IRISH FLAG JELLIES ~ An original by WeLoveDonegal.com
Our original Irish Flag Jelly
These Irish Flag Jellies are for funny rather than learning any culinary skills ~ the only thing you will have to actually make is the white jelly. However, to allow each layer of jelly to set, around two hours per layer, you would probably need to make them the day before they are to be eaten.
When I first had the idea for ‘Irish Flag Jellies’ it was the white jelly part that threw me into a tailspin. I asked my twitter friends and they had some good suggestions and I also looked on the internet for recipes for white jelly.
The recipes I saw on the internet mainly used coconut milk and I didn’t want that as I don’t think the taste of coconut would be right for this particular white jelly. I wanted a fruit flavoured white jelly as the jellies either side were lime flavoured and orange flavoured. I couldn’t find an exact recipe to fit the bill and so experimented myself.
As I said, I wanted fruit flavour and nothing else and so I hit on the idea of using ordinary (cows) milk, watered down so as to avoid the taste of the milk itself. The milk gave me the whiteness I wanted and the water, lemon and sugar took away the taste of milk. The end result is somewhat denser than the green and orange jelly but it is lemony and the colour is perfect.
In this recipe I added lemon flavouring to the milk/water mix and infused the peel of a lemon in it for extra zing. Initially I used fresh lemon juice which of course curdles milk. I did managed to get real lemon flavoured milk/water and remove the curd by double sieving with kitchen paper, but it is a lot of fuss and so for ease of making, I am using the lemon flavouring for the recipe here.
NOTE: DO NOT make the white jelly until AFTER the green one is set in its glass.
It is very important that you follow the ‘METHOD’ steps here exactly as they are as you can’t make the 2nd and 3rd jellies in advance as they will set and not look as good in the glass. So gather your ingredients and utensils first and then read the ‘METHOD’ BEFORE you begin.
When I first had the idea for ‘Irish Flag Jellies’ it was the white jelly part that threw me into a tailspin. I asked my twitter friends and they had some good suggestions and I also looked on the internet for recipes for white jelly.
The recipes I saw on the internet mainly used coconut milk and I didn’t want that as I don’t think the taste of coconut would be right for this particular white jelly. I wanted a fruit flavoured white jelly as the jellies either side were lime flavoured and orange flavoured. I couldn’t find an exact recipe to fit the bill and so experimented myself.
As I said, I wanted fruit flavour and nothing else and so I hit on the idea of using ordinary (cows) milk, watered down so as to avoid the taste of the milk itself. The milk gave me the whiteness I wanted and the water, lemon and sugar took away the taste of milk. The end result is somewhat denser than the green and orange jelly but it is lemony and the colour is perfect.
In this recipe I added lemon flavouring to the milk/water mix and infused the peel of a lemon in it for extra zing. Initially I used fresh lemon juice which of course curdles milk. I did managed to get real lemon flavoured milk/water and remove the curd by double sieving with kitchen paper, but it is a lot of fuss and so for ease of making, I am using the lemon flavouring for the recipe here.
NOTE: DO NOT make the white jelly until AFTER the green one is set in its glass.
It is very important that you follow the ‘METHOD’ steps here exactly as they are as you can’t make the 2nd and 3rd jellies in advance as they will set and not look as good in the glass. So gather your ingredients and utensils first and then read the ‘METHOD’ BEFORE you begin.
IRISH FLAG JELLIES ~ Get the look
The Irish Flag Jellies recipe is essentially about the look so you want the end product to be seen to its best advantage. I recommend using straight sided tumblers to show off the ‘Irish Flag Jelly’. The ones I used measure 3.5”/8.5 cm high and have a diameter of 3”/7.5cm. It is important when you are measuring your glass that you take into account the base measurement.
Measure the inside of the glass and the outside and the difference is the base so take that into account when measuring in your green, white and orange jellies to equal depths. Use a ruler rather than a measuring tape as it is much easier to use when measuring the jellies into the glasses.
Measure the inside of the glass and the outside and the difference is the base so take that into account when measuring in your green, white and orange jellies to equal depths. Use a ruler rather than a measuring tape as it is much easier to use when measuring the jellies into the glasses.
MAKING YOUR IRISH FLAG JELLIES
Get your utensils and ingredients together first to make sure you have everything before you begin. Remember to read the 'Method' before you begin.
