The Walking Hungry

In the numerous TV shows and movies that feature zombies, it seems that human brains are the foie gras of the living dead world.  Whether slow lumbering creatures of The Night of the Living Dead or the limber Usain Bolt-like beings in 28 Days Later,  "braiiiiiiiins" is the call to supper.  But then I thought, hmm maybe the brains are the junk food of the human body.  Thus for Halloween, to appease both the living and the dead,  I made some pink lemonade and bubble gum brain shots.

These pieces were made with pink lemonade concentrate, bubble gum infused vodka, gelatin, and peach schnapps.   

During the next zombie attack, have a platter of these available to thwart the living dead and make for a killer Zombie apocalypse party!

Black Licorice Bats

I recall several Christmas Holiday TV specials starting with terrible news that Christmas might get canceled due to inclement weather.  It seems like this year may be the Halloween that wasn't.  It's two days away and Hurricane has us all hunkered home and playing snow day.  I'm sure Halloween will be unaffected for us in Boston, so when given lemons make lemon gelee. In this instance, Concord grape, pomegranate, and black licorice bat edible cocktails.

According to the USDA,  1.1 billion pounds of pumpkins are produced commercially in the USA every year.  Now add the yield from home gardens and that's a lot of pumpkin.  I'm not sure of the percent that, as Linus put it,  'get killed' every year to become Jack O'Laterns, but the remaining pumpkins are converted into delicious recipes like ravioli, bread, and pies!

Working with the flavorful orange gourd, I wanted to take the essence of pumpkin pie and change the flavor profile every so slightly.   Here are the Pumpkin, Ginger, Sage and Cream Cheese edible cocktails.  

Autumnal Surprise

This most recent creation is  truly a gelaborative effort. I've had the idea for a jello shot filled cupcake for a while now, and the perfect opportunity came up to make my first batch.

Under the tutelage of Emily Bao, an expert baker here in Boston, I've begun learning to bake. It's a whole other brach of food science, but I'm getting the hang of it.  

In addition, I've just met the two coolest ladies of boutique cocktails and spirit alchemy. Harmony and Meaghan of Booze Epoque made the most delicious autumn drinks at the Harvest Hoe down which inspired me to think fall flavors.  I had several butternut squash in my garden so with that I made a syrup of squash and fig to which I added some rum and bourbon and turned into a gelee. For the cupcake what better pairing than apple spice, topped of course, with a cream cheese frosting.

These are just the first batch- more varieties to come. 

Bring Me Some Peanuts and Gelatin....

Although the Baseball Hall of Fame and the Jello Museum are within a three hour drive in New York State, not many people associate one with the other.  However, this summer I had the privilege of catering some edible cocktails for the Beantown Softball League's National Tournament. 

Here are the embedded and logo gels I did back in July.  The gloves were a chocolate lemon drop martini, and the gel-logos were a margarita with salt gel layer.

Watermelon Jalapeno poppers

For a recent fundraising event for the Harbor to the Bay charity bike ride, I made these Watermelon Jalapeno edible cocktails topped with candied jalapeno peppers. 

The gelatin is made from fresh local watermelons and a simple syrup made from jalapenos, lime juice, watermelon vodka, and watermelon pucker. 

Cherry Gelcia

Here it is the end of August, and it's been a while since my last post. But I think you'll like these new edible cocktails.  These were made for a Vermont party back in July during peak cherry season. 

When I think of Vermont I think of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream.  And what's more summery than ice cream. So here is my interpretation of an Vermont ice cream favorite in edible cocktail form.  The Cherry Gelcia.

Photo by Anthony Eng

Strawberry Basil Gelee with Sour Cream Panna Cotta

June is strawberry season and a time to celebrate. It's the few weeks of the year when you can buy strawberries that taste like... well.... strawberries 

Although you can get strawberries year round, those berries have been bred to withstand shipping and storage.  Most of the berries you see at your local grocery store started their life on Driscoll's Farms in California- the largest producer of the Strawberries in the nation. Americans love their strawberries, having gone from consuming 1.7 pounds per capita in 1970 to 4.4 lbs in 2001. So in order to eat more of them more often we've had to sacrifice taste.

