Penguin Books Australia

Introduction

Jelly was once a decadent sign of great opulence, gracing the banquet tables of the rich and royal in medieval times. Today, sadly, this versatile dish is thought of by many as a mere childhood confection made out of sugary crystals from a brightly-coloured box. However, jelly is a truly unique and enticing food. Visually impressive and highly sophisticated, with that tantalising wobble that cannot help but evoke a sense of fun and childhood nostalgia, jelly is gently jiggling its way back onto our tables and into our hearts and imaginations.

Gelatine was discovered in England in the 14th Century. Its lengthy preparation meant jellies were a luxury afforded by only the very wealthy. However, over time, gelatine became more accessible to the general public and was first commercially produced in its dry granule form in the mid 1800s. In the early 1900s, these granules were coloured and flavoured, and sold in the crystal form that many recognise as jelly today.

Jelly is so much more than a just-add-water-and-set, artificially coloured and flavoured dessert. Almost any kind of liquid can be turned into a jelly, and almost any vessel can be used as a mould – so the possibilities for extraordinary flavours and dramatic shapes are endless. This book is full of remarkable recipes, from child-friendly fruit jellies to more elegant and complex jellies infused with alcohol, herbs, spices or nuts.

Basic jelly-making is very simple, requiring only a few readily-available everyday pieces of kitchen equipment. The more advanced techniques, such as layering, suspending and bombes, require a little more time and patience, but are well worth the effort for their stunning visual impact. Follow the recipes in this book carefully if you are just starting out with jelly-making, and when you are confident of your skills, use the information on the following pages to help you create your own unique shapes and fl avours.

Jelly appeals to the child, the gourmand and the mad scientist in all of us – its infamous wobble is sure to bring a smile or mischievous giggle to children and adults alike.