Elegant Fruit Jellies for Beat the Heat #SundaySupper

The theme of this week’s #SundaySupper, ably hosted by the lovely Jen of Juanita’s Cocina, is Beat the Heat. All very well for those of you living in warm and sunny climes, wishing only for a cool porch and an iced drink, but here in the UK, we would be quite glad of some heat to beat, quite frankly.

Still, a girl can dream, can’t she? So sticking to the rules of no ovens, no baking, no hot kitchens, I created a little taste of summer in the form of Elegant Fruit Jellies. I envisioned this elegance as a grown-up version of the kiddie favourite jelly and ice cream. They would be served in wine glasses and would be aesthetically pleasing.

All was going to plan, until I smashed one of the desserts all over the floor while attempting to pull off some arty photography with it, which somewhat destroyed the elegance. Still, making individual portions was a blessing – I cleared up the mess and quickly whipped up an extra one, so nobody needed to be any the wiser!

As long as you don’t try any wine glass acrobatics, these are simple to make, delightfully cool and very pretty to look at. The addition of cream cheese into the topping definitely adds a grown-up edge; it cuts through the sweetness of the jelly creating a nice contrast of flavours. However, if you have a very sweet tooth, you could use marscapone or omit the cream cheese altogether.

Though they look and taste decadent, they can be made with low-fat and low-sugar ingredients to leave you smug as you eat it!

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of raspberry jelly (jello) cubes (can be sugar-free)
• 1 cup frozen mixed summer fruits
• 1 tbsp cream cheese (I used a half fat version)
• 200ml double cream (I used a reduced fat one)
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• A few drops of vanilla extract

Method:

• Make up the jelly according to pack instructions – generally 1/3 pint boiling water to dissolve the cubes, then add cold water up to 1 pint.
• Share out the frozen fruits between 4 wine glasses and pour the jelly until each glass is about half full.
• Put the glasses into the fridge and leave for 2-3 hours to allow the jelly has set.
• Make the topping by whipping the cream with a whisk until thick and light. Add the cream cheese, vanilla extract and sugar. Beat with a spoon to combine the ingredients, then whisk again.
• Spoon the cream mixture into a piping bag and pipe onto the top of the set jellies, with as many waves, layers and extravagance as you like!
• Finish with a few frozen fruits as decoration and return to the fridge for another hour, to give the top fruits a chance to thaw and to chill the desserts.

Then, if you’re lucky enough to have a shady porch and sunshine, enjoy outside. If in Britain, you may have to use your imagination.

For more cool inspiration, look no further than these superb summer recipes from the other #SundaySupper bloggers and enjoy a chilled feast. Remember to join us at 3:00pm EST on Twitter!

#BeatTheHeat Appetizers:

• Refreshing Chunky Shrimp Salsa ~ The Weekend Gourmet
• Totally Cool Green Hummus ~ My Kitchen and I
• Smoked Whitefish Salad Bagel Bites ~ Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Watermelon and Goat Cheese Bites ~ Chelsea’s Culinary Indulgence
• Strawberry Gazpacho ~ Diabetic Foodie
• Grilled Loaded Baked Potato Skins ~ In the Kitchen with KP
• Sweet & Tangy Chili Lime Fruit Salad ~ Sue’s Nutrition Buzz

#BeatTheHeat Salads, Soups, & Sides:

• Cool Cucumber Salad ~ Momma’s Meals
• Lemony Garbanzo Kale Salad with Tuna ~ Shockingly Delicious
• Hungarian Cucumber Salad Recipe – Uborkasaláta Recept ~ The Watering Mouth
• Tomato Salad with Macadamia Cheese ~ Cooking’s Good Vegetarian Cafe
• Char-Grilled Corn Salad ~ The Little Ferraro Kitchen
• Gazpacho ~ The Hand That Rocks the Ladle
• Summertime Sweet Pea Salad ~ Granny’s Down Home Southern Cooking
• Apple and Poppy Seed Coleslaw ~ Damn Delicious
• Cold Cucumber and Orzo Salad ~ Mama.Mommy.Mom
• Carribbean Salad with Grilled Shrimp ~ Mama’s Blissful Bites
• Chilly Dilly Cucumber Soup with Shrimp ~ Comfy Cuisine
• Mom’s Creamy Pea Salad ~ Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
• Greek (Yogurt) Potato Salad ~ Family Foodie

#BeatTheHeat Main Dishes:

• Rainbow Slaw with Steak and Chipotle Crema ~ Cooking By The Seat of our Pants
• Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken ~ Make Dinner Easy
• Rolling with Kimbap ~ Kimchi Mom
• Ranch Chicken Tacos ~ Pippi’s In The Kitchen Again
• Serrano Ham, Mozzarella and Arugula Sandwiches ~ Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Asian Veggie Lettuce Wraps ~ The Lemon Bowl
• Slow Cooker Root Beer Pulled Pork ~ Cupcakes and Kale Chips
• No Bake Pizza ~ The Meltaways

#BeatTheHeat Desserts:

• Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream ~ Supper for a Steal
• No-Cook Egg-Free Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream ~ Chocolate Moosey
• Peach Sorbet ~ Magnolia Days
• Gluten-Free Cookie Dough Ice Cream ~ No One Likes Crumbley Cookies
• Icebox Chocolate Pie ~ Doggie at the Dinner Table
• Honey and Elderflower Ice Cream ~ Small Wallet Big Appetite
• Blackberry Lavender Popsicles ~ Girlichef
• Frozen Chocolate Bananas ~ In the Kitchen with Audrey
• Strawberry-Lime Margarita Ice Cream ~ Cookistry
• Elegant Fruit Jellies ~ Happy Baking Days
• Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches ~ That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream ~ Baker Street
• Vanilla Peach Swirl Frozen Yogurt ~ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
• Espresso and Toasted Almond Semifreddo ~ The Messy Baker
• Mango Ice Cream ~ Queen’s Notebook
• Raspberry Mousse ~ Basic and Delicious
• White Apricot & Honeysuckle Sorbet ~ Family Spice
• Biscoff Ice Cream Cupcakes ~ Juanita’s Cocina

#BeatTheHeat Drinks & Cocktails:

• Shirley Temple ~ Cravings of a Lunatic
• Coco-Limeade ~ What Smells So Good?
• Prickly Pear White Wine Spritzer ~ Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Classic Daquiri ~ Katherine Martinelli
• Salty Lassi ~ Soni’s Food for Thought
• Blueberry Mint Lemonade ~ Pescetarian Journal
• Sweet Basil & Cucumber Melon Smoothie ~ Daily Dish Recipes

Wine Pairings Provided By: ENOFYLZ