Makes: 4 to 6 servings
Time: 25 minutes, plus time to chill
A light, sweet, and refreshing dessert that is the original Jell-O, infinitely better and almost as easy to make. It’s also incredibly adaptable: As long as you’re starting with roughly 4 cups of liquid, you can use just about any kind you like—juices, purées, teas, or alcohol—and adjust the sweetness to taste. For something stiffer that can be cut into shapes, add 1 or 2 more teaspoons gelatin.
1. Put 2 cups water in a saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the water, and let sit for 10 minutes or so. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and whisk in the rest of the ingredients.
2. Strain the liquid into small cups or a single larger dish so that the gelée is at least 1 inch thick. Let the gelée cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours.
CHOCOLATE GELÉE Divinely rich, somewhere between ganache and gelée: Increase the gelatin to 5 teaspoons. Omit the citrus juices and use only 1 cup water; combine it with the simple syrup and 1 cup cocoa powder. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then remove from heat and whisk in 8 ounces melted dark chocolate.
MOCHA GELÉE Decrease the water to 1 cup and combine with the gelatin, simple syrup, and 1 cup cocoa powder; whisk in 1½ cups freshly brewed coffee once the mixture is simmering.
CHAMPAGNE GELÉE WITH BERRIES Omit the juices and water altogether; decrease the simple syrup to 1 cup and bloom the gelatin in the syrup. Bring to a simmer, cool for 5 minutes, then stir in 3 cups chilled Champagne. Transfer to the cups or serving dish and refrigerate until the gelée is just starting to set, about 5 minutes; drop in about ½ cup berries (they should suspend in the gelée) and return to the fridge until firm.
BERRY GELÉE A great way to highlight one berry or your favorite combination; especially good topped with Whipped Cream: Use only 1 cup of water. Replace the juices with 1½ cups strained berry purée.
HONEY GELÉE Use the best-quality honey you can find since the bolder flavor is front and center: Omit the simple syrup and juices. As soon as the gelatin and water are simmering, remove from the heat and stir in 1½ cups honey until completely dissolved.
FRUIT JUICE GELÉE Use any juice here to change the flavor at will: Decrease the simple syrup to ½ cup and omit the water. Use this to bloom the gelatin, then bring to a simmer and whisk until it is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and add 3½ cups fruit juice.
VEGAN GELÉE A vegan alternative to gelatin; this method works with the main recipe or any of the variations: Replace the gelatin with powdered agar, following the same directions for blooming it in the liquid. FYI, using agar produces gelée that’s a little less firm, so add an extra teaspoon or so if you like.
BOOZY GELÉE Also known as Jell-O shots. Substitute gin or vodka for up to half of the total amount of liquid (no more than 2 cups, which is super-boozy). Don’t heat the alcohol; just simmer the juice and gelatin until it’s dissolved, then stir in the alcohol off the heat before pouring the mixture into cups.