Wine Jelly Is The Best Vintage Dessert You've Never Heard Of

What pops into your mind when you think of vintage dishes and jelly? It's likely some sort of Jell-O salad where a variety of chopped up fruits and vegetables are suspended in a Jell-O mold, maybe with some cottage cheese, whipped cream, or mayo on top. Whatever you're imagining, it probably isn't the most appealing dish. But, good news, there's one vintage dessert with jelly that deserves to be on your dinner table.

In an article for Salon, Bibi Hutchings writes about trying wine jelly from June Juanico, who dated Elvis Presley. Hutchings makes a compelling case about why wine jelly should be more popular. She calls "love at first bite" and says that since you can use any type of wine you want, the flavor of the jelly is really up to you.

We've looked into the best type of alcohol for Jell-O shots, and the usual booze of choice is vodka. If you love the fun of Jell-O shots but prefer wine over hard liquor, though, wine jelly could be a great substitute.

If you've ever made any type of jelly or jam before, then you're prepared to make wine jelly. The process isn't all that different from a fruit jelly or even mixing up a Jell-O packet. Just make sure that you've got some pectin or gelatin on hand to thicken up the mixture.

According to Allrecipes, the ingredients you need to make wine jelly are wine, lemon juice, pectin, and white sugar. Some other recipes omit lemon juice entirely, so you really don't need many ingredients to whip up this treat. Although Allrecipes says to mix all these ingredients together and bring it to a boil, you can also add the wine after the sugar and water mixture, based on the Salon piece.

Wondering what else you can do with wine jelly — besides eat it straight out of your prettiest glasses with fresh berries? DelightedCooking provides a few more ideas, like using the jelly for pancakes and even alongside roasted meats. If you're hosting a boozy brunch or happy hour, wine jelly could be the star of the meal on some toast points or baked brie.

Wine jelly isn't the only creative way you can use wine in a dessert. Though it might seem surprising, topping ice cream with wine actually works really well. Otherwise, you can always keep it simple by pairing wine with your favorite snacks.