Thursday, December 29, 2011

Champagne Wishes and Raspberry Dreams

Happy Almost New Year!

In preparation for the weekend's festivities, I've been making New Year's Eve themed edible art.   What drink says Happy New Year better than sparking Champagne?  This gelatin creation is inspired by the jelly masters- Bompas and Parr.  They are a combination of Champagne, Elderflower syrup, lemon juice, sugar, and raspberries suspended as if by magic. Just like our economy.

Photo credit: Brian Feulner

Thursday, December 22, 2011

O Tannenbaums!

When Charlie Brown was searching for the perfect tree for the Christmas play, he should have called me.  Well, these gelatin creations are not for children,  but the Peanuts characters would now be in their 50's so it's legit!

These Christmas gels are made from a special soda found up in Canada called Spruce Beer. It's in the family of Root beer and Birch beer, but with a distinct pine taste.   Imagine that amazing scent of a fresh cut Christmas tree that pervades your house in a drinkable form.

Presenting O Tannenbaums!


Monday, December 19, 2011

Gingerbread men gelatin

These gelatin creations are hot out of the oven! Or rather cold out of the refrigerator.

The winter holiday season is traditionally a cookie time of year. Looking at all the recipe magazines at the grocery store checkout line, you see dozens and dozens of delicious baked treats.  So here's my spin on a classic holiday cookie- gingerbread men.


Monday, December 12, 2011

Santa Hats

This past Saturday was the annual Santa Speedo Run.  A fun and crazy charity event that had over 500 participants don swimsuits and run through the shopping district of Boston.  

In honor of their ahem... efforts... I made some Santa Hat gelatin creations for a pre-party.  



The runners spirits were high and the weather mostly fair.  With the warming effect of cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, and a simple syrup made with Chambord and a touch of whiskey.  The runners were guaranteed not to freeze their jigglers off! 

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Mini Hot Cocoa Mugs

What's cuter than cute?  You're going to have to admit that these teeny tiny mugs of minted hot are just that.  While drinking my first mug of the season, I thought that these could make a delicious gelatin creation.  So off to the gelaboratory I went.  




Monday, December 5, 2011

Jell-Obama on CBS Sunday Morning!


The History of Jello!

Hello Gelophiles,

Last Sunday CBS Sunday Morning aired a segment on the History of Jello!  The bad news was I'd started working on pitch for something like this back in July.  Oh well.... procrastination.

The good news is Jell-Obama was shown during the segment!  

If you've ever wondered about the history of this wiggly treat take a watch below. Click on the link and not the photo to watch the video.


Wednesday, November 30, 2011

One final turkey creation

I got a bit behind on the posting this weekend with Thanksgiving and all.  But before I officially move to winter shots, I wanted to show my final turkey shot. 

It's a bit of a stretch.... but people have been asking for savory shots recently.  Looking back in the Annals of Gelatin, if there is such a thing, meat and savory gelatins, known as Aspics, were quite popular in the early 20th century. Gelatin as a dessert didn't really hit the American culture into the 50's.  Today we are so used to gelatins being sweet and fruity that it's hard to imagine they can be delicious in a complex and savory as well. But they can!

So going from there I made this Savory Stuffing Shardonnay Shot. 


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The ingredients include chicken stock, chardonnay, celery, and stuffing. If you'd like to get the complete recipe leave a comment at the bottom of the post.



Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Hello Fellow Gelologists,

In a recent posting I wrote about Gelography- the art of printing and drawing on gelatin.  At a recent event, I was commissioned to print the logo for the Ride Studio Cafe's unveiling party of a new 7 Cycles customized bicycle line.

It was a great event and an awesome cafe right off the Minute Man Rail Trail in Lexington, MA. I stopped over recently on a long ride and had a delicious hot chocolate, the perfect break for a long bike ride. 

Using rice paper and vegetable dye markers, I was able to create their logos on top of a layered gelatin shot. Also on the platter are the Candy Corn shot, Rootbeer floats, and caramel apple cider shots inside Granny Smith Apples. 



I'll be taking the Gelography to then next level when I pick up my new printer and edible ink cartridges this week! 


