Port and Cranberry Jellies with Frosted Cranberries

A bit more on the Cranberry-Port Jellies featured here: think of these as the most elegant, grown-up, and subtle jello shots you’ll ever eat. Both the jellies and the syllabub – basically a loose whipped cream – contain port, giving the whole dessert a heady, musky, flavor, which contrasts perfectly with the fresh bursts of the sweet-sour frosted cranberries (use way more than pictured here, they really bring the dish together). This dish takes planning ahead – 6 hours for the jellies to set, 1-2 hours for the cranberries to dry – but it’s well worth it. The actual work that goes into making and assembling these is minimal. And with only 1/2 c. of sugar added to the jellies. Worth trying.

Port and Cranberry Jellies with Frosted Cranberries

Serves 8

For the jellies:

• 2 c. cranberry juice
• 1 3/4 c. ruby port
• peel of 1 orange (white pith removed to the best of your ability)
• juice of 1 orange
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 TBS powdered gelatin (about 2 of the packets they sell in most US grocery stores)

For the berries:

• 2 c. fresh cranberries
• 1 egg white
• 1-2 c. sugar (you won’t use it all but need volume for process to work)

For the syllabub:

• 2/3 c. heavy whipping cream
• pinch cream of tartar
• 1 TBS confectioner’s sugar
• 2 TBS ruby port

1. Make the jellies: combine the cranberry juice, port, orange peel, orange juice, cinnamon, and sugar in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until it comes to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.  Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5-10 minutes to infuse flavors.  While juice is simmering, sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 c. cold water in a small bowl, and leave for a minute to firm up.  Add 1/2 c. of warm (not too hot! let it cool for a minute out of the pot before adding) juice mixture to the gelatin, and stir to dissolve, then pour whole mixture back into pot and stir well.  Remove from heat, and pour into 8 glasses.  Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours, or until firm.
2. 1-2 hours before serving, briefly whisk the egg white in a medium bowl, until slightly frothy.  Add the cranberries and stir gently to coat with egg white.  Let cranberries drip over bowl for a minute, then transfer in batches to a plate with the sugar.  If the cranberries are too wet when moved or there is not enough sugar on the plate, the sugar will simply dissolve.  Roll the cranberries in the sugar until well coated, then set aside on a plate or tray to dry for 1 to 2 hours.
3. Just before serving, whip heavy cream until beginning to grow in volume, then sprinkle with cream of tartar and sugar, and whip until it is thick and very slightly holds it’s shape.  It should not be too stiff, but should fall in folds when poured from spoon.  Gently whisk in port.  Spoon syllabub over jellies, then sprinkle with frosted cranberries.  Leftovers will keep refrigerated for a few days, although syllabub will lose some of it’s structure.