hen
berries are plentiful and inexpensive this is the dessert to make.
It consists of layers of beautiful raspberries, blueberries and
strawberries that are encased in a white grape juice jelly.
Although it may look difficult to make it really isn't. It is
just a matter of placing one layer of berries covered with jelly in
a loaf pan, letting it set, and then following with another layer of
berries and jelly. While this may seem time consuming, the
majority of the time is waiting for the jelly set in the
refrigerator, so you can be off doing other things. The most
important thing in making this terrine is to use good quality firm
fruit, making sure to pick through the berries, discarding any that
are soft or crushed.
Now, the general rule of thumb when making jelly is for every 2 cups
of liquid you need about 1 envelope of gelatin. However, you
will notice from the recipe that I have used a higher ratio of
gelatin to liquid to make this terrine. The reason for this is
that the gelatin has to support three layers of fruit so to do this
the jelly needs to rather firm. There are two types of
gelatin, powdered and leaf. For this recipe we are using
powdered unflavored gelatin to make the jelly. For those
unfamiliar with unflavored powdered gelatin, it is sold in the
baking section of grocery stores. It comes in small boxes
which hold four paper envelopes of powdered gelatin. Each 1/4
ounce (7 grams) (scant tablespoon) envelope of gelatin will jell
about 2 cups (480 ml) of liquid. Unflavored gelatin is tiny
granules that are tasteless, colorless, and odorless. It is
used as a thickening agent but only becomes active when dissolved in
hot water. To use gelatin you first need to sprinkle it over a
cold liquid (about 1/4 cup (60 ml) of cold liquid for 1 envelope of
gelatin) so the gelatin softens and will combine evenly and smoothly
with the other ingredients in the recipe. The gelatin should
be allowed to soften, untouched, for about 5 minutes so the granules
will swell and become spongy. The softened gelatin then needs
to be warmed so the gelatin granules dissolve and the proteins
become activated (gelatin is completely dissolved at 105 - 115
degrees F (41 - 46 C)). You can do this by either adding the
softened gelatin to hot liquid, or, the softened gelatin can be
heated. (To check to see if the gelatin has completely
dissolved, dip a spoon into the gelatin and check to see that all
the crystals have melted.) Just make sure the gelatin does not boil.
Above 150 degrees F (66 degrees C) the gelatin breaks down and will
not resolidify when cooled.
As I mentioned above, unflavored gelatin is also
available in clear, paper-thin leaves (or sheets).
It is widely used in Europe and can oftentimes be
found in gourmet and specialty baking stores, or through mail order.
To use, you need to first soak the sheets in cold water until it looks like wet plastic wrap. The sheets are then
heated until liquefied. The two types of gelatin can be
interchanged. Four sheets of leaf gelatin equals 1 envelope (7
grams) (1 tablespoon) of powdered gelatin.
To begin, discard any
crushed, soft or bruised berries. Have ready a 8 x 4 inch (20 x 10 cm)
loaf pan (6 cup).
In small bowl, pour 1/2 cup (120 ml) of cold water. Sprinkle the two
envelopes of gelatin over the water and allow it to soften, untouched, for about
5 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile,
in a small saucepan, heat 1 cup (240 ml) of the white grape juice until very hot.
Stir the softened gelatin into the hot
grape juice and place this mixture over a low heat and stir constantly until the gelatin
has completely dissolved. Do not boil. Remove from
heat and stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) of white grape juice.
With a
small ladle pour a thin layer (about 1/4 inch deep) of the white grape juice
jelly
into the bottom of the loaf pan. Place in the
refrigerator for about 30 minutes or until set, but still sticky. (This
layer is to hold the raspberries in place.)
After about
30 minutes, arrange in rows, a layer of raspberries on top of the jelly.
Carefully spoon or ladle some of the white grape juice jelly over the raspberries, just
until the raspberries are covered. Place back in the refrigerator for about one hour, or until
set.
Next, place a
layer of blueberries on top of the raspberries and cover with more of the white grape
juice jelly.
Place back in the refrigerator for about one hour, or until set.
Finally,
place a layer of strawberries on top of the blueberries. Carefully spoon
enough of the white grape juice jelly over the top of the strawberries to cover them.
Cover and chill the terrine for several hours,
preferably overnight, until completely set.
If you wish to unmold
the terrine, either place in hot water or use a hair dryer to loosen the terrine
from the sides of the loaf pan. Invert onto your serving plate and unmold.
If not serving immediately, return to refrigerator.
Serve the
terrine in slices with softly whipped cream.
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