MIKAN & ORANGE GELEE WITH MINT
INGREDIENTS:
Gelee
Garnish
INSTRUCTIONS:
- BLOOMING THE KANTEN. Brush the kanten off to remove any dust. Break the stick into pieces and place in a bowl. Cover with cold water and rehydrate for 10-30 minutes. When the time is up, strain off the water and squeeze the kanten gently to remove any residual water. Set aside.
MAKING THE GELEE. Combine the water, orange juice, sugar, and rehydrated kanten in a pot. Set the pot over high heat and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and skim any impurities that rise to the top. Cook for a total of 6 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly.
- PREPARING THE MIKAN. Use a sharp knife to shave just enough of the stem (the little green "button") that the mikan sits flat when set down on the cutting board. Do not remove this or you will create a hole and you won't be able to fill it with the gelée. Cut 1/4" off of the opposite side of the mikan. Gently peel the skin away from the fruit that you just cut off, remove any hard pieces from the center and then roughly chop the fruit. Set it aside. This will be put into the cups later.
- MAKING THE CUPS. Hold the mikan in your hand and use a small spoon to gently release the fruit from the skin. Go slowly and take care not to pierce or tear the skin. After you have the fruit separated from the sides of the cup, carefully slide the tip of the spoon under the fruit and release it from the bottom of the cup. Separate the wedges of mikan into individual pieces and set aside. These will be used as garnish on top of the finished gelée.
- FILLING THE CUPS. Spoon the reserved chopped mikan into the cups and spread it across the bottom. You will need about 15-20 grams per cup. If you need more fruit you can chop a few of the wedges. Set the cups on a flat plate and slowly pour the gelée into the cups, filling them to the brim. This takes about 45-50 grams of gelée. Once all of the cups are filled, transfer the plate and cups to the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
SERVING. When you are ready to serve, set each mikan cup onto a small serving plate, arrange 4-5 pieces of the reserved mikan wedges on top of the gelee, and garnish with a few mint leaves and a single mint flower if you have some. Serve immediately.