Have a great day before Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Turkey Treats

Hello Fellow Gelologists,

Happy Pre-Thanksgiving Monday. By now many of you have your birds marinating in brine, or de-thawing in the fridge.  Or maybe you're feeding a pair of turkey out your bedroom window like the couple I saw doing last week on my morning run.  I guess there's a troupe, or pack, or wait......  Wait, just looked it up... It's a rafter of wild turkeys and they're roaming around the streets of Cambridgeport.  

This situation inspired me to create an urban wild turkey treat.  Using these molds  I wanted to come up with some gel that was sweet and nutty with a bite to it. Something to gobble up but still relish. (wakka wakka wakka!)  



Anyone for a Turkey trot?

Friday, November 18, 2011

Gelography

Hello Fellow Gelologists,

Suffixes and Prefixes.  Remember those from English and Latin classes? If you're like me, you might have trouble remembering the differences between an electrocardiograph and an electrocardiogram. One's the machine and one's the readout.  As to which one is which, you'll have look it up. 

But you probably know the difference of say, astronomy vs. astrology.  Nomy means the systematic knowledge of, and Logy, is the study of.  So with Astronomy you have the science of stars and the universe and with astrology you learn whether you should leave your house that day or cheat on your spouse.  Err... uhm.

So what's the difference between gelology and gelography? If you Google "gelography" you first get, "Did you mean: geography?" 

And no Sir, er... Maam, err.. or whatever gender you are Google,  I most certainly did not.  I meant GELOGRAPHY." 

Which leads you to a lot of spelling errors links.  So let me be the first to coin, (OK I'm not the first) Gelography- the art of printing and drawing onto gelatin.  

I learned this technique from Michelle Quiles at Blooming Gelatin Art in Los Angeles. Using vegetable dye pens, food coloring, and brushes I made this as tribute to my past co-worker and present Gel-fan- Julia.


Under the big blue gelatin sea..

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Edible Snow Globe Series, #1- Snowflakes

Hello Fellow Gelologists,

When I was a kid, starting around Thanksgiving I used to lay on our olive shag carpet (it was the 70's!) and listen to The Charlie Brown Christmas album non-stop.  One of my favorite lines was when Lucy, in her high brow way, informs everyone, "I never eat December snowflakes.  I always wait to January."  At which Linus replies after having just tasted one,  "They sure look ripe to me."

Well, I made some November snowflakes that even Lucy would try. 


Here are my edible snowflakes in anticipation of winter season. A bit early I know but I was so excited to make these and taste them that I figured I'd blow right past Thanksgiving.  Turkey shots can come next week.

Friday, November 11, 2011

I've got it made with the good eleven

Hello fellow Gelologists,

Where were you at 12:34:56 on July 8, 90?  I was on a bus during a high school field trip and we all screamed in excitement when someone looked down at their Swatch Watch and announced the time.  

Now today is different- 11/11/11. Eleven is a good number. According to School House Rock,  you've got it made when you're multiplying it- that is until you get past nine. And, according to Becky Bierly,  you can make a wish if you look at the clock at 11:11:11 but only if you snap, then clap your hands, then stamp your feet eleven times each.  AND you can't look back at the clock until it's past the said time.

That's a lot of work for a wish. 

So on this momentous numerical occasion, there wasn't any screaming, nor Swatch watches,  but someone looked down on their laptop and informed all the peeps in the coffee shop at which I was working  that it was time.  We turned to each other and acknowledged each other's presence- which is the adult equivalent of raucous behavior.

I decided to gellify the moment in time with a little embedding technique. Here's my tribute to this once in a century event.





Thursday, November 3, 2011

Boo-Yeah!

Hello Gelophiles,

I made a smorgasbord of my Halloween gelatin creations for  a trick-or-treating party.  I was most excited about introducing the new vampire fang gelatin treats!  I found these molds made by Fred Kitchen a month ago. They make the coolest accoutrements! 

The kids go to feast on Fangtasiellos,  Coffin Jello, and Chocolate frogs. I'm still looking for a good name for the coffin gelatin. Right now the leading suggestion is Sugary Sarcophogus. I'm leaning towards a morphing of this into either Sarcophagels or Gelcophagus.  What do you think?



