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. 

My new favorite book is The Flavor Bible by Karen Page & Andrew Dornenburg.  It over 300 pages of fruits, vegetables, spices, and meats. Whenever I want to work with a flavor, I look it up in this book and read over all the possibilities with which to pair it.  It's the periodic table for foodies. 

For the Prickly Pear I used prickly pear syrup, pear nectar, lemon juice, tequila, and agave nectar. I also sprinkled a black lava salt over the gels to mimic cactus needles and give them that margarita feel.

The Strawberry Jalapeno Sombreros had strawberry puree, mint, lime juice, and a jalapeno infused rum and vodka syrup. 

These pieces were for a birthday for a woman whose last name is Di Maio so the flags have a play on Cinco de Mayo. 

I hope everyone has a fun and responsible Cinco de Mayo! Now, go knock down some pinatas!