of salt
For the brandy cream:
1 1/4 cups (300 mL) heavy cream
3 tbsp (38g) sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
A splash of brandy
Generous pinch of salt
Steps:
Pour the clementine juice through a mesh strainer to reduce its pulp content. Don’t worry about perfection. It’s fine if some pulp gets through.
Pour the strained juice into a saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and a pinch of salt.
Once the juice starts steaming, take it off the heat. Don’t let it boil! If it gets too hot the gelatin won’t set.
Add the gelatin two sheets at a time, whisking vigorously until dissolved.
A brief note: Packet instructions tell you to rehydrate your gelatin sheets in cold water and wring them out before use. This process is called “blooming.” Apparently blooming reduces the risk of clumping, but I never bloom and my gelatin has never clumped. If you want clump protection I suppose you can bloom, though I suspect it’s unnecessary.
Divide the liquid into four vessels of your choosing. I like using coupe glasses (praise the coupe!) but you could just as well use ramekins, rocks glasses, small bowls, or anything else you have handy. You could flood a rimmed plate with the jelly, let it set, and serve it with dollops of cream on top (or quenelles of cream, if you have the technical skill to make them). This is a flexible dessert when it comes to plating. Get creative and make do with what you have.
Let the jelly set in the fridge for at least three hours.
When you’re ready to serve, combine all the brandy cream ingredients in a bowl and whisk (or attack with an immersion blender) until stiff peaks form.
Dollop the whipped brandy cream on top of the clementine jelly and serve.