Spring Fruit Medley

In India, we don’t really experience different seasons, especially in Mumbai. I always joke that Mumbai has only two seasons – summer and monsoon.

The only difference is that from November to April we get a better choice of fruits and vegetables. I suppose it’s because most of the crops come from out of Mumbai.

Taking advantage of the almost disappearing fruits, I decided on a dessert which is milk based custard, layered with orange jelly mixed with other fruits. It’s almost like a fruit trifle but without the cake at the base.

The recipes are adapted from two different sources. The milk based custard is from an old ‘The Australian Women’s Weekly Chinese Cooking Class Cookbook’ which was picked from the roadside stalls in Mumbai approximately 25 years ago when there was no inter net. The jelly with mixed fruits is from a pullout of some other magazine which I can’t find now. Since I make it often for my daughter who is not a fruit lover, I'm comfortable making it without the recipe at hand. 

Custard – 

• Fresh Milk - 2 cups
• Sugar – Half cup 
• Gelatin – 3 tea spoons 
• Cold water – 1/4 cup 
• Boiling water – ½ cup

 Soak gelatin in ¼ cup of cold water for five minutes. Pour the boiling hot water on the soaked gelatin and whisk it well.

Warm the milk and add the half cup sugar to the milk. Stir until sugar dissolves about 2 to 3 minutes. Put off the flame.

Pour the gelatin in the warm milk and briskly whisk to blend both.

Pour the custard in the bowl in which the dessert is going to be made. Allow it to cool a bit and refrigerate to set. This is the base of the dessert.

  

Jelly – 

• Jelly - One packet (I used Rex Brand and orange flavor) 
• Fruits – One and a half cup cleaned and cut. (Any fruit will do. I used green and red grapes, strawberries and pomegranate)

In half a cup of boiling water, stir in the contents of the jelly packet. Whisk briskly and add the other half cup of cold water. (These instructions are on the jelly packet)

Refrigerate the jelly.  

When it’s almost set, add one cup of the mixed fruit. 

Whisk it well and add it to the milk custard that is firmly set.

Refrigerate again to finally set the whole dessert.

Decorate with the balance half cup of mixed fruit and serve chilled.

Note. The image of the small dessert bowl is where jelly is omitted. Only mixed fruits are decoratively placed on top of the set custard.

The stand on which my dessert bowl is placed was used as a cake stand on my daughter’s first holy communion. 

It is hand made. Small cotton balls were wrapped in satin ribbon to make grapes. Leaves too were made with satin ribbon and the chaff of wheat was pulled out of dry flower arrangement.

Photographing this dessert brought back nine year old memories.

The credit for cutting the fruits neatly and the photography goes to my better half. And of course, as he has always encouraged and cooperated in all my endeavors, he will eat it too. Thank you dear!

I enjoyed sharing this recipe and hope you enjoy trying it out.