According to Last Dinner on the Titanic, “Mrs. Beeton, the mother of British cuisine, popularized jelly desserts, which, before the advent of instant gelatin, were time-consuming and labor intensive. Serving a jelly to guests meant that the meal was a special one. This recipe combines the sweetness of peaches poached in sugar syrup with the potent herbal essences of Chartreuse liqueur.” We substituted guar gum for gelatin to accommodate our vegetarian and vegan guests.
Peaches in Chartreuse Jelly, as Served at the OTO Centennial
- 3 large clingstone peaches
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 whole cloves
- Edible flowers
Chartreuse Jelly
- 1 tsp guar gum
- 2 cups water
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup Chartreuse
In a small bowl, mix guar gym in 1 cup of the water. In a pot, bring the remaining water to boil. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Remove from heat, add Chartreuse and stir to combine. Pour in softened jelly, stirring constantly until dissolved. Pour mixture into 9” x 13” glass baking dish lined with wax paper. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until completely set.
Meanwhile, immerse peaches in a large pot of boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove and immediately plunge into cold water. Slip off skins, halve and remove stones.
In large pot, combine water and sugar; cook over medium heat, stirring gently, until sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil and cook for 1 minute or until syrup is clear. Add lemon juice, cinnamon stick, and cloves.
Add prepared peaches to hot syrup. Cut a circle of parchment paper slightly smaller than pot; place over top of peaches to insure they remain immersed during cooking. If you don’t have parchment paper, you can use a lid from a smaller pot for this purpose.
Bring syrup just to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low; poach peaches gently for 6 minutes or until soft enough to be easily cut with a spoon. Let cool in syrup. May be stored in syrup in refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
To serve, turn jelly out onto cutting board. Carefully remove waxed paper and roughly chop 2/3 of jelly with knife or edge of a large spoon. Divide broken jelly among 6 dessert plates. Using knife or cookie cutter, cut remaining jelly into decorative shapes. Using spatula, carefully arrange shapes around outer edge of each bed of jelly.
Slice peaches from one end almost to the other; fan out on bed of jelly. Garnish with edible flowers.
