Monday, June 19, 2006

GEL

Gel, made with lemon, almonds, cinnamon or a mixture of all three, is one of the most refreshing desserts that the Sicilians make.

A few weeks ago, Irma invited me to her home for a “masterclass” in the making of gel. Here are her recipes:

Gel al limone

6 lemons [use unwaxed ones in Britain]
1 litre water
90 - 100 grams cornflour
150 – 200 grams sugar

Grate the skin of the lemons into a bowl, or use a zester. Pour over the water and leave overnight. Strain into another bowl and stir in the cornflour and sugar. [There is some controversy over whether you should put in 90 or 100 grams of cornflour and whether you should use 150 or 200 grams of sugar. I used the larger amounts in both cases.] Heat gradually in a saucepan, stirring all the time. Let the mixture boil for 1 minute. Pour into wetted moulds or dishes and leave to set. Chill in the fridge. This quantity makes 6 – 8 servings, depending on the size of your moulds / dishes. Gina sprinkles cinnamon over her gel al limone and this looks very pretty.

Gel alla mandorla

200 grams fresh almonds
1 litre water
90 – 100 grams cornflour
150 – 200 grams sugar

Irma grinds the unskinned almonds in a food processor. She then squeezes them in a clean, thin cloth so that the almond milk pours into a bowl. Some people buy the almond milk ready-made here. Bring the milk to the boil, stirring all the time and carefully stir in the sugar and cornflour, making sure no lumps form. Let the mixture boil for one minute. Pour into moulds and chill as above.

Gel alla cannella

3 cinnamon sticks [the ones we get here are large, not those tiny things you get in small spice jars in Britain.]
1 litre water
90 – 100 grams cornflour
150 – 200 grams sugar

Pour the water over the cinnamon sticks in a pan. Bring to the boil and let it simmer for c. 15 minutes. Cool. When the mixture is quite cold [Irma says this is important] stir in the cornflour and sugar. Pour into moulds and chill as before.

Many thanks to Irma for allowing me to use her recipes here. I haven’t yet tried mixing the flavours but will let you know when I do!

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