ORANGE AND GINGER FLAVOURED JELLY HEARTS

This month I'm going to participate in another of Meeta's events, Monthly Mingle, this month's theme is Sweet Love. I'm a bit surprised by myself because I am, as I have written elsewhere, not very much into Valentine's Day or things associated with it but it must be the charms of Meeta that are working on me because here I go again with something heart shaped. Well, I'm all for love and I actually love the shape of hearts (this 'soppiness' appeared after I had my children and it seemed to get worse after each one of them, that's one of the reasons that made me stop at three because I felt I couldn't handle this change of my personality) so I succumbed and made these little orange and ginger flavoured jelly hearts. Who hasn't had a jelly heart blobbing away in the chest as a teenager when some guy looked or spoke to you? So feel free to serve your heart on a platter, eat your heart out or just put one on your sleeve, here's the recipe:
(And don't forget to check out Meeta's Monthly Mingle roundup later!)







ORANGE AND GINGER FLAVOURED JELLY HEARTS
approx 15

250 ml /8.45 fl oz freshly squeezed orange juice
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp water
1 piece of fresh ginger
2 - 2,5 tsp gelatin powder + 2 - 2,5 tbsp cold water, it depends on if you want them more or less solid. These were quite blobby because I didn't want them to be very solid so to be safe, check out the directions the gelatin product you use to get the type of solidity you want!

- Put sugar, water and the peeled and sliced piece of ginger in a small pan and bring it to the boil. Let it boil for 3-4 minutes.
- If you squeezed the oranges yourself, something I recommend, let the juice pass through a finely meshed sieve to leave any pieces of orange flesh behind.
- Mix the gelatin powder with the water and when it has soaked it up, add it to the hot sugar-water (remember to take out the ginger first) and then with the orange juice.
- Stir very well before you pour or spoon the liquid into the forms you are using. I used a silicone ice tray that I bought at IKEA ages ago.
- Leave to jellify for 3-4 hours in the fridge.