Sunday, October 30, 2011

Caramel Apple Cider Gelee Real Apples

Hello Gelophiles,

It snowed last night in Boston! This Pre-Halloween snow may be common occurrence in Montreal where it's halfway between the Equator and North Pole, but Boston?!   Regardless of the weather conditions, it is still technically Fall and I'm going to continue to make Fall themed shots! 

Recently in my Gelaboratory I've been trying to defy the laws of gravity and Newtonian physics with gelatin. I was very inspired by Chef Jose Andres' talk at Harvard about gelation. So, I've been playing with the idea of surprise. Like cutting open a fruit to find it filled with natural gelatin.  I started with tangerines, lemons, strawberries and had just been working on apples when this blog entry came up in my Google reader from That's So Michelle.

D'oh, bested!  Now I believe that ideas are like babies. If you don't birth them, someone else will.  (Okay, that doesn't make a lot of sense) I'm not going to let that stop me. So what's better than one baby..... two babies!  Here's my recipe for Caramel Apple Cider gelee in real apples.



Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Here Comes Halloween...Here Comes Halloween!

Hello Gelophiles,

It's getting spooky out there. The Halloween decorations are going up and the number one question in the air is, "what are you going to be for Halloween?"

In my own world the question is, "how can I gelify this holiday?"  The other question is, "how do I punctuate a question within a statement ?" I need to hit some grammar books.

Back to gelatin-  Here are the lovely and creepy embedded gelatin shots that I'm calling... 
well. I'm having a creative naming dry spell. So I put it out to you. What should I call these?

I want your input. Keep reading and find out about my contest!


Sunday, October 23, 2011

Gelatinas Artisticas

Hola Gelophiles,


Here I am in sunny California for the weekend to learn a gelatin injection technique called Gelatinas artisticas.  This came out of Mexico about and is an intense and fun way to play with jello. 



I'll post more about the process in the next blog entry but I wanted to show my day one products.  Back to Blooming Arts Gelatin! 

Friday, October 14, 2011

Candy Corns 2.0

Hello Gelophiles,

Happy Socktober!  The unofficial sock celebration month! You can celebrate by wearing mis-matched socks. Also called Opposocks!  Go ahead an trademark that one.

Back on the gelatin front, Halloween is coming up and it's time to create and recreate some shots.  These are the candy corn shots I made last Halloween but this time I used the pyramid molds for a more authentic candy corn look.





The key to these shots is the candy corn infused vodka.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Lychee gelee

Hello Gelophiles,

The first time my friend Steve handed me a lychee, I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. They're rather hard to describe:  round, red, scaly-  roughly the size and texture of an eyeball. Okay, they're easy to describe, in an unappetizing manner.  But once you get past the novelty it's the most delicious and refreshing fruit! 

Here are some gelatin shots that I made using canned lychee.  I missed Lychee season which is May through July but canned is perfect for a gelatin based treat.


Thursday, September 15, 2011

A Sculpted Rodin

Hello gelophiles,

In honor of a great friend,  I used this bundt mold to make a peach-themed gelatin shot.  As his name is Rodin, it was only fitting that the gelatin be both structurally and taste budfully satisfying.

The sculpted Rodin was my first attempt at embedding fruit in layers.  It took about four hours to create and an additional 6 hours to completely gel, but it was worth it.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

New from Jell-O!

Hello Gelolophiles,

There's some exciting buzz about,  Jell-O has put out some new products! I believe it's been a while since they've introduced new flavors. According to Wikipedia, when General Foods was merged into Kraft Food in 1989 there was a slew of new flavors: Berry  Blue, Cranberry, and Watermelon, to name a few.

 Well, these aren't new flavors but an intriguing marketing ploy. One is a color changing gelatin and the other.... well.......


Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Root root root for the home team...

Hello Gelophiles,

Okay. Technically that song is for baseball. But it's football season and the demand for shots is rising.  Building off a technique I'm learning called "Embedding" I decided to make some gelatin shots for a friends Northwestern University Alumni party. 



Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Fresh Watermelon Mojito Shots

Hello Gelophiles,

Summer is upon us and delicious fruit abound. The peaches and blueberries in our community garden are almost ripe and ready for picking and I'm swimming in cucumbers and tomatoes. Technically fruit, but not the most common base for a gelatin shot. So I turned to   watermelon at the local market.