UTENSILS
6 straight sided glasses
A pint measuring jug
A second measuring jug
A small saucepan with lid
Spoons for mixing
Perspex 12” ruler (or similar)
Sieve
Optional: a bowl for water and ice to speed up the cooling down of the green and orange jellies
INGREDIENTS FOR THE GREEN AND ORANGE JELLIES
1 packet of green jelly (to make up one pint of jelly)
1 packet of orange jelly (to make up one pint of jelly)
Boiling water
METHOD FOR GREEN AND ORANGE JELLIES
Follow the instructions on the packet
METHOD FOR THE GREEN JELLY
1. Make up the green jelly according to the packet
2. Measure your glasses and allow a space at the top and take into account. You can mark the OUTSIDE of the glass into 3 sections as a guide for when you add the jelly layers (an eyebrow pencil or similar works well)
3. Allow the green jelly to cool for about 5 minutes and then carefully pour into the glasses to one third level
4. Put the glasses into the fridge and allow to set fully (about 2 hours). Each jelly MUST be fully set or the colours will run into each other when adding the next level
5. AFTER the green jellies are set (leave them in the fridge), make the white jelly
UTENSILS
6 straight sided glasses
A pint measuring jug
A second measuring jug
A small saucepan with lid
Spoons for mixing
Perspex 12” ruler (or similar)
Sieve
Optional: a bowl for water and ice to speed up the cooling down of the green and orange jellies
INGREDIENTS FOR THE GREEN AND ORANGE JELLIES
1 packet of green jelly (to make up one pint of jelly)
1 packet of orange jelly (to make up one pint of jelly)
Boiling water
METHOD FOR GREEN AND ORANGE JELLIES
Follow the instructions on the packet
METHOD FOR THE GREEN JELLY
1. Make up the green jelly according to the packet
2. Measure your glasses and allow a space at the top and take into account. You can mark the OUTSIDE of the glass into 3 sections as a guide for when you add the jelly layers (an eyebrow pencil or similar works well)
3. Allow the green jelly to cool for about 5 minutes and then carefully pour into the glasses to one third level
4. Put the glasses into the fridge and allow to set fully (about 2 hours). Each jelly MUST be fully set or the colours will run into each other when adding the next level
5. AFTER the green jellies are set (leave them in the fridge), make the white jelly
IRISH FLAG JELLIES ~ Making the white jelly and finishing off
Close up of our Irish Flag Jelly
INGREDIENTS FOR THE WHITE JELLY
One third of a pint of semi-skimmed milk
Two thirds of a pint of water
2 tablespoons/2 ounces of caster sugar (taste and add more if desired)
2 tablespoons of agar flakes (or according to the instructions on the packet)
The peel of one large unwaxed lemon (If you can’t get an unwaxed lemon, wash the one you are using very well and then dry with kitchen paper before removing the peel)
2 teaspoons of lemon flavouring (you could use peppermint flavouring if preferred)
Vegetable peeler to peel off the lemon rind
TO MAKE THE WHITE JELLY
1. Using the vegetable peeler, peel the rind off the lemon
2. In your measuring jug measure in one third of a pint of milk
3. Top up measuring jug to the pint level with cold water
4. Put the milk/water mix into the saucepan and the lemon rind, sugar and lemon flavouring
5. Very slowly on a low heat, to allow the lemon rind to infuse and the sugar to melt, heat the liquid for about 10 minutes. Do not allow to boil. Taste and add more sugar and/or lemon flavouring if desired
6. Strain the liquid into a clean jug to remove the peel
7. Wash and dry the saucepan and pour the liquid back into it and allow to go cold
8. Once the liquid in the pan is cold, add the agar flakes and place the pan on a low heat. DO NOT stir the flakes at this stage.
9. Once the liquid is heated, not boiled, stir the flakes in
10. Simmer on a low heat to allow the flakes to dissolve fully, stirring occasionally
11. After about 5 minutes, remove from the heat and pour the liquid through a sieve into a clean jug
12. Allow to cool a little
ADDING THE WHITE JELLY TO THE GREEN JELLY
1. Take the glasses with the green layer of jelly from the fridge and quickly and carefully pour the white jelly on top of the green to the next third level.
