Appetite Deluxe!

Today’s post is Pitaya (Dragon Fruit) Jelly! 

So earlier today I was just in my kitchen chilling as usual.

When an idea for a test recipe came to mind…what if I made jello using pitaya (dragon fruit).  Pitayas can be used to make numerous things such as ice cream, smoothies, desserts, salads, etc.  I wanted a hassle free approach so I went the jello route. Anyone and I mean ANYONE can make their own jello.  I particularly don’t eat dragon fruit quite that often (in other words they are very pricey) however I came across some I couldn’t pass up (in other words they were on sale).

Some pitayas have white flesh and others have red flesh, which the red flesh typically seems to be sweeter.

These fruits look amazing, beautiful, unique and exotic, however don’t expect the same when it comes to the taste.  Not my favorite fruit but nice to look at! For this recipe however I added a bit of Agave Nector to give it a bit of sweetness.

All you need is water and/or fruit juice, unflavored gelatin (or substitute), and the dragon fruit pureed (I also added agave nectar for a natural sweetener but that is optional).

I prepared my puree by just adding the dragon fruit to my blender with the agave nectar until smooth.  The gelatin you let set over water or fruit juice until it becomes thick.  Boil your water/fruit juice on the stove until it comes to a boil and blend in with the gelatin mix.  Add dragon fruit puree.

I had a silicone mold which I got from the dollar store (don’t judge me) and poured the gelatin jello mixture into the mold and set in the fridge for at least 4 hours.

While that set I decided to work on my cherries.  Black cherries (Rainer cherries with black candy melts) with freeze-dried raspberries.

After about 4 hours (or overnight if you prefer) I just take my homemade dragon fruit jelly out the mold. Yep, that simple!

So what do you think?