Here's a refreshing summery shot for your next outdoor picnic.

Fresh Watermelon Mojito shots.



Sunday, August 7, 2011

More Press for Jell-Obama

Hello Gelophiles,

This is exciting news. Eddie Gehman-Kohan documents the Obama Administration's food and nutrition initiatives.  Lo and behold, Jell-Obama has made it up to the White House Steps! 

Read about how a lil' old Pudding shot can be linked to the recent debt ceiling conundrum here.



Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Harry Potter, The Elements, and Jell-o all in one?

Hello Gelophiles,

Watch Daniel Radcliffe sing "The Elements", a song the brilliant Tom Lehrer recorded over half a century ago.  

The same Tom Lehrer who is the supposed father or a founding father of the Jello shot.. Now if only Bill Cosby made a guest appearance... Heaven!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

I Open At The Close... Harry Potter Golden Snitch Shots!

Hello Gelophiles,

This is the shot I've been so excited to make. Edible Golden Snitches. The brilliance of J.K. Rowling is that she made a seven part book series where so much is tied together in the end. Things from book one play a significant part in book 7.  And thus is the tale of the Golden Snitch.

If you recall, Harry Potter catches the first snitch, an enchanted golden sphere that zooms around the Quidditch court. Uhm Quidditch is a wizarding sports games played on brooms.  Okay, this is difficult to explain if you aren't a fan of the books and movies.

Suffice it to say, Harry catches a snitch in his mouth in book one and this story comes back into play in book 7, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. A plot perfect for a molded gelatin shot. 

And here it is!







Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Jell-Obama mentioned in the the Wall Street Journal!

Hello Gelophiles,

I'm a small playa in the Jello movement but a playa non-the-less.  Reach the article in the WSJ about jello molds and look for the mention of Jell-Obama!


Follow this link to the article!

Monday, July 11, 2011

All Hail King Slurpee!!!

Hello Gelophiles,

Today is July 11th, aka 7-11. Every year on this date the convenience store chain 7-11 gives out free Slurpees.  I decided to take one of their Slurpees and doctor it up.

As a kid my mom used to doctor things up. She'd add some oregano and grated parmesan cheese to a can of Campbell's soup- voila gourmet. Or chopped apples and a dash of cinnamon to Quaker Instant Oatmeal. We were fancy like that.

So here's my doctored up version of a Pina Colada Slurpee.



More photos from the Jello Mold Competition

Hello Gelophiles,

The photos are in from the Gowanus Studio Jell-O Mold Competition. These really show you the creativity of the contestants. 



Sunday, July 10, 2011

Harry Potter Shotters- Version 1

Hello Gelophiles,

The buzz has been huge for the final Harry Potter movie. I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see how it ends. Ok, I know how it ends. I've read the series three times.... I do have a life outside of Gelatin shots. Wait that sounds really nerdy.

Moving on. In honor of the premiere I've been working all weekend on some shots specific to Harry Potter. Here's my first release.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

More Gelology in the news...

Hello Gelolphiles,

Here's a clip from the Today show website. There are great images of the competing Jello artist- look for my Jell-Obama in motion.

Friday, July 1, 2011

Salted Caramel JELL-Obama





Hello Gelophiles,

Here's the recipe you've all been waiting for. And when I mean all of you, I mean the hyper-inflated world of Jello obsessed enthusiasts I envision in my head.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Gelology in the news!


Hello Fellow Gelophiles,

The past five days have been an experience. To quote one of my favorite TV show, My So-Called Life, "We had a time."

Gelology was a big hit at the JELL-O Mold competition in Brooklyn this past weekend. Here's a link to one of the articles that mentions Gelology and the JELL-Obama creation.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

May I have the envelope please.....


Hello Gelophiles,

Yesterday was a whirlwind of activity. The events leading up to the JELL-O Mold Competition will be chronicled, but I am still exhausted and not quite able to articulate the experience.

I will say that I met the most creative, friendly, and fun group of people all gathered around Jello. The contenders were brilliant. The spectators, enthusiastic. I learned a lot about molding techniques, flavor combinations, and the hot to turn a hot dog into Jello.

