These sparkling, jewelled jellies are the perfect festive dessert - especially if you're looking for something a little different to mince pies and Christmas pud.
The clever bit is the bubbles... by heating half the prosecco, and pouring the other half in just before they go in the fridge, you trap the bursting bubbles in the jelly.
They are brilliantly boozy - but it's Christmas, so that's allowed. And if you fancy a teetotal alternative, you can use sparkling elderflower or apple juice instead.
Makes 4 jellies
Ingredients:
Half a pomegranate or - if you want to cheat (like me) - a 110g pot of ready-shelled seeds
600ml prosecco
6 leaves of gelatine
You'll also need 4 serving dishes. I use champagne saucers, but clear ramekins, large shot glasses or beakers will do. They'll need a liquid capacity of around 170ml each
Method:
Clean the serving dishes thoroughly until they're sparkling.
Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds evenly into the bottom of the dishes, keeping back a handful of seeds to scatter on top once the jellies are set. Put the dishes in the fridge.
Soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes until soft.
Heat half the prosecco in a saucepan over a low heat. Drain the gelatine and carefully squeeze out any excess water (be careful as they're fragile!). Add these to the pan with the processo and stir until dissolved. Take the pan off the heat and pour in the remainder of the prosecco.
Decant the liquid into a jug and pour it into the chilled serving dishes, over the fruit.
Put them back in the fridge to set - they should take 3-4 hours, but are best left overnight. Serve chilled, with the remaining pomegranate seeds sprinkled artfully on top.
The red fruit is nice and festive, but if you can't get your hands on pomegranate (and they can be quite tricky at this time of year), why not use chopped raspberries, strawberries or even cranberries. If you're using the latter, you might need a sprinkle of sugar over the fruit to counteract the tartness of the berries.