Claire’s Jell-O Mold

Level: Easy

Prep Time: 20 minutes (But make it a day in advance so it can set in the refrigerator)

I used to not even touch it. Even the sound of it threw me off: Jell-O Mold. Jell-O? I was more of a snack-pack kid. And mold? That was something that grew on old people feet. But my dad made the mold every Thanksgiving, a recipe passed down from his mother, who I never had the pleasure of meeting. It would sit in the middle of the Thanksgiving spread, pink and bouncy. I knew that my stomach had limited real-estate, so I gravitated to my favorites: turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes, and Brussel sprouts cooked with crisp bacon. Plus, I needed to save space for pie. But after one particular year of persistent parental prodding, I acquiesced and put a small slice on my plate. Now, what I once considered a family novelty has molded into a family heirloom.

This Jell-O Mold is best served cold. I have found that it does the job of adding color and counterbalances the fatty saltiness of most Thanksgiving dishes better than the clichéd cranberry sauce. The mold is creamy, tart and sweet and while you do not particularly want your food to be bouncy, this is an exception. Give it a try and be lured away from Ocean-Spray.

Ingredients:

1 six ounce packet of cherry Jell-O

1 cup water

1 pint sour cream

1 twenty oounce can of crushed pineapple drained of liquid

1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Dissolve the Jell-O into the water in a saucepan over medium heat. Allow to cool slightly.
2. Mix in the sour cream until completely dissolved.
3. Mix in pineapple.
4. Pour the contents into molded pan and put it in the Refrigerate overnight.
5. Just before serving, invert the mold over large plate. Put hot towels on molded pan to loosen the mold until it drops onto the plate.