February 6th
2007
Sometimes things have a similar or even the same name across different languages, sometimes they don't. And then there are times where the origin of a term is more than questionable. Take the English jelly and American Jell-O/jello for instance, both stand for a gelatin dessert and are quite obviously a modification of its main ingredient, the mighty gelatin. Jelly, jello, all fine by me. But what on earth made someone come up with the name Wackelpeter (roughly translates to Jiggling Peter) in German? Should we know Peter? Who is this guy anyway? Was his anxiety over this dessert responsible for making him shiver - jiggling - and who, with an ill attempt at humor, started calling the dish after him? Ok, admittedly, a bit far fetched and the internet knows better, too: The name affix Peter dates back to the 19th century, where it was used as an affix to playfully paraphrase something. Now if Jiggling Peter doesn't float your boat, it's good to know that there is another official name for it. A much more poetic one, I think: Götterspeise (translates to food of the gods or ambrosia).
Food with an atypical consistency is almost always a guarantee for "Ahhs"and "Ohhhs" at home cooked dinners and these little jello glasses are a big hit with guests; provided they are not allergic to jello. While we used coffee in the past, using alcoholic liquids like ice wine, Prosecco or Campari (among many others) work especially well: What you get is a dessert and digestif merged into a single dish. This time round we prepared two different ones, a red Campari and an almost colorless Prosecco jello, which -layered in tiny glasses- looked downright fascinating.
Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile dissolve the confectioners sugar in the mineral water and bring to a boil, then remove syrup from the stove and let cool down for 5 to 10 minutes. Add the Prosecco (or other alcoholic liquid) as well as the two sheets of gelatin (squeeze well), stir and make sure the gelatin fully dissolves. The amount of gelatin is pretty small compared to this recipe, expect the final result to be on the soft end, but cutting of accurate shapes is neither needed nor really possible.
Now pour the mix into a flat container, chill in the fridge for about 2 hours or until firm, then scoop with a spoon and fill into a glass or dessert dish. Enjoy - and don't get tipsy ;)
Jello with booze
Recipe source: own creation
Required time: prep. 15 min., chilling: at least 2h
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Ingredients (serves 2-3):
2 sheets of gelatin
30ml mineral water, non sparkling
40g confectioners sugar (or to your liking)
120ml of your favorite alcoholic drink (try ice wine, Prosecco, Campari or other)
Eigentlich bin ich ja kein Fan von Goetterspeise, aber dieses Rubinrot sieht doch ziemlich verfuehrerisch aus...
Uebrigens, aufgewachsen bin ich zwar in der Naehe von Erlangen, aber geboren in Weiden in der Oberpfalz - und als ich nach Australien gezogen bin, war klar, dass das Vohenstrausser Kochbuch unbedingt mit muss, um mich vor akuten Heimwehanfaellen zu bewahren... Normalerweise mag ich keine Kochbuecher ohne Bilder, aber dieser schoene altmodische Band ist eine echte Ausnahme!
Viele Gruesse aus dem heissen und schwuelen Sydney!
I only know the little jelly shots made with Wodka, but this sounds much more sophisticated. Your photography is simply stunning!
And it's "galaretka" in Polish - although I might have spelled it wrong.
Great to see your first recipe in the new theme!
That jelly sounds fantastic.
I just wish I could find some reason to make it in my Korean recipe list. Actually I think I'll try it for myself anyway.
That recipe brings me back to my university years of making Jell-O shooters... hehe, many fond memories. I'm looking forward to trying this more elegant version. :)
In der Schweiz ist Götterspeise etwas anderes. Es wird besteht aus Zwieback, Vanillecréme und Fruchtkompott (meist Apfelmus, Rhabarber oder Beeren). Alles wird in Schichten (Zwieback, Mus, Créme) in eine Schüssel gefüllt und anschließend einige Stunden kaltgestellt.
C'est tres bon!!
This is classic frat house dessert! I would love to try it. By the way, you site looks really nice. Very classy =)
My husband loves jello because of lovely childhood memories and we both love prosecco as our favourite sparkle. What a great idea of combining the two! Amazing photo...
Hee, hee, I love the name Jiggling Peter!
I have to comment on the tray your wonderful dessert is sitting on. That is gorgeous!!
Love these, jello shots I know of very well too! I also love those glasses you serve in, I have my eye on some of those at Crate & Barrel.
Definitely far more refined Jell-o shooters! I want to see a classing-up of the old Watermelon-With-Vodka one myself ;o)
(incidentally, I think you mean "Booze", no "Bouze.")
That is the most gorgeous shot of jello I have ever seen. A far cry from jello cubes in a pyrex bowl topped with whipped cream from a can.
Gorgeous. Your jello looks like a jewel. Have you ever tried using agar agar to make your jellies? I know Oliver likes to experiment, and I'm wondering if he's had a chance to use this wonderful ingredient yet. It also has the great benefit of being suitable for vegetarians and those allergic to gelatin. Also, is there a reason you use mineral water? Is tap water problematic?
I'm going to try this, as I enjoy Campari. Thanks for all the great recipes.
Fantastic shot!
Beautiful photography! Doesn't matter what you call it, there's always room for it.
Thanks for the great recipe!
What a wonderful photo Nicky! I haven't been a particular fan of Jell-O, but your creation looks terrific and I'd love to sample some...
Such a sophisticated way to eat jello - I'm very impressed. The last time I ate jello was out of tiny plastic shot glasses in a college dorm room. Yum!
PS I love your blog! Makes me laugh all the time!
great picture!
ok, first nigella lawson is talking about it and then you: i believe jello is about to make a come-back in my kitchen!
i have childhood memories which made me look down on the world of jello. extended family gatherings were always accompanied by a regular jello recipe poured into some strange mold or cut out with alphabet cookie cutters to wish us merry whatever-the-holiday-is. my snooty family dubbed the relatives who always brought these creations "the jello family." the children were rail thin and wouldn't touch much more than jello at mealtime.
i had always thought of jello as small-town, unrefined until you and nigella started educating me about it!
so thanks for healing a childhood scar! :)
Reminds me of college, just better.
Sue, try making a jello with Soju for your Korean menu.
Martha Stewart did a gelatin "Mint Julep" once that looked fantastic.
Eva, Na das nenne ich einen Zufall! Vielleicht sind wir sogar im selben Krankenhaus auf die Welt gekommen - ich bin nämlich nicht nur in Weiden aufgewachsen, sondern auch dort geboren ;)
Gipsyx, Ich hab zwar schon mal davon gehört, aber es noch nie probiert. Deine Aufzählung erinnert mich auch ein wenig an den englischen Trifle, also muß es ja lecker sein!
Rob, No we haven't yet, for no particular reason. Perhaps it's the huge hoard of gelatin sheets in my kitchen counter and my laziness: for agar agar I'd have to go shopping. :) I think the mineral water helps the transparency of the final product - well, that's my logic anyway from looking at the many jello recipes that specifically call for mineral water.
Holly, "The jello family" almost sounds like a daily soap! As much as I loved this little dessert for its extravaganza, I, too, would be a little worried, if somebody would continuously bring jello AND thin children ;)
soooo.... prettyyyyyy.....
musttt..... resis...ttt
what a great party drink!