More will come in due time this week. Just need to pack up the materials and head out of town. I will tell all soon...

Saturday, June 25, 2011

The Final Countdown

Hello Fellow Gelologists,

We are in the final hours until the Gowanus Jello Mold Competition. Michelle and I've been working furiously for the past sixteen hours. Five Barack Obamas, seven White House, and twenty stars, we are approaching......completion. Now we need to get cleaned and prepped for the event.

Up at 8, we've been melting, whisking, oiling, debating, beating, sooo many "ing" verbs!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

On the Road to Find Out

Hello Gelophiles,

A lot has happened with gelatin over the past four years; previously no one was really doing anything with it. Very rarely in life have I been ahead of a trend, but I think with Jello I was-all thanks to my friend Michelle. But I do believe that ideas are like children, precious... precious children. They need love to grow.

Ok, not really. I think ideas are more like the satan spawn from "Rosemary's Baby". A lot of people are conspiring to get them born and if you're aren't the birthing vehicle someone else will be. So if you're picked, best to lay everything else aside and go full esteem ahead. I mean at least Mai Farrow lived. That poor other girl.... not so much.

So I'm on the road to New York City for the Jell-O Mold competition hosted by Gowanus Studios. A whole competition. And the 3r d annual at that. I set the goal for myself to make a mold out of a bust I had of Barack Obama. And ladies and gentelmen... it worked!

On Friday I spent a few hours at Stony Brook Arts Center and learned heaps from Ben and Kevin about mold making. My expertise has significantly increased and I now something about vaccuum forming plastics. But more on that at another time. For now I am sticking with food safe platinum cured silicone rubber. (Wow that's a fingerfull to type). It's expensive stuff but it works really well if you are only making one ore two molds of something.

At Stony Brook, I made a box out of foam core and hot glue. Everything that I could do wrong I did. But learning should be just that. Make mistake...learn from it. We mixed up the material and degassed. The amount of air bubbles that came out of the liquid silicone was amazing.


My first mold (shown below) did not get degassed and it's riddles with tiny bubbles. However these tiny bubbled neither made me feel happy nor fine.


With Obama mold 2.0 there were absosmurfly no bubbles in it! I may have weird hobbies, or low expectations in life. but upon seeing this machine in operation, I was excstatic! Vacuum degassing chamber...where have you been all my life?!

Now I have the perfect bubble free mold, check it out below. So now I have wo molds to take to New York. One good but the new one even gooder. I'll post more about the process but right now I'm feeling a little carsick on the bus and need to not be staring at a computer screen.


More later.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Obama 1.0....


Hello Gelophiles,

This morning I unleashed the first Obama gelatin bust and......it was a disaster. The poor President came out in four separate pieces.

Friday, June 17, 2011

One week and one day

Hello Gelophiles,

One week and one day from today is the Jell-o Mold Competition in Brooklyn. I've been thinking and thinking and thinking about the jello, the aesthetics, the logistics. So many choices.

Today I am going to the Stony Brook Fine Arts center in Jamaica Plain. I've been looking for a vacuum degasser to eliminate nasty bubbles in my silicone medium. (Don't you just hate that?!). After a long search seriously about three months and many bizarre cold calls, I've finally found a place that has one. And merely blocks from my house. Isn't that ca-razee!?

Thanks to the helpful hands of Ben at the Stony Brook Fine Arts, I will be making my mold box and pouring my mold. It'll take about 24 hours to solidify and post-cure. Just in time to test out the jello recipe Michelle and I will be making on Saturday afternoon.

Here is a hosted by Thu Tran of IFC's Food Party as she narrates the Jello Competitors from 2009.

from The Feedbag on Vimeo.



Keep posted for more information on the road to Jell-o.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

A call to arms.... Jello arms!


Hello Fellow Gelologists!

It's been a while since my last posting. Worry not, jello was made, but I wasn't doing much documenting. More will come.

But I have some really exciting news! Gelology has entered the World Famous, International, Stanley Cup Finals of Jello Mold Competitions! I've entered the ...er.... Jello Mold Competition! Well, I think it's subtitled Jello's Big Adventure. I can't wait.

