Oct. 6, 2002 – Fruit-flavored gelatin desserts don't have to come out of a box. And if you make this wiggly, giggly dessert from scratch using unsweetened gelatin, you can choose tropical fruit flavors you won't find among the store-bought brands — such as papaya.
And you'll get the real thing — natural good taste and nutrition, with no artificial flavors and synthetic dyes.
If you want your dessert to look like the familiar commercial products, use 100 percent fruit juice or nectar. Tamarind, guava and soursoup nectar all give excellent effects.
For a thicker mixture, puree fresh fruit such as soursop in a blender or food processor. Take care to strain out any seeds.
Note: Certain raw fruits have an enzyme that will prevent the gelatin from setting. Fresh pineapple, papaya, mango, kiwi and ginger all must be brought to a boil and cooked for 5 minutes to destroy this enzyme before you add them to your dessert. Papaya contains a tenderizing enzyme, too.
If the fruit juice, nectar or pureed fruit doesn't make a sweet enough dessert for your tastes, then add a bit of sugar, honey or maple syrup.
Homemade Papaya Gelatin Dessert
2 cups pureed ripe papaya
1 (1/4 oz.) envelope unflavored gelatin
2 to 3 teaspoons fresh lime juice (optional)
Sugar, honey or maple syrup to taste
Pour pureed papaya into a saucepan. Heat to the boiling point; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Measure 1/2 cup of the puree into a medium glass bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over top. Let stand 1 minute. Stir the remaining pureed papaya into the gelatin mixture until dissolved. Add the lime juice and sweetener, to taste, if desired. Pour into individual bowls or into one serving bowl. Let cool, then refrigerate for several hours until set.
Makes 4 servings. Per serving (without adding sweetener): 62 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, 3 mg sodium.
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