Growing up in America in the 1980s, Jell-O was a popular Passover Seder dessert. This pomegranate and rose jelly comes together in no time and tastes like a fragrant trip to Jerusalem. The gelling agent we’re using is agar agar, which makes these jelly cubes vegan but also means the jelly will take a lot less time to set compared to jelly set with gelatine. You can use this recipe as a template to play around with different jelly flavours. Just replace the pomegranate juice with any juice of your choice and use different toppings – like green apple juice with chopped pistachios or blueberry juice with grated lemon peel and poppy seeds.


Method:

• Combine pomegranate juice, water, rose water, sugar, and agar agar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often.
• Once the mixture begins to boil, stir constantly with a whisk and allow to boil for a full 2 minutes. This will ensure the agar agar activates to make jelly.
• Pour the mixture into a glass dish or a container and sprinkle the rose petals on top of the jelly.
• Allow to cool for 10 minutes at room temperature, then transfer in the fridge to fully set and cool for about 1 hour. Slice into squares and enjoy!

Kenden writes the Jewish Food Hero blog

Extracted from Jewish Sweets (Turner Publishing)