Rhubarb jello's light pink color is so pretty and by pureeing the fruit after it stews you get an enhanced flavor profile of the citrusy, tangy treat. Plus, learn tips on how to make your own homemade jello.

Rhubarb Jello + Tips on How to Make Your Own Homemade Jello

Rhubarb jello's light pink color is so pretty and by pureeing the fruit after it stews you get an enhanced flavor profile of the citrusy, tangy treat. Plus, learn tips on how to make your own homemade jello.
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I didn’t grow up eating Jell-O®. Flavors like blue raspberry weren’t a turn-off.

Hey, I was a kid; my imagination could have handled that leap but my mom didn’t buy it. She was a gourmet and purchased only a few factory-made foods.

I’ve eaten more gelatin as an adult than I ever did back then. My gels have been made with sustainably-sourced gelatin, usually from freshly pressed juices or whole fruit.

Today I’ll share a spring favorite: Rhubarb Jello, with basic recipe guidelines that can be used for most fruits and juices. Rhubarb jello can be served with fresh strawberries and full fat yogurt or served simply, in cut out shapes. It’s a great choice for those who can’t have fruit because, of course, rhubarb is a vegetable.

With that said, did you know there are certain fruits that won’t gel with gelatin?

If you’d like to branch out using the basic recipes, keep these in mind as off-limits: fresh pineapple, kiwi, figs, papaya, mango, guava, paw paw and even ginger root. These foods contain enzymes which prevent the chemical bonds that gelatin tries to create between chains of protein. One of these protein-digesting enzymes is bromelain. If heated above 158 degrees Fahrenheit, the enzyme is destroyed. So pineapple, for instance, will gel if used after heating or pasteurization.

We cook rhubarb, too, for this recipe, not to nullify enzymes, but simply because raw rhubarb doesn’t taste good. Rhubarb jello’s light pink color is soo pretty and by pureeing the fruit after it stews you get an enhanced flavor profile of the citrusy, tangy treat.

Rhubarb Jello
 
Ingredients
  • 4 cups fresh or frozen (and defrosted) rhubarb chunks, 1" slices work well
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup local, raw honey
  • 3 T. sustainably-sourced gelatin (we love this brand of gelatin and this one)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla (organic vanilla like this)
Instructions
  1. Place water in medium size saucepan and sprinkle gelatin over its surface, allowing it to dissolve 1 minute.
  2. Heat gelatin water, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until steaming and foamy.
  3. Add rhubarb and bring water to a simmer. Stir briefly; then cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and cool briefly, 10 minutes.
  5. Place rhubarb in blender with honey and vanilla. Puree for 30 seconds.
  6. Pour puree into desired mold and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours, depending on the size and depth of your dish.
  7. To unmold, briefly run hot water on the sides and underside of your mold to loosen the gelatin's bonds. Use a spatula to serve or flip directly onto a serving plate and garnish as desired.

Rhubarb jello's light pink color is so pretty and by pureeing the fruit after it stews you get an enhanced flavor profile of the citrusy, tangy treat. Plus, learn tips on how to make your own homemade jello.
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To make gelatin from juice use the following ratio:

Method

  1. In a small saucepan sprinkle gelatin over juice, allowing it to dissolve 1 minute.
  2. Heat, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until steaming and foamy.
  3. Remove from heat and stir in honey.
  4. Pour into desired dish and refrigerate a minimum of 3 hours.

To make gelatin from whole fruit (that’s sweeter than rhubarb, which is tart and requires more sweetener) use the following ratio:

Method

  1. Place water in medium size saucepan and sprinkle gelatin over its surface, allowing it to dissolve 1 minute.
  2. Heat gelatin water, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until steaming and foamy.
  3. Add fruit and honey; stir. (Some fruits, such as apple, are better cooked briefly. Simmer any crunchy fruit over low heat for 5 minutes.)
  4. Leave fruit whole for chunky jello; or puree in blender for 30 seconds.
  5. Pour into desired mold and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours, depending on the size and depth of your dish.

For more great gelatin recipes head over to Eat Beautiful where I’ve just posted *embedded* kid-friendly shapes of Blueberry Mint and Creamy Vanilla Jello.

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