Lychee, rosé and ginger cream layered jelly

Here, we have added lychees to the jelly, but you can use any fruits that are in season, such as raspberries.

Credit: Brett Stevens

• serves

  10

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 150 g caster sugar
• edible gold leaf*, to decorate (optional)

Lychee layer

• 5 g titanium-strength gelatine leaf*
• 80 ml canned lychee juice, strained
• 2½ tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbs passionfruit pearls* or passionfruit pulp

Rosé and orange-blossom water layer

• 2 (10 g) titanium-strength gelatine leaves*
• 200 ml sparkling rosé
• 3 tsp orange-blossom water*
• 9 canned lychees, drained

Ginger cream layer

• 300 g caster sugar
• 15 cm-piece ginger, peeled, sliced
• 7 (35 g) titanium-strength gelatine leaves*
• 350 g plain yoghurt
• 300 ml thickened cream, lightly whipped

You will need a 2.5L jelly mould or kugelhopf (German bundt cake) tin.

Instructions

To make sugar syrup, dissolve sugar in 150 ml water in a pan over high heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

To make lychee layer, soften gelatine in cold water for 10 minutes. Warm 80 ml sugar syrup in a small saucepan over high heat. Squeeze gelatine leaf and dissolve in syrup.

Combine lychee juice and lemon juice in a small bowl. Stir gelatine mixture into lychee mixture and pour into a wet jelly mould. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until just starting to set. Lightly push passionfruit pearls into jelly, then return jelly to fridge for a further 20 minutes or until set.

Meanwhile, to make rosé layer, soften gelatine in cold water for 10 minutes. Warm 60 ml sugar syrup in a small saucepan over high heat. Squeeze gelatine and dissolve in syrup. Stir gelatine mixture into rosé with orange-blossom water and cool to room temperature, allowing bubbles to subside; jelly must not be warm or it will melt bottom layer. Arrange lychees over lychee jelly, then pour over rosé mixture and refrigerate for 1 hour or until set.

To make ginger cream layer, dissolve sugar in 300 ml water in a pan over high heat. Add ginger and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stand for 10 minutes for flavours to infuse. Strain, discarding ginger.

Meanwhile, soften gelatine in cold water for 10 minutes. Squeeze gelatine leaves and add to warm ginger syrup, stirring to dissolve. Whisk yoghurt and cream in a bowl until combined. Gradually stir in gelatine mixture until combined. Pour over set rosé layer and refrigerate for 8 hours or until jelly is set.

Dip mould into hot water before inverting. Decorate with gold leaf, if desired, to serve.

Note

• Edible gold leaf is sold as thin flakes or sheets of gold of high purity. It is from cake decorating shops and specialist food shops.

• Titanium-strength gelatine weighs 5 g per leaf. You can substitute bronze (1.5g per leaf) or gold (2 g per leaf) gelatine leaves as long as the final weight matches the recipe. Gelatine is available from specialist food shops and delis.

• Passionfruit pearls, available from selected specialist food shops, are sugar syrup spheres.

• Orange-blossom water (also known as orange-flower water) is available from specialist and Middle Eastern food shops.

As seen in Feast Magazine, Issue 15, pg82

Photography by Brett Stevens 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.