I've had a mold in mind for a while. All the components are sitting in my apartment and tonight the unveiling, the wheedling, the spackling, the gelmorgifying will begin. Mwah ha ha ha! (Insert flash of lightning and crack of thunder!).

I had this website bookmarked since last summer when I found out about the competition posthumously. Well, it wasn't dead, just over. There was an array of varying Jello molds, from edible agar cups, gelatinous Mother Mary's, and more. But I forgot all about it until something fired in my brain this afternoon and lo and behold the final day to register was today! Phew. Made it,

Now, if only there is still space available I'm in. But until I receive a sad and dastardly email proclaiming that there isn't space, then I am going to hope for the best.

So the preparation begins. Just like a mixed martial arts fighter, I shall begin my training. Tonight, let the games begin.

Friday, April 1, 2011

April Fooled!


Knowledge is a dangerous thing.

And clearly, my co-workers have been learning a bit too much from this blog. So when I was out of the office, they ransacked my desktop belongings and used the power of Jello against me!

If you are a fan of "The Office" you are familiar with the following prank to which I was victim to.


And here are the perpetrators....

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Mango Chili Lime Shots


Hello Fellow Gelologists,

A friend of mine is traveling in Guatemala with her five year old son. Adventurous you might say, but that's Kristen. The two of them are having a great time and easting some of the most delicious fruit imaginable. Four years ago I traveled there with my friend Claire and stayed in the city of Antigua. There was an enormous mango tree just on the edge of her block. The fruit from this tree was amazing. Even better, was the lime juice and chili powder we added to the sweetest mangos ever tasted.

So here is a Guatemelan inspired gelatin shot.

Mango Lime Chili Madness
2 cup Mango nectar
4 envelopes unflavored gelatin
2 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup Tequila
1/2 cup Lime Captain Morgan Rum
1/2 cup Margarita mix
1/2 cup Triple Sec
Chili powder

In a microwave proof bowl, sprinkle the unflavored gelatin over the mango, lime juice, and sugar until boiling. If the mango juice is from fresh mangoes, you must boil it first and then let cool. Otherwise, enzymes inside the mango will breakdown the gelatin. If the juice is pasteurized, no problem. Stir, let cool, then add the alcohol.

Pour the mixture into molds or a baking dish and refrigerate for two hours.
Before serving, lightly sprinkle lime juice and chili powder on the top.

Enjoyemente!

Monday, March 7, 2011

Minty Julep

Hello fellow gelologists,

Exciting news on the Astrobiology front. As of Friday night, astrobiologist Dr. Richard Hoover published findings of alien bacteria-like fossils found in a meteorite. Now, I will await more information, but this is a peer reviewed journal, so I give it credit. Where do we go from here?! Was life on Earth started by life from another planet? Stay tuned...

So how can we celebrate this finding, by making a gelatin shot. Okay, there's not connection between the science story and today's shots, but if you look at the photo, they seem inspired by such a mystery. Translucent pyramids, flecks of green leaves, alcohol. Yes, it's definitely the direct translation of a peer reviewed science article.

This mint julep shot was requested by Dante, who came over on Friday to explore his jello shot making ability. In fact, three friends were invited to design a shot. Normally, I spend my Friday nights making shots by myself. But then I thought, the shots make parties social, why not the making of them?

So here are the Dante's creations:

Mint Simple Syrup
1 cup water
1/2 cup mint leaves
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Bourbon

In a small pot, heat the water, sugar and mint leaves to boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for half an hour. Strain the syrup to remove leaves.

Mint Julep Shot
1 cup mint simple syrup
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves


Sunday, March 6, 2011

Rootbeer Reboot

Hello fellow gelologists,

While at the local liquor store I stumbled upon a new product, well, new to me- alcoholic whipped cream. It's canned whipped cream infused with alcohol. The makers of this product come from Temperance, MI. Yes, Temperance. The irony. If you go to their website, you can read about their peculiar history and how they ended up there.

But I don't want to go on and on about alcoholic whipped cream. I'd rather do that with gelatin shots!

Today's shots are a revisit to some rootbeer shots, called Floaters, I made a couple of years ago. They were very basic and not very beautiful. But these are much, much, more noteworthy.

