Jellied Wine With Berries

This is a guest post written by Kalinda from Wheat-Free Meat-Free

Summer has officially started. If where you live is anything like where I live, that means it’s hot. HOT. When the weather is scorching, I prefer to make light refreshing dishes that don’t require lots of work in the kitchen. That goes for dessert too.

This jellied wine is easy to assemble and doesn’t require much active kitchen work. It’s also the perfect sort of dessert to present to company.

Since there is no sugar added to the wine, you want to make sure it’s sweet. A German Reisling would be nice. A fruit wine would also be a good choice.

If you have very ripe, very fresh berries you may be able to skip the sugar. I think it adds that little extra oomph to pull it all together though. I made my powdered sugar by giving the granulated sugar a quick run through my coffee grinder.

Jellied Wine with Berries
serves 6

3 cups sweet wine or fruit juice
2 teaspoons agar agar powder
3 cups mixed berries
1 tablespoon powdered coconut palm sugar

1. Place the agar agar in a medium-sized pot with one cup of wine. Let stand for ten minutes. Set heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Simmer for one minute, while whisking to dissolve the agar agar. Add in the remaining two cups of wine. Whisk thoroughly, then pour into an 8 x 8 casserole dish. (Optional step: Skim off any bubbles.) Place in the refrigerator and allow to cool completely, about one hour.
2. Before serving, lightly toss the berries with the sugar. Cut the jellied wine into small squares. Alternate layering wine and berries in glasses. Serve.

What about you? How do you keep the kitchen cool in the summer?

Kalinda Piper started Wheat-Free Meat-Free after her husband became vegetarian and learned he had to eat gluten-free all within the span of few months. She hopes to show people that no matter what dietary restrictions you have to follow, delicious food is always attainable. You can follow her on Pinterest and Twitter.