When I read on Farmfresh.org that Smolak farms in North Andover had local strawberries for picking, I leapt for the fields.

I admit about a quarter of the berries never made it into the picking basket.  Each sun-warmed berry burst with flavor and melted in your mouth. There was no way these would make it onto a refrigerated truck. They needed to worked with quickly so I zipped home and turned these berries into a strawberry basil gelee with sour cream panna cotta.

©Gelology - photos by Anthony Eng

The Gelaboratory!

Mad scientists and gelatin dessert lovers unite! Now you can get your geek on and satisfy your sweet tooth with The Gelaboratory™ from Gelology! 

Photos copyright of Gelology and Jordan Harrison

For Swinssnex's Summer BBQ,  I made an interactive gelatin dessert table to complement the BIO International Convention theme.  

Strawberry Rhubarb Pies

Strawberry season is beginning in New England so I wanted to start it off with a gelatin twist on a strawberry standard- The Strawberry Rhubarb pie.

The concept was inspired by Tricia Holda who challenged me to make something fitting for her creative rustic wedding up in Smolak Farms.  What's more fitting for a barn wedding than teeny tiny gelatin pies made with fresh strawberries, a rhubarb simple syrup, vanilla pudding, butter, vanilla and citron vodkas, and Fragoli wild strawberry liqueur.

Photo by Antony Eng

CongraGELations!!

College + Gelatin + Graduation = fun.

There are round 50 colleges in Boston metro area and for the next few weeks, there will be thousands of graduates donning caps and gowns ready to move on to their next big adventure.  Parents and friends will capture these moments in pictures. I am choosing to capture the moment in gelatin.

Cinco de Gelo

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  To celebrate this holiday, I made  four Mexican themed gelatins with south of the border flavors and shapes.  The first two to share with you are the Prickly Pear and Agave Cacti and Strawberry Jalapeno Sombreros.  

Both are new recipes made using original molds. 

Violet Gelicacies

Spring is flourishing here in Boston. Tree blossoms everywhere and violets blooming in abundance in my garden.  Violets are pretty, but I've always thought of them as happenstance. Nobody ever plants them,  they just appear and make nice ground cover. A beneficent weed.

Then I learned they were edible, and that has changed everything. 

Begin at the Beginning

Gelology essentially started as a way to fundraise for the 2008 Boston Marathon. I was running for a charity and throwing a jello party seemed like a great way to get people to donate.  Now in 2012, I make gelatins for other peoples fundraising events.  And I don't have to run 26.2 miles in 80 degree heat.  Kudos to you all for your efforts today, but I'm sitting next to the fan right now.

Marsh-jelllo Peeps

Just in time for Easter, Marshmallow Peeps gelicacies.  These peeps are made from gelatin, sweetened condensed milk, marshmallows,  and a simple syrup made from vanilla and marshmallow vodkas. 

©Gelology and Vuth Neou

Titanic- My Heart Will Gel On...

Today, James Cameron's epic film Titanic premieres in 3-D  across the country.  This is timed to commemorate  the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic on April 15th, 1912.  To commemorate both the film and event, I've made a Titanic gelatin complete with fated iceberg.

Blueberry Basil Geltini for Grub Street

On a recent night on the town, I had the most delicious beverage at 28 Degrees- a blueberry basil martini. I went home with a mission to make a gelled version of this drink.

One of the greatest challenges when trying to gel a tasty beverage is getting the right flavor potency. Something that tastes great in liquid form can end up insipid when it's gelled. But just adding more of all flavors doens't always equal tasty in the end. Sweet disappears when chilled more quickly than sour, so you can easily end of up with a really tart gel.  

In this case, the basil turned out to be the hardest to perfect.  In the martini, the flavor was  present but not overwhelming. Even though I have a background in lab science, I  still rely on  measuring cups  and volume just doesn't cut it when you're working with herbs. It's all about mass.  Two people measuring out their own cup of basil leaves could vary by as much 30%.  To complicate the matter further, the essential oil in the basil varies on age and size of leaf.  True molecular gastronomers extract the essential oils from herbs be more in control of concentration.  After several tries in the gelaboratory I found the right concentration of sweet, tart, and basilosity (not a real word....yet). 

