Cinnamon jelly
Gelo di cannella
Valentina Harris
SERVES 6
Preparation 20 minutes plus chilling and overnight infusion
Cooking 20 minutes
In Sicily this summer, I was served this on the night I arrived, covered with fresh Jasmine flowers. It is a very light and absolutely delicious dessert. The flavour of cinnamon is incredibly intense and surprisingly refreshing. Please be aware that the cinnamon sticks need to infuse in the water for a very long time, so start this dessert the day before you need it!
10g cinnamon sticks
800ml cold water
300g caster sugar
65g cornflour
50g cooking chocolate
Put the cinnamon sticks and cold water into a saucepan. Place over a medium heat and bring to the boil, then boil gently for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 12 hours.
Strain the cinnamon liquid carefully and return to the pan. Add the sugar. Dissolve the cornflour in 2 tbsp of the cinnamon liquid and add to the rest of the ingredients in the pan. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, and boil very gently until thickened.
Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted. Turn into 1 large or 6 small individual moulds or dishes and chill until solid. If using moulds, turn out to serve.
