Ported Cherry Dessert

In search of more theme recipes for the Oscars, I made Ported Cherry Dessert in honor of The King’s Speech.  I don’t know if they actually drink port in the movie, but it seems like they would.  With enough port, one goes from stuttering to slurring, right?

This one turned out very tasty. My friend Christopher described it as “a party in a cup.”  So here’s the recipe.

1 package of frozen cherries, thawed (10 oz)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup port wine
1 package (3 oz.) cherry Jell-O
1 1/2 cups crushed ice
1/2 cup sour cream

Drain cherries, measuring syrup. Reserve 6 cherries for garnish. Add lemon juice to syrup and wine to make 1 cup and bring to a boil. Combine gelatin and boiling liquid in a blender. Cover and blend at low speed for 30 seconds or until gelatin is dissolved. Add crushed ice and blend at high speed until ice is melted – about 30 seconds.  Pour into individual dishes or wine glasses. Add cherries. Garnish with sour cream and reserved cherries. Chill. Makes about 4 cups or 6-8 servings.

This was super-quick to prepare, since the ice makes the jello set immediately. I guess blending it gave the jello a fizzy appearance.  I didn’t garnish it with sour cream, and I poured it into plastic wine cups since I didn’t have enough martini glasses. It certainly looks much classier in the martini glasses, as depicted in the exciting illustration from the cookbook. It seems to be exploding with flavor!

Not having really paid attention to the recipe when shopping, I didn’t realize the recipe was only going to make 7 servings. I thought I might need a little more for the Oscars gathering, but the only red jello I had in the kitchen cabinet was sugarfree raspberry.  Interestingly, the sugarfree jello did not work at all. It turned into a massive gelled blob in the blender.  I had to toss it.  Maybe a reader with a science degree can explain the reasons for that mishap.

I used a very tasty port wine from Kalyra, my favorite central coast winery. The dessert was light and frothy, and the cherry and port flavors complemented each other well. I’d make this one again, perhaps even for royalty.