Champagne & Lychee Jelly

Ever wondered what to do with leftover champagne? I had the same problem last night when we opened a bottle of bubbly and couldn't finish it. This recipe was inspired by Quay (the cookbook of Quay Restaurant in Sydney, Australia). If you haven't heard about this restaurant, go check it out. It's #26 on the World's Top 50 Best Restaurants for 2011.

Anyway, back to the recipe. This is a fairly simple recipe and it is perfect for parties since it is something you have to do well in advanced.

Ingredients

500ml Champagne (or you could use any sparkling white or pink/rose wine you have available)
2 cans of lychee (separate the syrup & fruits - each component will be used separately)
100g caster sugar
3 1/2 sheets of titanium grade gelatine sheet
Mint for garnish (optional)





Method

1. Combine 500ml champagne and 350ml lychee syrup in a pot.
2. Add sugar to the pot. Boil until all the sugar has been completely dissolved.
3. Soak the gelatine sheets in very cold/ icy water until soft.
4. Once the mixture has boiled, reduce the heat to a simmer. Taste. Adjust sweetness if desired.
5. Once you are happy with the taste, remove the pot from the heat. Make sure you still have 850ml of liquid (measure if in doubt), add a little more lychee syrup so you reach 850ml if needed. Keep the liquid hot or else the gelatine won't dissolve.
6. Sqeeze the water out of the gelatine sheets and put the soft gelatine into the pot of hot champagne & lychee mix. Stir until the gelatine is completely dissolved. Set aside to cool a little bit for ease of handling.
7. For molds, use clear serving glasses such us martini glasses or wine glasses, if you prefer to make individual servings. If you prefer to serve a the jelly to share then use a bigger container.
8. Put lychees into each glass. Depending on the size of your container, you might have to put 1-3 pieces each. Place the remaining lychees in the leftover lychee syrup and cool them in the fridge for garnish later.
9. Pour the champagne & lychee mix into each prepared glass or serving container. Fill about halfway.
10. Set the jelly in the fridge for at least 4 hours (for glasses).
11. To serve, drain your reserved pieces of lychees and top each serve of jelly with more lychees. If you want to make it extra special, why not place a small mint leaf on top of the lychees.

Time: Cooking & preparation takes approximately 15-20 minutes. Setting time is at least 4 hours for individual servings of jelly.

Servings: Approximately 4-6 individual serves of jelly