"The Temptations"

My dad has got his big promotion today and i'm soooo excited about it.......Congratulations Daddy!! He is THE MOST down-to-earth person i've ever seen in my entire life. Am so proud to be his daughter. He's been a great inspiration to me and i always wanted a life parter who can be as good as him, luckily i got one :)). To celebrate my dad's achievement, i made this colorful yummy Jelly today, I wish my parents were here to c how happy i'm. Keep your cool this summer with the Jelly recipe i'm gonna share now!!

Pomegranate-Apple Jelly is a beautiful two layered dessert that pairs a translucent gold colored apple jelly with a shimmering garnet colored pomegranate jelly. One spoonful will tell you this is not the wobbly children's dessert made by stirring a fruit flavored powder into water. This jelly uses real pomegranate juice and real apple juice so it captures the true essence of these fruits.

I was also surprised at how quick and easy it is to make. All you do is stir unflavored gelatin into real fruit juice. If you are using sweetened fruit juices, then leave out the sugar that is called for in the recipe. Also, I like to use the unflavored gelatin that comes in powdered form, which is sold in the baking section of most grocery stores.

It comes in small boxes which hold four - 1/4 ounce (7 grams) (scant tablespoon) paper envelopes of tiny granules of powdered gelatin. These granules are tasteless, colorless, and odorless and in order for them to become a thickening agent, the pomegranate juice and the apple juice need to be hot.

Look at that beautiful 2 layered texture...........YUMMYYYYYYY!

So we start the recipe by sprinkling three teaspoons of the unflavored gelatin over one third cup of cold water and then leave it, untouched, for about five to ten minutes so the gelatin has time to soften and become all swelled and spongy. Meanwhile we heat the lightly sweetened pomegranate juice until very hot, but not boiling.
The softened gelatin is then stirred into the hot pomegranate juice and placed back over low heat until the gelatin has completely dissolved (stir constantly). (To check to see if the gelatin has completely dissolved, dip a spoon into the gelatin and check to see that all the crystals have melted.) The jelly is then removed from the heat, left to cool slightly, poured into serving glasses, and refrigerated for two to four hours or until set.

The process is repeated for the apple jelly.

Pomegranate Jelly:

3 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin
1/3 cup cold water
2 cups unsweetened Pomegranate Juice
1/2 - 2/3 cup granulated white sugar

Directions: Sprinkle the gelatin over 1/3 cup (80 ml) of cold water. Let this mixture sit for about five to ten minutes, or until the granules have become swelled and spongy. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the pomegranate juice and sugar until very hot (do not boil), stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Stir the softened gelatin into the hot juice and place this mixture over a low heat and stir constantly until the gelatin has completely dissolved. Do not boil. Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes before pouring equal amounts into serving glasses. Refrigerate for about 2 - 4 hours or until set.

Apple Jelly:
3 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup cold water
2 cups unsweetened Apple Juice
1/3 - 1/2 cup granulated white sugar

Directions: Once the pomegranate jelly has set begin the apple jelly. Sprinkle the gelatin over 1/3 cup (80 ml) of cold water. Let this mixture sit for about five to ten minutes, or until the granules have become swelled and spongy. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the apple juice and sugar until very hot (do not boil), stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Stir the softened gelatin into the hot juice and place this mixture over a low heat and stir constantly until the gelatin has completely dissolved. Do not boil. Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes before pouring the apple jelly over the set pomegranate jelly. Refrigerate for about 2 - 4 hours or until set.

Garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds or grapes or any fruits and/or softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. This dessert can be made a day ahead.

Try to use 100% real juices and also unsweetened ones so that you can adjust the sugar level as needed. This jelly tastes like Jam, it also goes great with bread. Kids will enjoy this dessert bcoz of the impressive texture it has got.

Thanks for watching the recipe.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Will c u soon with yet another Temptation!

Sorry i'm little late but wat to do i've been drooling over some of the fantastic recipes n dishes of the fellow bloggers and cudn't really make up my mind as to wat shud be my next Temptation! Anyways this time i wanted to make something different from the routine( i mean keep myself away from the desserts :)) and while i was doing some serious research,i came across this Cheesy Zucchini Bites recipe.

Garden-fresh zucchini and cherry tomatoes are tastefully combined in these colorful appetizers. This healthy zucchini is topped with tomatoes and crumbled cheese, then baked until melted. Interesting thing about this dish is It includes all the colors of Christmas but wat attracted me the most was the fact that Each bite has just 19 calories in it........how fascinating does that sound!!!

You will need:

2 medium zucchini (about 6 inches long)
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled ( you may use blue cheese if u like)
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon chilli powder

1 pint cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Cut zucchini into 3/4-inch slices. Using a melon baller or small spoon, scoop out the insides and discard, leaving the bottom intact. Place zucchini on an ungreased baking sheet; spoon 1/2teaspoon crumbled feta cheese into each.

2. Combine the Parmesan cheese, basil, and chilli powder; sprinkle half over feta cheese. Top each with a tomato slice; sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan mixture.

3. Bake at 400°F until cheese is melted, 5-7 minutes. Serve warm.

And these look gorgeous when served. Believe it or not a dish that looks good is more likely to be eaten. Even picky kids will eat food if it looks appealing and properly arranged and these are very easy to make and are beautiful on an appetizer tray.

That reminds me of the post i made an year ago on Food Presentation, have a look at it. My tips will definetely help you set your dishes apart from the crowd.

http://arunathetemptations.blogspot.com/2009/03/food-presentation-tips.html

Anyways back to the topic,the feta cheese explodes in your mouth with tangy abandon and is a real treat. I was never a zucchini fan but i liked them a lot, even my husband who won't eat zucchini had enough bites.

Its a quick and pretty appetizer. I used a basil tomato flavored crumbled feta cheese instead of blue cheese (Original recipe recommends blue cheese), Feta still gives it that "bite" but tends to be more appealing to people. Even the non-veggie people will enjoy them.

I made it short and simple this time, will come back with more interesting things next time and that is going to be very soon. One more look at these cheesy bites :-