2. Put the glasses back into the fridge and allow to set for around two hours. The white jelly actually sets VERY quickly (about 10-15 minutes) but to make sure it is not disturbed later when adding the orange layer, it is best to give it a longer time to set thoroughly
MAKE AND ADD THE ORANGE LAYER
1. Two hours after you have made the white jelly and allowed it to set in the fridge as the layer above the green jelly, you are ready to add the final, orange, layer
2. Make up the orange jelly as per the packet instructions
3. Allow it to cool down (you can sit the jug in a bowl of water and ice to speed up this process)
4. Once cool take the glasses from the fridge and carefully top up the final layer to the last third of the glass
5. Place the glasses back in the fridge for a further hour or until set fully
6. Your Irish Flag Jellies are now ready to present and eat. NOTE: as there is milk in the white jelly layer, the Irish Flag Jellies should be eaten within a day or two of making.
NOTE:
VEGETARIANS: I have made my white jelly using agar flakes which are vegetarian but you can use gelatine if you would prefer. When buying the green and orange jellies, read the ingredients if you are vegetarian as many of them contain gelatine which of course is not vegetarian.
PURE JELLIES: If don’t want to use packet jellies for the green and orange jellies you could make up them up using freshly squeezed and sieved lime juice for the green layer and orange juice for the orange layer. Add sugar when making if needed and remember that you will need about up to a third more agar flakes to set acidic fruit juices such as limes and oranges. You could use extra food colouring if desired.
One third of a pint of semi-skimmed milk
Two thirds of a pint of water
2 tablespoons/2 ounces of caster sugar (taste and add more if desired)
2 tablespoons of agar flakes (or according to the instructions on the packet)
The peel of one large unwaxed lemon (If you can’t get an unwaxed lemon, wash the one you are using very well and then dry with kitchen paper before removing the peel)
2 teaspoons of lemon flavouring (you could use peppermint flavouring if preferred)
Vegetable peeler to peel off the lemon rind
TO MAKE THE WHITE JELLY
1. Using the vegetable peeler, peel the rind off the lemon
2. In your measuring jug measure in one third of a pint of milk
3. Top up measuring jug to the pint level with cold water
4. Put the milk/water mix into the saucepan and the lemon rind, sugar and lemon flavouring
5. Very slowly on a low heat, to allow the lemon rind to infuse and the sugar to melt, heat the liquid for about 10 minutes. Do not allow to boil. Taste and add more sugar and/or lemon flavouring if desired
6. Strain the liquid into a clean jug to remove the peel
7. Wash and dry the saucepan and pour the liquid back into it and allow to go cold
8. Once the liquid in the pan is cold, add the agar flakes and place the pan on a low heat. DO NOT stir the flakes at this stage.
9. Once the liquid is heated, not boiled, stir the flakes in
10. Simmer on a low heat to allow the flakes to dissolve fully, stirring occasionally
11. After about 5 minutes, remove from the heat and pour the liquid through a sieve into a clean jug
12. Allow to cool a little
ADDING THE WHITE JELLY TO THE GREEN JELLY
1. Take the glasses with the green layer of jelly from the fridge and quickly and carefully pour the white jelly on top of the green to the next third level.
2. Put the glasses back into the fridge and allow to set for around two hours. The white jelly actually sets VERY quickly (about 10-15 minutes) but to make sure it is not disturbed later when adding the orange layer, it is best to give it a longer time to set thoroughly
MAKE AND ADD THE ORANGE LAYER
1. Two hours after you have made the white jelly and allowed it to set in the fridge as the layer above the green jelly, you are ready to add the final, orange, layer
2. Make up the orange jelly as per the packet instructions
3. Allow it to cool down (you can sit the jug in a bowl of water and ice to speed up this process)
4. Once cool take the glasses from the fridge and carefully top up the final layer to the last third of the glass
5. Place the glasses back in the fridge for a further hour or until set fully
6. Your Irish Flag Jellies are now ready to present and eat. NOTE: as there is milk in the white jelly layer, the Irish Flag Jellies should be eaten within a day or two of making.
NOTE:
VEGETARIANS: I have made my white jelly using agar flakes which are vegetarian but you can use gelatine if you would prefer. When buying the green and orange jellies, read the ingredients if you are vegetarian as many of them contain gelatine which of course is not vegetarian.
PURE JELLIES: If don’t want to use packet jellies for the green and orange jellies you could make up them up using freshly squeezed and sieved lime juice for the green layer and orange juice for the orange layer. Add sugar when making if needed and remember that you will need about up to a third more agar flakes to set acidic fruit juices such as limes and oranges. You could use extra food colouring if desired.