We are sure that we are not the only ones to whom the taste of Royal jelly brings nostalgic memories of childhood. There are other brands that market those magic powders that gave us fun and pleasure when we took our first steps in the kitchen, but the historic company It remains today the most recognizable in the homemade dessert sector, famous both for its chemical yeast and for the wide range of jellies.
Royal has long had ready-to-drink jellies in its catalog, refrigerated in a cup format and that we have seen so many times on television and in the movies as a dessert in school cafeterias, prison canteens and hospital food. We will not deny the comfort they entail, but for those of us who are faithful to the original product they cannot even be compared to the homemade jellies. Relatively homemade, of course.
Being aware that nostalgia stains memories with colors of idealized fantasy, the gelatin that we prepared as children beat the ready-to-eat format by a landslide. Probably because before they also had more sugar and the original recipe will have changed, but it is undeniable that there is something special about the whole ritual preparation at home.
Children used to get more excited about simple things, and that process of opening the mythical box with the favorite flavor (for which there used to be family discussions), dissolving the magic powder in water, distributing the liquid in glasses (who had cute molds then?) and wait for it to gel in the fridge, it was priceless. You devoured your creation with more emotion, inevitably playing a little with the sinuous dance of the gelatin, feeling like a chef, a magician or a scientist.
what is gelatin
In the case of royal jelly We are talking about both the neutral format and the industrially prepared flavors so that you only have to add water and wait for the mixture to set. The basic raw material is the same, they are prepared in the same way and both are used to make a multitude of recipes.
It is not suitable for vegetarians or vegans, as common gelatin for food use is made from animal bones and cartilage; the most common vegetable alternative is agar-agar, an algae with similar gelling power.
Presented in the form of a whitish and dry powder, it must be rehydrated, and in addition to being a gelling agent, it can be used as thickener or stabilizer. It is much easier to mix than the sheet or sheet format (also called isinglass) and it goes a long way, although the exact proportion depends on the brand and what you want to make.
The Royal preparations with flavors they contain sugar and/or sweetener, gelatin, acidity regulators, aromas, vitamins and antioxidants, and, depending on the product, fruit juice or concentrate. In this case, it is prepared with the half the liquid or twice the powder -approximately- than the neutral one, since it contains less amount of gelling agent. To simplify, the brand already presents the sachets of flavors with the amount necessary to use the same volume of liquid, about 500 ml of liquid per sachet.
How to prepare royal jelly
This is the basic preparation of an envelope of neutral royal jelly powder, the standard recipe with which we start to develop other elaborations or sweet and salty recipes. Depending on each specific recipe, the amounts or proportion of liquid will have to be varied.
Measure the 500 ml of water or other liquid, which should be cold or at room temperature if it is not too hot, and separate a small cup, or at least about four tablespoons. Put the rest in a saucepan or casserole not very large.
Empty the contents of the gelatin sachet into a clean, dry bowl or bowl. Pour the separated water and stir. Heat the rest of the water or liquid and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and pour over the gelatin, stirring carefully. Continue mixing until dissolved. Use at convenience and let cool a little before taking to the fridge, where it should rest for at least two hours.
To use gelatin in recipes where we are going to gelify other preparationsfor example the filling of a cake or some cream, directly mix the necessary amount in a bowl with five times its volume of water; For example, if we use a tablespoon of gelatin, add five tablespoons of water.
Remove and wait for it to hydrate forming a gel. It can be left like this in the fridge and used later. To use it in the recipe, heat carefully in the microwave or in a water bath, without letting it boil, and mix with the rest of the ingredients when the liquid state is reached. It will need to chill for at least two hours once the recipe is ready.
Tips and recommendations
The first preparation, with 500 ml of water for each sachet, is suitable for making recipes aspic type, both sweet and savory, or fruit salads in jelly and the like. The second technique is the most indicated to prepare the gelatin before incorporating it into elaborations. more complexsuch as cold cakes, ice creams, creams, mousses, chocolate fillings or desserts, etc.
Some tropical fruits or lemon juice can affect the proteins in the gelatin, preventing or hindering it from gelling properly. It happens like raw lemon or lime juice, papaya, mango, pineapple or kiwi; it is best to use fruits canned or pasteurized juices.
The sugar (sucrose), milk and alcohol they help to gel, while fructose, fruit juices and vinegars have the opposite effect, as does excess salt. When mixing different ingredients or liquids with the gelatin, it is better to do it hot, to ensure a homogeneous distribution.
Royal Neutral Gelatin Powder for Homemade Preparations, 20g
Royal Gelatin Powder Lemon Flavor with Vitamin C, 30% Less Sugars – 10 Servings, 114 g
Ideas and recipes to improve gelatin
- Give the gelatin more creaminess by mixing it with liquid creamyogurt, coconut milk, condensed milk or evaporated milk.
- Use frozen fruits to take advantage of the juice they release when defrosting as a base for jellies with much more flavor (strawberries, blueberries, red fruits, peach…).
- Prepare colorful desserts by combining layers of different colors of jellies of different flavors, in individual cups or molds.
- The molds of non-stick silicone They are ideal for curdling gelatin desserts and easily unmolding them.
- Instead, cakes and cold layer cakes are best assembled and unmolded using strips of acetate.
- To make cake and pastry toppings, for example from a cheesecake or a cold mousse type cake, use a lower percentage of gelatin per amount of liquid or fruit to give it a more natural and creamy texture, not so solid.
- Decorate the jelly before it sets by drawing lines or shapes on it with liquid whipping cream using a pastry bottle, drawing shapes afterwards with a toothpick. You can also use liquid chocolate or caramel.
- If the fruit you use does not have a very intense color, enhance the hue to make the dessert more attractive with dyes tasteless food.
- You can also give your jellies a crunchy touch by adding cookie bits or toasted nuts to the mix.
Sweet recipes with gelatin
Salty recipes with gelatin
Photos | Royal – Marco Verch
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