Him: what are you making?
Me: Gelee de Mojito
Him: translation?
Me: I don’t know, kind of like Mojito jello but not the packet thingie
Him: then why don’t you call it that ?
Me: be glad I did not call it "aspic"
Him: sounds like it could hurt
Me: not funny, I did not write the culinary language of my country, allright?!
Him: so what is this…really…?
Me: how about Mojito Jelly-O ?!
Almost every weekend we gather with the neighbors outside by the creek. Rain or shine, hot or cold. Same backyard all those years…don’t know how that happened, it just did. One Saturday evening three years ago, we were all chatting outside when I said "I’d better go check on my cake", C. said "I’d better go check on the chili" and J. said "I think the boy is bringing oysters"….and the rest is history: the men set out a long wood plank on saw horses outside and we all brought down what was in the oven or on the stove that evening and shared, grown up beverages and good laughs included.
We can’t always get together on the weekends because of holidays and guests, etc…Foods vary with the season and the sea but when we do you can be sure of one constant: C’s jello-shooters….don’t ask me why, but she made it her duty to provide a different one each time. Except that this weekend she passed the baton on to me when I said that we should have Mojitos instead for cocktails given the massive quantity of mint I have growing. I am not a big jello shooter fan (heck! Ask any fellow expat if they know the packet brand and unless they have been here before, they will probably look at you funny), but I know it’s her thing so I tried to come up with a Mojito Jelly-O instead of just a cocktail.
Obviously, if you do not like gelatin based dessert you will not like this one and if you do not like Mojitos or alcohol, you will probably have to pass too, but if you do…..for all of you ready for the weekend, these will make you very very happy! I had to take a few bites for the pictures and I got very relaxed at eleven in the morning which makes me think that tonight is going to be very good!
For the jelly, I’ll let you pick your own brand of white rum and you can replace the gelatin with agar agar or vegetarian gelatin if available. I am not an expert on the agar but from what I have found prior to posting this, it seems that the same quantity would work instead of the gelatin, but don’t take my word for it.
Mojito Jelly-O
Serve 4
Printable Recipe
5 limes (1/2 cup juice)
1/2 cup mint (3-4 twigs)
1 Tb gelatin
1/2 cup water divided
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white rum
1 1/4 cups lemonade (non carbonated)
Pour the gelatin in a small ramequin and sprinkle 1/4 cup of water over it. Allow it to dissolve, set aside.
Zest one of the limes, set the zest aside, juice all the limes to obtain about 1/2 cup. Squeeze another one if necessary to obtain 1/2 cup. Set aside. Chop the mint finely and set aside.
In a medium saucepan set over medium high heat, combine the remaining 1/4 cup of water and sugar bring to a boil just until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the gelatin, stirring until it is completely dissolved. Add the rum, lime juice, lemonade and the mint.
Pour in 4 glasses or ramequins and let set in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight. Decorate with mint and lime slices if desired.