Rootbeer Rebooted
5-10 pieces of old fashioned rootbeer candy
1 cup of rootbeer, flattened
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup vodka
1/4 cup vanilla vodka
1/4 cup rootbeer schnapps

Optional
Alocohol infused whipped cream
Pretezel- the curvy kind.

To make the Rootbeer infused vodka, add the cup of vodka and candies into a glass container. Leave for several hours to dissolve. Strain the vodka through a sieve to remove any solids.

In a microwave proof bowl, add the Rootbeer and sprinkle the unflavored gelatin over liquid. Microwave for 2-4 minutes until hot. Remove, cool, and add the alcohols.

For molds, I used some small plastic shot glasses I found at the grocery store. Lightly oil the inside of the glass and wipe off excess with a paper towel. Add the liquid and refrigerate for two hours.

To remove, use your finger to break the seal of the surface and then holding the shot glass with you opening away from you, using your fingers to cover the top, give quick shakes. This is how your supposed to get the ketchup out of the bottle, not the repetitive shakey-shake we all do.

Top with the cream and for added effect, break off the curvy part of the pretzel and add to the side to make it look like a mug handle!


Cheers!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Valentine's Day Revisited


Hello Gelophiles,

Valentine's Day may long gone, but for those who didn't officially celebrate due to myriad reasons, why not make March 5th YOUR official Valentines Day. Maybe your previous day was sweet, maybe it was sour. So why not combine the elements of both into one delicious gelatin shot?!

These are my layered Strawberry Supreme Sour Cream Shots.

Strawberry layer
1 6oz box of Strawberry gelatin
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup pureed frozen strawberries in syrup
3/4 cup cold water

1/2 cup Vanilla Vodka
1/4 cup Strawberry pucker
1/4 Light rum

Sour Cream Layer
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 Tablespoon sugar

In a microwave proof bowl, mix the strawberry puree, strawberry gelatin, and cold water. Sprinkle the 2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin and let absorb. Microwave for 4 minutes until the mixture is hot and the gelatin dissolve. Watch for over boiling!

Let the mixture cool and stir in the alcohols. (Is the plural of alcohol alcohols?) Anyways, irregardless, add the alcohols.

Prepare the sour cream layer. Add the sour cream to another microwave proof bowl and add the 1/2 cup water. Sprinkle on the unflavored gelatin and let absorb. Heat for 2 minutes, mix and cool.

Add half of the Strawberry mixture into your baking pan or fill just less than half of your silicon mold for layer one.

Place in the fridge and let it get semi-solid and spoon on the sour cream layer. Let it set again and add the remainder of the final strawberry layer. Let it set for 2 hours or place in the freezer to speed set. Top with chocolate shots or a small dollop of sour cream.

These tangy, tart and sweet shots will be just right to soothe the sordid heart.

Enjoy!


Sunday, February 27, 2011

And the Oscar goes to......


Hello Gelophiles,

Although it is snowing outside here in Boston, out in LA, the sun is shining and the red carpet is uhm... carpeting. It is that time of year when directors, producers, and actors pat themselves on the back....again. But this time it's the Academy Awards. Most people will be watching for Best Movie, Best Actor, Best Dressed. I am looking for most translatable into a jello shot.

The best contender so far is for Black Swan. It's those crazy huge pupiled, blood shot eyes that I see when I think of the film. So, here's my version of the movie in Jelluloid.

Black Swan Song Shots

For the black Pupils-
1 3 oz box grape jello
1 3 oz box lime jello
2 cups cola- flattened
1 envelope unflavored gelatin

For the white of the eyes-
1 1/4 cups water
2 enveloped unflavored gelatin
1/2 vodka
1/4 cup blackberry schnapps

Using a hemisphere flexible silicon mold, I spooned 1 tsp of the black jello into the sheres and set in the fridge for three minutes until tacky. Then I filled the remainder of the mold with the room white mixture. Let set for two hours and then remove.

To get the blood shot effect, I took a toothpick and some red food dye and outlined the eyes.


I'm pretty sure Natalie Portman had an eye double for the movie poster. Look closely at the opening photo and you'll see it was my jello!