Dessert

Mikan Zeri (Tangerine Jelly Cup)
Beautiful and delicious, the jelly is served in the tangerine shells. We served it with molded white chocolate that had been infused with orange extract and green food coloring.
Ingredients:

• 10 sheets of Gelatin or 2 tbsp Powdered Gelatin
• 6 tbsp White Wine (we used Chardonnay)
• 10 Mikans (tangerines)
• 4 tbsp Sugar
• 3 tbsp Cointreau
• Cool whip (optional)

Instructions:

1. Soak the gelatin in the wine.
2. Cut off the top 1/4 portion of each mikan. Save the lid. Remove the flesh from the base. You will use the mikan as a bowl, so be careful not to destroy the shell, and be sure to clean out thoroughly. Squeeze the juice out of the mikan flesh.
3. Add the sugar and Cointreau to the mikan juice and mix well to dissolve the sugar.
4. Melt the gelatin in the wine in the microwave in 30 second intervals until completely dissolved. Stir into the juice.
5. Divide the liquid into the cups and chill in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.
6. Serve with a dollup of Cool Whip if desired. Cover with the lid.

Serves 10

Nishoku Baika-kan (Red & White Plum Blossoms)
More beautiful than delicious, I would use gelatin instead of agar-agar which produced and interesting texture.
Ingredients:

• 2 sticks Agar-agar, soaked in cold water until soft
• 1 Cooking Apple, pared, cored & sliced
• 3 tbsp Water
• 1 2/3 cups Cold Water
• 5 tbsp Sugar
• Red food coloring
• 3/4 cup Cold Water
• 5 tbsp Sugar
• 1 cup Milk
• 5-6 drops Almond Extract

Instructions:

1. Squeeze the water from the agar-agar.
2. Cook the apple for the red blossoms in the 3 tbsp water until soft and puree in a food processor.
3. Break 1 stick of the agar-agar for the red blossoms into pieces and place in a pan with 1 2/3 cups cold water. Bring to a boil and cook slowly until the agar-agar has completely melted.
4. Add sugar to the agar liquid and boil until dissolved. turn off the heat and pour the agar liquid bit by bit into the apple mixture, stirring constantly until smooth. Add food coloring.
5. Pour into a wet, shallow pan to set. Chill until serving.
6. For the white flowers, break the agar-agar stick into pieces and cook as in Step 3 with 3/4 cup Cold Water.
7. Add the sugar and boil until dissolved. Turn off the heat and stir in milk and almond extract. Pour into a wet, shallow pan to set. Chill until serving.
8. Cut the agar-agar of bother colors with a small flower-shaped vegetable cutter or cookie cutter (about 1 - 2 inches in diameter, preferably a 5-leaf flower). Lay one white blossom atop a red one to make 10 pairs. Then make 10 pairs with red blossoms on top. Serve.

Serves 10