Passion Fruit and Cream Gelatina

You know what has magical powers? Gelatin. That’s right, I said it. Before you decide I’ve gone off my rocker, hear me out for a moment. Gelatin has the ability to create a dessert that both easy going and kid friendly (Hello Jello!) and sophisticate– something like this gelatina we’re about to embark on today. I’m also amazed and tickled each and every time I place a dish full of liquid gelatin in the refrigerator only to return later to a bouncy bowl full of joy. Pure magic.

A gelatina is simply a Mexican version of gelatin or Jello. It’s served in many ways– one flavor, layered, or even the colorful mosaic. We’re incorporating a very exciting flavor into our gelatin, passion fruit, which just so happens to be native to South America.

Passion fruit is super tangy, floral, and fruity, which makes it a perfect mate for cream with a hint of vanilla. The passion fruit adds excitement to the cream, while the cream mellows out the pleasantly intense flavor of the passion fruit. The layering in this recipe totally takes advantage of that love affair between the flavors. When you dig into your dessert you will get a bit of passion fruit on the top, a creamy layer, then finish off with another taste of tangy passion fruit. Ahhh, so good.

And when I said this was a sophisticated dessert before, that doesn’t mean that this has to be fancy. We test all of our recipes and always have kids taste them before throwing them your way. This recipe was definitely a hit with the kiddos– they kept asking for more. I really could see this served on any occasion. It would be great at an upscale dinner party or a kid’s birthday bash. You can also layer it however you like to fit the occasion. Slanted layers are a great option, as well!

If you can’t get your hands on fresh passion fruit, don’t fret my pet! Just check out the frozen section of your supermarket where the Mexican food is for frozen fruit purees. They will be in a rectangular plastic package, much like this one. These purees are awesome because they feature exotic fruit already processed in an easy to use form which is great for creating other desserts and sauces.

What is your favorite gelatin dessert? We wanna hear what you love! See you soon!

Passion Fruit and Cream Gelatina

Author: Danielle

Prep time: 2 hours
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 2 hours 10 mins
Serves: 4-8

Layers of tangy passion fruit and delicate cream, this Passion Fruit and Cream Gelatina is sophisticated and a real crowd pleaser.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup water
• ¾ cup passion fruit puree
• 2 envelopes gelatin, divided
• ½ cup milk
• 1 ½ cups heavy cream
• ¾ cup sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Grab 2 small sauce pans and either 4 (8-ounce) glasses or 8 (4-ounce) glasses.
2. In one of the small sauce pans combine the water and passion fruit puree. Stir, then sprinkle 1 envelope of gelatin over the passion fruit mixture.
3. In the other saucepan, combine the milk and heavy cream. Stir, then sprinkle 1 envelope of gelatin over the this mixture. Allow the gelatin to sit with the passion fruit and cream mixtures for 10 minutes to bloom. Blooming is basically allowing the powdered gelatin to absorb some of the liquid like a sponge, which will allow it to dissolve evenly later.
4. Place the passion fruit mixture over a medium heat, add the sugar, then stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to steam. At this point, you are trying to dissolve the gelatin you bloomed. Lift a spoonful of the mixture from the pan and look for any little balls of gelatin that may have not dissolved. Stir until all of the gelatin has completely dissolved. Do not boil the gelatin because this may cause it to not set up. Set aside to cool.
5. Add the sugar to the cream mixture, then repeat the process you just did with the passion fruit. Stir to dissolve all the gelatin, careful not to boil. Add the vanilla, then set aside to cool.
6. Pour half of the passion fruit mixture into a bowl or measuring cup and set aside. It doesn’t have to be exact. Evenly distribute the passion fruit mixture that you did not set aside among your glasses. Place in the refrigerator to set up, about 30 minutes. You can also do this in the freezer for faster results, but be careful not to freeze because that will also destroy the gelatin and make it watery.
7. Once your first layer is firm, you’re ready for your cream layer. Make sure it isn’t hot, which would cause it to melt the first layer you created. Evenly distribute all of the cream among the the glasses and place in the refrigerator to set up, about 45 minutes.
8. Evenly distribute the passion fruit mixture you set aside among the glasses and place in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes to set up. Garnish with mint, if desired, then devour!