Strawberry Jelly Bowls

Jelly and ice cream.

You hurtle me back to floral dresses, plastic barrette hair clips, lace ankle socks with sandals, pass the parcel, and plastic party bags filled with flat lollies and squashed slices of cake wrapped in napkins. Multicoloured fondant monoliths to match the multicoloured balloons pinned on the door. Plastic bowls filled with crisps. Top lip staining cherryade. Cotton Eyed Joe and the Macarena.

Jelly and ice cream; the staple of any party of my childhood.

It had to be strawberry jelly. Occasionally, tinned fruit salad imprisoned in its wobbly, glossy walls. It had to be vanilla ice cream. Further toppings are eyed with suspicion although sprinkles were just about permitted.

I'm entering these into Kavey Eats Bloggers Scream for Ice Cream Edible Containers challenge. You can read all about BSFIC and how to enter here.

Makes six jelly bowls

Ingredients
500gr hulled strawberries plus six slices of strawberry (cut horizontally through the fruit, approximately half a centimetre thick. Place these onto some kitchen towel to absorb some of their juice.)
300ml cold prepared fruit cordial or flat fruit cider (possibly plus extra, see below)
Caster sugar
2 sachets Dr Oetker powdered gelatine (around 23gr)

Vanilla ice cream to serve.

You will also need
A six hole muffin tin
Six small silicone dariole moulds

Method
1, Place the hulled strawberries and a little splash of water in a medium saucepan and set over a medium heat. You need to gently simmer them until they breakdown completely. They will release a lot of liquid.
2, Push the cooked strawberries through a sieve into a large measuring jug. You need to top this up to full pint with the fruit cordial or cider. Taste and add sugar if necessary.
3, Measure out 240ml and put back into the saucepan. Bring up to a gentle simmer and remove from the heat. Whisking constantly, sprinkle the gelatine over this warmed liquid.
4, Carry on whisking until the gelatine has dissolved completely. Mix this with the rest of the fruity liquid.

5, Place a slice of strawberry into each hole of a six hole muffin tin. Divide the liquid jelly between each of the holes.
6, Take six silicone dariole moulds and fill half way with water. You need to place one of the filled dariole moulds into the centre of the muffin tin. It needs to rest on the slice of strawberry so it doesn't touch the bottom. Try and get it as dead centre as possible. If they slope off to the side, when you unmould them, they won't hold their shape and will split apart.
7, Place in the fridge until set.
8, When the jelly has set completely, empty the water out of each of the dariole moulds and one by one fill with a little hot water and gently twist and remove the mould.
9, Next, sprinkle a little water onto a large flat tray or pastry board and invert the muffin tin onto it. Using a mini blowtorch, gently heat the muffin holes one by one, until you can work the jelly out. By dampening the board, it makes them easier to manoeuvre around.
10, Handling them carefully, turn them up the right way. Fill with ice cream and serve immediately.