Citrus slices in lemon gelatin is a refreshing fruit salad.
Combine healthy fruits with fun gelatin in gelatin fruit salads. It's a no-brainer way to get children to eat more fresh fruit. Slice the fruit in bite-sized pieces or use small berries. Contrast or match the color and flavor of the fruit with the color and flavor of the gelatin. Make the salads in colors and flavors to match the season. For example, Fourth of July calls for blueberries, strawberries and whipped topping.
Healthy
Packaged commercial gelatin products are made with artificial flavors and lots of sugar. They're convenient, and pretty much never fail when the directions are followed. Amp up the commercial products by substituting fruit juice for the cold water when preparing the product. Another alternative is to use plain gelatin rather than a commercial product and cut down the amount of sugar by half. You'll still have a sweet fruit salad because of the juice and sweet fruits.
Pureed Fruit
Give your fruit salad a double dose of fruit. Use pureed fruit to replace the cold water in a commercial gelatin product. The resulting gelatin will be thicker than if you used water or juice. Let the gelatin set until it is about the consistency of jam or jelly. Stir in fruit slices or berries. The fruit won't settle on the bottom or float to the top but be evenly distributed throughout the salad. Children love gelatin jigglers. The gelatin is made with 1 1/2 cups of boiling water and two 8 serving size packages of commercial gelatin product. Add 1 cup of fruit puree when the gelatin mixture has cooled but has not set. Cut out fruit shapes with cookie cutters when the mixture has completely set. The jigglers will be firmer than regular gelatin.
Parfait
Layers of gelatin, fruit and cream glisten in parfait glasses. Start with a layer of prepared gelatin in the bottom of the glass. When that layer has set, add fruit on top and cover with additional gelatin in a different flavor and color. Wait until the fruit and gelatin layer is firm. Finish off with whipped cream or dessert topping. Try mixing the topping into gelatin for a creamy layer that also sets up like the gelatin.
Warning
Don't use fresh pineapple; the gelatin won't set. Use canned pineapple. Use no more than the recommended amount of liquid. If you're using fruit juice, subtract the amount of juice from the amount of water the recipe calls for. Dip apples, pear, peaches and bananas into a mixture of 1 part lemon juice and 1 part water to keep them fresh looking and from turning brown. Small children may choke on whole grapes. Cut them in half.
Tags: commercial gelatin, fruit salad, cold water, color flavor, commercial gelatin product