Here's the  Blueberry Basil Geltini with a milk gelatin on top and the Grub Street logo on top.  Thanks to Julie Sterling for the beautiful photograph from the Grub Street Party. 

Gelology's Blueberry Basil Geltini- Photo © Julie Sterling Williams

The Gel that was on Fire...


Here's a quick attempt to make another Hunger Games themed gelatin.  Inspired by the pivotal scene as Tributes enter the stadium- here is a flaming blackberry gelee.  All that's needed now is a chariot and inspirational music.

The Hunger Gels...

There's been a lot of hype surrounding today's opening of "The Hunger Games."  And with hunger in the title you can bet there's been a slew of recipes inspired by dishes from the decadent Capital.  So why not jump on the bandwagon?!

First I thought, go for the obvious. In the book she they describes in details a stew she loves that is made with lamb and plums.  But lamb gelatin?  I'm not there... yet.

Next,  I looked up the plant for which Katniss was named, but its a starchy root vegetable. Hmmmm... let's think again.

Finally, I decided to reflect Katniss spirit, which is a lot easier to translate into a flavor profile. These gels are a combination of sweet, sour, and snap. The base is an organic lemonade and candied ginger gelatin. The top layer is  a milk gelatin and the logo created using  my special gelography technique.

Success!  May the odds be ever in your flavor.....

Irish Tricolors

Happy St. Patrick's Day to one and all.  Is there a connection between Irish-American heritage and gelatin? Read on....

On the night of April 14th, 1912  a dessert of peaches in a Chartreuse jelly was served to Margaret Brown, a, Irish-American woman renown for having gone from housemaid to high society socialite.  Hours later, the vessel on which she sailed, the Titanic, sank and Margaret acquired her famous moniker, The Unsinkable Molly Brown.  Did the jelly save her life?!  Possible... very possible.......

Here are some pieces I made for a party in Boston.  The Irish Tricolor. 

Shamrock Shakes and Jiggles

 St. Patrick's Day means many things to different people: Irish history,  Catholic Saints, inebriation, McDonald's Shamrock Shakes to name a few.

To me, it's gelatin.  For the first St Patty's day themed gelatin, I made some Shamrock snow globes. These gelicacies have milk gelatin shamrocks emebedded in chocolate mint gelatin with just a dash of edible gold glitter for luck.

Photos by Matthew Broderick

Salted Caramel Chocolate Pudding

I've been experimenting in the kitchen with some previous recipes and one that I revamped was the Salted Caramel Chocolate Pudding Pieces.  With some new molds and gelling techniques, I've been able to fancify their presentation.  

Presenting the Salted Caramel Chocolate Pudding Pieces. 

The pudding layer is made from chocolate pudding and homemade caramel sauce.  For additional caramely goodness, I made a salted caramel gel and sprinkle on some smoked sea salt. 

By far these are one of the most requested gelacies that I make. But you'll have to try them yourself! 

Photos by Matthew Broderick

The award goes to......

The 84th Academy Awards are tomorrow and for the last couple of weeks, I've been working on some molds that are apt for the ceremony.  Two of the molds are mine and one is a candy mold I purchased from a mold maker in England.  In addition to the Award Gelatins, I've also made a Red Carpet Roll-Up.  

For the statue mold making, it was a more challenging process that with the Jell-Obama.  I wanted to make a mold using 3D design software and a 3d printer. It took several months to find a group that does 3d printing but found the MakerBot Meetup here in the Boston area. 

Gelology Birthday Platter

Here's a peak at a birthday platter I was commissioned to create.  There were Salted Caramel Chocolate pudding gels,  Gelebration floats,  Gelatinas Artisticas, and Alphagels. The 40's and Flowers were citrusy lemon drop flavor.

Hot and Tart Hearts

Happy Valentine's Day!  

Today's post concludes my series of Valentine's Day themed gelatins.  These gelatins are made from tart cherry juice and homemade Red Hots simple syrup. The Red Hots add a spicy cinnamon snap that plays wonderfully with the tart cherry juice.  

