Clementine Jelly with Frosted Segments is a light, fresh, and fragrant gelatinous spoon dessert prepared with the peels and juice of this citrus fruit and is a typical sweet of the Sicilian region, perfect for concluding a hearty meal.
It’s an easy recipe to make and perfect for finishing an important lunch or dinner like a Christmas meal. The fresh and fragrant jelly removes a bit of all the flavors of a heavy meal.
Clementines are citrus fruits belonging to the group of hybrids between mandarins and sweet oranges.
For this reason, they are also commonly known as mandarancio, characterized by the intense orange color of the peel, which is thin like that of a mandarin.
They are fruits rich in vitamin C when consumed raw. Right now, they abound on our tables and are excellent as a snack or end of meal.
In my home, we take advantage of the season and consume a lot of them, both fresh and in desserts.
Having a good supply of clementines, I prepared this gelatinous dessert, using organic fruits to use and grate the peel. I didn’t use cornstarch to thicken but sheets of gelatin.
Usually, the juice is filtered, but I preferred to leave the grated peel, which gives an extra citrus note to this dessert. The important thing is to grate it very finely.
If you have clementines to consume and want to make a special and light dessert, this is the recipe for you.
TRY THESE RECIPES TOO
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Hours
- Cooking time: 8 Minutes
- Portions: 5 servings
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2 cups Clementine juice
- cup Sugar
- Zest of 4 clementines (grated)
- 1 Lemon juice
- 5 sheets Gelatin sheets
- cup Water
- as needed Clementine segments
- 2 Clementine peels
- as needed Granulated sugar
- as needed Citrus or mint leaves
- as needed Chopped pistachios
Tools
- 1 Grater
- 1 Citrus Juicer
- 1 Bowl
- 5 Molds
Preparation
For the preparation of clementine jelly, you need at least one kg of these organic fruits to obtain about 2 cups of juice.
Wash 4 clementines well and grate the peel with a fine-hole grater, avoiding the white part, then pour it into a bowl with the water and let it sit for about 30 minutes.After half an hour, pour it into a pot, add the sugar, if the clementines are very sour, add a bit more, and bring it to a boil for 5 minutes.
Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water.
Meanwhile, use a citrus juicer to squeeze the juice of all the clementines and the lemon, pour it into the pot along with the water and grated peel, and continue cooking for another 3 minutes.
Squeeze the gelatin sheets well with your hands and add them to the hot clementine juice, stir and dissolve them well.
Let the juice cool, if desired, you can also add mandarin liqueur, and then pour it into the molds, preferably using glass containers, so you avoid using a saucer.
Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, the jelly must set perfectly.
Dip the bottom of the molds in hot water for a few seconds, then gently turn them over to unmold the jelly, placing them on a serving plate or individual saucers.
Complete and decorate the dessert as you like. I used clementine segments and peel strips passed for 1 minute in the microwave and then in granulated sugar. Wash the leaves, pass them in sugar while still wet, and then store them in the freezer until decoration time, add some chopped pistachios for an extra touch of color.
Anna recommends…
Clementine Jelly is a perfect dessert to serve at the end of a hearty meal because it helps lighten the palate after very strong flavors.
It’s perfect because you can prepare it the day before, so it has all the time to set well, and then decorate and bring it to the table for the occasion.
If you like, you can also flavor it with mandarin liqueur.
To avoid turning and pouring into saucers, you can use directly wide and low glass containers.
Can I use another citrus fruit?
Sure, you can use mandarins, oranges, or lemons.
