Strawberry jelly with fresh fruits

If you’re having friends around for a casual meal here is a light and so fruity dessert that’s perfect for Springtime! Strawberries are so popular and we should take advantage of this fruit to create recipes that we will enjoy without feeling too guilty about calories... This jelly is quite easy and with few ingredients so you won't need to spend a lot of time in the kitchen

Recipe of Stelios Parliaros,

a most prominent Pastry Chef in Greece

from the "KATHIMERINI" newspaper

Ingredients (for 6 people):

700gr. (net weight) of ripe but firm strawberries, washed and stalks removed
80gr. of granulated sugar
3 gelatine sheets (15gr. in total)

Method:

Cut in half 500gr. of the strawberries and put some of them in a blender along with some of the sugar. Blend in batches, until well mashed, adding a little more of the sugar with each batch. Transfer the fruit purée in a bowl.

Cut the rest of the strawberries in quarters and leave in the fridge covered with cling film.

Put the gelatin sheets in a bowl with cold water until they are quite soft. In the meantime, fill a large bowl with cold water and plenty of ice cubes and leave aside.

Put 1/3 of the fruit purée in a small saucepan and warm on low heat. As soon as it comes to the boil, take off the heat and leave aside.

Squeeze the gelatin sheets with your hands and add in the saucepan. Mix well with a wooden spoon until the gelatin is completely dissolved and then immediately empty the fruit/gelatin mixture into another bowl. Place this bowl over the bowl with the ice. Add in the mixture the rest of the fruit purée and continue mixing until it starts to set.

Then add the quartered strawberries, gently stirring, and pour the mixture into one large pudding or Charlotte mould or divide into individual bowls.

Transfer into the fridge and leave to properly set for at least 2-3 hours, depending on the size of the bowl(s).

Serve the jelly plain or along with generous dollops of thick yoghurt or unsweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Note:
The strawberries should always be washed before the stalks are removed so to avoid to get any water inside the fruit