Prosecco Cube with Cranberries and Orange
November 21, 2004
This recipe is an adult and sharp-looking version of an old university classic - the “jello-shot”. Served on a slice of lime, it is a great way to get a holiday party started.
Ingredients:
2 cups Prosecco sparkling wine
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 pkgs (1/2 oz.) powdered gelatin
2/3 cup cranberries
2 oranges
6 limes, sliced very thin
Directions:
1. Combine ¼ cup of Prosecco with the gelatin in a small bowl to soften. Combine 1 cup of Prosecco with ½ cup of sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
2. Meanwhile, halve the cranberries. If you’re short on time and don’t feel like doing this, rough chop the cranberries, but keep in mind that cranberry halves are the goal, so don’t over-chop. Sprinkle ¼ cup of sugar over the chopped cranberries and set aside to macerate.
3. Once the sugar has dissolved in the Prosecco, remove it from the heat and add the softened gelatin. Stir until the gelatin has dissolved. Add the remaining ¾ cup of Prosecco and stir. Cool this mixture to room temperature.
4. Zest the oranges into long strips. This is best done by using a large microplane with long strokes, rather than grating. Alternatively, you can carefully slice the zest off the orange and then cut it into thin strips.
5. Fill small ice cube trays half full with the Prosecco mixture. Add a few cranberry halves (making sure that some are face up and others are face down) and a couple of strips of orange zest to each cube. Refrigerate and let this set for one hour. Once the cranberries are set in the gelatin, fill the rest of the cubes with more of the Prosecco liquid. Return this to the refrigerator and let it set for at least 4 hours. This can also be done in a straight-sided cake pan, but make sure that the cranberries and orange zest are evenly distributed. The cubes can be un-molded and left on a sheet pan several hours before you are ready to serve them.
6. Just before you are ready to serve the cubes, slice the limes into ¼” slices. Then place a cube on each slice and garnish the plate with orange slices and fresh cranberries.
Makes roughly 36 cubes.