Summer Sunsets

For The Spice is Right III – The Perfumed Garden

What does summer taste like? 

To me, summer is cherries and roses. Fresh summer basil and cool lemonade. Blossoms and endless sunsets. 

Summer is all about color. 

And it is everything this dessert engenders! 

The idea comes from this month’s Gourmet Magazine, Passion Fruit Gelee with Basil Cream. But I am mostly incapable of leaving things as they are. What caught my attention was the brilliant yellow-orange color of the passion fruit contrasted with the white basil cream. In its thin glass with the sharp angle, it was stunning. 

But at the same time, it looked…unfinished.

And there was just too much cream for me. Nearly half a cup. 

I was sure that I could do much better. What caught my attention was the simplicity of the recipe. Gelatin and fruit nectar and that’s it. And the basil cream was just a tiny bit more than that. 

It looked like the perfect summer recipe. Simple, cool, tart and creamy. But what is a summer without the fiery red and orange sunsets? Or cherries? 

There is no summer without cherries. I could happily spend pages and pages of enraptured text talking about cherries. Cherries are inextricably linked with summer, with idealic hot days, lounging in front of a fan and eating cherries fresh from the fridge. So cold they bead frost on their red glossy surfaces. 

And it was just a happy accident that I had some cherry juice in the fridge. If gelee can be made of passion fruit, surely it could be made with cherry. So what better way to make instant summer than to mix passion fruit, basil cream, and cherry into a single dessert?

To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t really thinking about the Spice is right. I had fully intended on skipping it just this once. I do cook with flower waters but…I really couldn’t come up with anything original. 

But when the fruit juice was right there and begging to be tampered with I couldn’t resist adding just a little flower water to the mix. Orange flower water for the passion fruit, to enhance its already floral nature and rose water for the cherries, to play up its perfume. 

The only thing I didn’t touch was the basil cream - I was skeptical about putting basil in a dessert. And I have never been so happy to be proven wrong. Ground with the sugar and infused into the ream the basil gave a delicate, almost floral perfume to the cream. 

So what do you get when you put it all together?

Heaven

The perfect glass of summer – chilled! 

Sweet-tart, floral and creamy. 

Every bite is everything summer should be. The floral and fruity marry perfectly with the cherry providing a soft balance to the tart passion fruit. 

An unforgettable taste experience. 

This would be perfect for a summer tea party, served in a pretty punch bowl and scooped into thin martini glasses to shiver delicately at the slightest touch. The gelee sets softly, barely holding together and melting almost instantly against the warmth of the tongue in a burst of flavor.

The only down side is the time involved in the creation. Though not difficult it takes nearly two days of chilling and an hour or so of active prep time. 

And it’s still worth it. 

Sunset in a Glass
Original Recipe: Passion Fruit Gelee with Basil Cream
My modifications in italics

 For cherry gelée
1 ¾ teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup water
2 cups cherry juice (unsweetened)
2 tablespoons of sugar (or to taste)
2 teaspoons rose water 

For passion fruit gelée
1 ¾ teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup water
2 cups passion-fruit nectar (preferably Looza brand)
2 teaspoons orange flower water

For cream
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups well-chilled heavy cream
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (from another 1/4-oz envelope)
2 tablespoons water

Make cherry gelée:
Mix cherry juice and rose water.  Add a single tablespoon of sugar and taste.  Add enough sugar for the cherry juice to be sweet.  Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small saucepan and let stand 1 minute to soften. Cook over low heat, stirring, until gelatin is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. The water/gelatin mixture should just begin to boil. Remove from heat and whisk in 1 tablespoon passion-fruit nectar at a time until gelatin mixture is cool, then whisk in remaining nectar.

Transfer to a metal bowl and set bowl into a larger bowl half-filled with ice and cold water. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until well chilled - about 15 to 25 minutes.

Carefully pour 1/3 of a cup of the cherry gelee into each of 6 glasses. Chill for at least an hour or over night until the gelee is set.

Make cream when gelée has set:
Pulse basil, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a food processor until finely chopped, then transfer to a bowl and add cream, stirring just until sugar is dissolved.

Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small saucepan and let stand 1 minute to soften. Cook over low heat, stirring, until gelatin is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in 1 tablespoon basil cream at a time until gelatin mixture is cool, then whisk in remaining cream. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl, pressing hard on solids and then discarding them.

Set bowl in a larger bowl half-filled with ice and cold water and let stand, stirring occasionally, until cream has thickened, 15 to 25 minutes.

Carefully pour ¼ cup of the basil cream into each glass, using a damp paper towel to clean any drips on the inside of the glass. Chill for at least 1 hour or until set.

Make passion fruit gelée:
Do not start this step until the cream is set. 

Mix passion fruit nectar and orange water.  Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small saucepan and let stand 1 minute to soften. Cook over low heat, stirring, until gelatin is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. The water/gelatin mixture should just begin to boil. Remove from heat and whisk in 1 tablespoon passion-fruit nectar at a time until gelatin mixture is cool, then whisk in remaining nectar.

Transfer to a metal bowl and set bowl into a larger bowl half-filled with ice and cold water. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until well chilled - about 15 to 25 minutes.

Carefully pour 1/3 of a cup of the passion fruit gelee into each of 6 glasses. Ensure that the passion fruit covers the basil cream evenly. Wipe the glasses of any excess drips and dribbles. Chill for at least an hour or over night until the gelee is set. 

Cooks' note:
Gelées with cream can be chilled up to 2 days. 

Serves 6

 

Comments

[Tanna]

I'd put this in the moderate time consuming category but what a spectacular result. Your picture and photo together just about puts the flavors in my mouth. A summer keeper I'd say.

[Kitchen Queen]

This looks and sounds fabulous! I adore cherries too.

[Kitarra]

Tanna

Thank you! Yeah, its an easy recipe just requires lots of watching and waiting. Moderate is probably about right. And yes the results were oh so pretty! Definitely a summer keeper.

Kitchen Queen

Cherries are the best aren't they?

Thank you both for visiting!

[kalyn]

What a great job you did on this. Your photos are fantastic.

[Kitarra]

Kalyn,

Thank you very much! I am really proud of the way that these have turned out!

[Glenn]

"But at the same time, it looked…unfinished."

perhaps.. a sprig of mint?

[Ramya]

Kitarra,
I vote your recipe as the best presentation.
pictures are so tempting.........You have vanished my thirsty throat....Bye bye...will come to your site again...

[aria]

wow! those are so beautiful! amazing recipe and blog :)

[Kitarra]

Ramya,

Thank you so much. The recipe really does yeild such pretty colors! I hope you try it!

[Kitarra]

Aria,

You have the most beautiful name!

Thank you for your kind words! And thank you for visiting.

[keiko Oikawa]

Hi Kitarra, this looks heavenly indeed - such a lovely summery treat!

[Kitarra]

Keiko,

Thank you very much! I would love to see what you would do with this. You have the most stunning photos and presentations!