The tiny white hearts are not conversation hearts so commonly found at candy stores this time of year, but made from milk gelatin. I cut out tiny milk gelatin hearts with an teeny tiny cookie cutter and embedded them into the tart cherry and Red Hots gelatin.  Talk about patience....

A Happy Valentine's Day to one and all!

Chocolate Port Gelatin in Strawberries

Continuing on with Valentine's themed edible cocktails, I introduce a chocolate port wine gelatin inside of real strawberries. 

I love walking around the produce aisle and trying to figure out what can I hollow out and fill with gelatin. There are so many possibilities.

For the Wedding Open Studios, I wanted to create something decadent, simple to eat with no cups, stems, or peels to dispose of.  Strawberries make the perfect gelatin bite sized container and the chocolate port wine inside blends well with the tart and sweet berries.   

To up the chocolate anty, I then rolled the edges of the berries with dark chocolate chips. 

Roses and Raz

Valentine's Day is almost upon us and I have some creations to take us there. Today's post features a variation on a previous recipe with new photos. 

Roses and Raz is a great combination of Raspberry gelatin, rose water, white wine,  lime juice, and elderflower syrup.  These treats are perfect for weddings and Valentine's day nibbles. Sweet and floral with a bit of bite from the lime.  

Cinnamon Heart Snow Globes

February has become the month of hyped holidays-  Groundhog's Day, The Superbowl,  Valentine's Day, and The Academy Awards.  For us at Gelology, that just gives us a reason to put on our creativity caps and go to town.  

Here's the first in a series of Valentine's Day of Edible Cocktails.  They're a variation of my Snowflake snow globes, but this time with a gelatin heart and edible gold glitter.  

Introducing Cinnamon Heart Glitter Globes. A perfect way to show someone you love them.....  or that you really love shiny things.

Footballs gels

In honor of the upcoming Superbowl XLVI, I made these embedded gelatin footballs on a bed of astroturf gel.  

The  footballs are made of a milk chocolate gelatin with a mint simple syrup astroturf base. So a nice choco-minty experience to balance the over indulgence of nachos and buffalo wings.

Now available for your Superbowl party! Check out the Superbowl menu deal!

Photos by Anthony Eng.

Blueberry, Tart Cherry, and Basil

On a recent trip to San Francisco, I was invited to a dinner party hosted by my old roommate Sarah.  I had spent the past three days at the Fancy Food Show and was amazed by the great flavor combinations and wanted to bring something to the dinner that was a bit flavor adventurous.  Thus was born the Blueberry, Tart Cherry, Red Wine, and Basil gelee.

AFC Champions.....

A big day for football means a big day for gelatin.  

The New England Patriots versus the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC Championship game. 

Your Face in Gelatin!

Here's a variation on the GEL-ogos.  For a recent Boston theater company, I made edible posters for their hilarious play,  "Mrs. Grinchley's Christmas Carol." One of the gelatins is the title of the show and the other Ryan Landry as Mrs. Grinchley.  

The top layer is a milk gelatin and the base an orange, vanilla, and amaretto gelatin. 

On another note, I'm off to San Francisco for the Fancy Food Show!  I can't wait to meet all the other specialty food creators around the country and world. I'll post some pics of what I see out there.

Peace, love, and gelatin!

-The Gelologist

GEL-ogos

I've been fascinated with the edible pictures you see on cakes and cookies. I thought, "how cool, I wonder if that would work on jello?"

So after much research, equipment purchasing and finagling, I can now print pictures, words, and logos onto gelatin.  

These I made for a recent gig with Mullen Advertising for a holiday social. I was asked to print the logos of some of their clients.  

Companies need to spend money to attract customers. So companies, now there's a whole new way to put your money where you mouth is!

Happy 2012

It's a new calendar year and time to set goals.  For me, I will continue to focus on the wonderful world of gelatin and to start it off, I'm heading to the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. I can't wait to meet other specialty food producers.  It's summer camp for food nerds.

For New Year's Eve, I'd been invited to Christopher Muther's soiree.  Christopher is the style and fashion writer at the Boston Globe and recently wrote a great piece about a 50's themed dinner party he threw.  So being invited by an expert in all things retro, including Jell-o and Aspics, I felt I needed to impress him with some gelation.