1,600 easy and fully explained recipes, with +66K photos and 77 videos

This site uses only a few technical cookies that are necessary for its operation.
By continuing to browse, you agree to their use (learn more...).

Fruits which can ruin your jelly

There are many ways of making a fruit mousse, but one of the simplest is to prepare a fruit jelly (basically a fresh fruit coulis with gelatine) and then mix this jelly before it sets completely with whipped cream.

The result is perfect for filling a charlotte, for example.

But do beware; there are some fruits for which this will not work: kiwis, pineapple, mango and figs, in particular. You can add any amount of gelatine you like and the jelly will never set!

81 K 4.0/5 (32 reviews)

Keywords for this post:Jelly Gelatin Mousse Fruit Kiwi

Last modified on: March 6^th 2013

For this post Comments Lasts posts Follow

For this post: Comment Follow Ask me a question Send to a friend

And it can't set because these fruits contain enzymes called proteases, such as bromelain or papain, which prevent the gelatin from setting. So you cannot just make a straightforward kiwi or pineapple jelly.

Fortunately, science comes to the rescue and explains that it is possible to neutralise the effects of these bothersome proteases. We call this denaturing. All that is necessary is to heat the fruit to 60°C.
So, to make a pineapple jelly, for example, you simply need to heat the coulis over low heat to 60°C, add the gelatine, then leave to cool.

fruit gelatin

Even so, you should note that for a kiwi jelly, you should take care not to overheat the coulis if you wish to preserve the lovely green colour of the fruit. If it is overheated, the colour will turn dull, then brown. A thermometer is essential to ensure that the right temperature is reached but not exceeded.

As a last resort, you can use another jelling agent, such as carragheen.

Lasts posts

Hot Emulsified Sauces

In French cuisine, sauces are a very important part of a recipe—not just a side dish. In fact, they’re so important that, especially since the time of Auguste Escoffier, they’ve been classified into categories. And among these categories are “hot emulsified sauces,” or lukewarm ones. ...
September 9^th 20267765

Hot Dishes and Cold Dishes

When plating or serving a dish—whether hot or cold—on a plate, it’s very important to make sure they’re both the right temperature; in other words: if the dish is hot, the plate should be hot, and conversely, if the dish is cold, the plate should be cold. Is this really important? Let’s...
September 2^nd 20267703

In baking, cold is your friend

When you bake at home—especially when making pie crusts—you’ve probably noticed that it’s quite difficult to work with the dough when it’s hot. It gets soft, is hard to roll out, and breaks or crumples very easily. And this doesn’t just happen when it’s hot—even in a comfortable...
August 26^th 20268065

With vinegar?

When you buy a jar of pickles labeled “in vinegar,” you’re looking for their tangy, crunchy flavor to go with cold cuts, sandwiches, or salads. You expect to find small gherkins preserved in vinegar, with salt and herbs, but is that really the case?
July 15^th 20261,7874.8

Congratulate the chef

You've just finished a meal that you really enjoyed. The server approaches with the usual question: “How was it?” And then, as a natural reflex, you simply reply, “Yes, it was very good.” However, when the meal was truly outstanding, this brief exchange deserves a little more. .
July 7^th 20261,277 35

See all posts Random post RSS feeds

Egg yolks and caster sugar

We often come across recipes where we need to mix egg yolks with caster sugar. This would appear to be a very ordinary and simple thing to do but, be warned, these two ingredients can behave oddly together.
February 15^th 201887 K 24.3

The so-called "nervous" meats

You've probably heard this before, we're talking about "nervous" meat, or meat with nerves, to describe what is indicated by the blue arrow on the left. This is a piece of beef, and what we call a nerve is not a nerve, it is in fact collagen (chemists sometimes call it a "collagen sink"), a...
April 16^th 202141 K4.5

What is the difference between bakery and patisserie?

This is a question that you may well have asked yourself and which I will attempt to answer. In France the two trades of "boulangerie" (bakery) and "pâtisserie" (patisserie and confectionery) have always been quite distinct, but where exactly do the boundaries lie? .
February 7^th 2017138 K 14.2

The beautiful story of the croissants

As you may have already noticed, cooking, baking and pastry-making are full of stories or legends, usually very romantic, about this or that product or recipe. This is often the case for named recipes, for example tarte tatin, peach melba, paris-brest and many others, but it also applies to very...
October 10^th 201822 K5

Grilled bacon is much better in the oven

Some recipes call for thin slices of bacon to be cooked and added to the recipe, or to prepare one of those delicious breakfasts known as "à l'Anglaise".
April 25^th 20259,0715