Raspberries In Chardonnay Jelly

BY CHEF JOHN ASH

This easy-to-make after dinner treat features raspberries suspended in a Chardonnay jelly. Deliciously beautiful.

INGREDIENTS

1 750ml bottle Sonoma-Cutrer The Cutrer Chardonnay

3/4 pint raspberries

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

5 sheets leaf gelatin

3/4 c plus 1 tbsp granulated sugar

heavy cream to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the chardonnay and berries in a bowl and allow to steep for half an hour.

2. Strain the wine into a saucepan and keep the raspberries to one side.

3. Heat the wine with the vanilla bean until nearly boiling and leave to steep on one side for 15 minutes.

4. Soak the gelatin sheets - which you can find in the supermarket these days - in cold water for about 5 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, after removing the vanilla bean, reheat the wine and stir in the sugar until it dissolves; allow to boil if you want to lose the alcohol.

6. Add a third of the hot wine to the wrung out gelatin sheets in a measuring cup and stir to dissolve, then add this mixture back into the rest of the wine and stir well.

7. Strain into a large pitcher.

8. Place the raspberries, equally, into six flattish, clear glass serving bowls, and pour the strained wine over the top.

9. Allow to set in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, though a day would be fine if you want to make this well ahead, and take out of the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving.

10. Serve some heavy cream in a pitcher, and let people pour this into the fragrant, tender, fruit-jeweled jelly as they eat.