patrícia furtado

Let’s go for something healthier today, shall we? Pears are now in season, and this fresh and light desert is perfect to make good use of them.

Mint and pear jelly

6 pears, peeled and quartered
150g sugar
8 leaves of fresh mint
3 envelopes of unflavoured gelatin
Water to cover

Place the pears and the sugar in a medium sized saucepan and cover with water. Cook over medium heat until the pears start to become soft - it depends on how ripe they are, so it’s best to prod them with a knife to test.

Strain the pears from the water, they should not be too mushy. Reserve the liquid. Let them cool down for a bit and then dice them. Divide them into 8 small glass cups.

Place a leaf of fresh mint in each cup, over the pear cubes.

Dissolve the gelatin in a bit of cold water, and then add it to the hot pear water. Stir until totally dissoved and then pour it into a big measuring cup. You need about one liter of liquid, so at this point, add more water if needed.

Pour it in the prepared cups, over the pear and mint. Once cool, refrigerate it for a couple hours, until solid.

If you’re not a great fan of mint, you can leave it out and flavour the jelly by adding a few cinnamon sticks to the pan, right at the beginning.