Makes 1 (8-inch) pan
The Mississippi Delta has been described as the “most Southern place on earth.” It also boasts a sizable Chinese population, descended from merchants who immigrated to the Delta during Reconstruction. These immigrants occupied a place between white and black in a deeply segregated society. But because the immigrants were mostly men, with a shortage of women, they intermarried with African Americans. Chinese children were not allowed to attend white schools. According to Dr. Charles Reagan Wilson, the director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, by the 1930s many of the Delta Chinese had become Baptists, with the church serving as a center for wedding banquets, community service projects, fund-raising activities, funerals, and other occasions that brought the extended Chinese community together.
Almond jelly is a popular Chinese dessert, especially during the hotter summer months—and there are plenty of those on the Mississippi Delta. Typically, the Americanized version would be served with canned fruit cocktail, but here I use homemade Blueberry-Ginger Compote. It would be equally delicious with fresh or grilled peaches or plums. The jelly is ready when it barely wiggles.
1 To make the almond jelly, bring 1 cup of the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining ½ cup water in a medium bowl; stir until dissolved. Pour the boiling water over the gelatin and stir to combine. Add the sugar and salt; stir until dissolved. Stir in the milk and almond extract. Pour into an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour.
2 Meanwhile, to make the compote, combine the water, sugar, and ginger in a 1-quart heavy saucepan; bring to a boil and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the blueberries and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the blueberries begin to burst, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate or freeze until cold before serving.
3 Slice the jelly into 2-inch squares and place in serving bowls or cups. Spoon the compote, with its juices, over the almond jelly. Garnish with mint and serve immediately.