Cranberry & Ginger Jello Shots

Time for the holidays! Every year for our family turkey dinner I make extra cranberry sauce. After the guests are gone I use it in sorbet, mix it with ginger ale, spread it on scones, use it in leftover turkey sandwiches - but maybe this year, I'll share the extras with my friends and family.

I was thrilled to receive in the mail a tidy package from Leafcutter Designs, containing a small jar of Cocktail Dice. Excitedly, I dumped the dice on the table: Ginger ale, orange slice/twist, tequila, triple sec, shaken, cranberry juice, nutmeg, double old fashioned glass. Hmm...the tag on the jar instructed to strategically remove two dice. Sorry, "shaken" and "double old fashioned glass" - you don't get to play this time!

Cranberry & Ginger Jello Shots
by Sarah Kwan of earthlydelightsblog.com
Makes 8 jello shots

8 3-ounce paper Dixie cups (you could also use mini muffin liners, which would likely yield 11-12 shots)

3 ounces dark chocolate, chopped into evenly small bits

2 Tablespoons ginger beer

2 Tablespoons triple sec, such as Grand Marnier or Cointreau

1 package unflavoured gelatin
1/4 cup spiced cranberry sauce (liquid only), warmed (see recipe below)
1 Tablespoon lime juice
3/8 cup reposado tequila

To garnish:
Candied cranberries (dip fresh cranberries in a mixture of honey and water, toss in granulated sugar, let dry for 1/2 hour)
Twist of orange or lime
Diced candied ginger

Melt the chocolate, and coat the inside of each Dixie cup with a small spoon (I used a lobster spoon for the task), up to about halfway up the cup. (Note: You can see from the photo that I spread the chocolate a little further up on one side of the cup. This step is optional. If using mini muffin liners, coat the inside of the liner fully.) Place cups on a tray and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour, to harden the chocolate.

Pour ginger beer and triple sec into a bowl, and sprinkle the gelatin over it to bloom the gelatin.

When the gelatin appears translucent and soaked through, stir in the warmed cranberry sauce, until the gelatin is fully dissolved.

Stir in the lime juice and tequila.

When the gelatin mixture is cooled to about room temperature, pour it into the chocolate cups.

Refrigerate for about 8 hours, then carefully peel away the Dixie cup.

Garnish with candied cranberries, a citrus twist, and diced candied ginger.

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

1 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries
Juice and zest of 1 orange
Water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 stick cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg

Pour the orange juice into a measuring glass, and add enough water to measure 1 cup of liquid.

Combine the cranberries, juice and water, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a pot, cover and heat on medium-high, until the liquid boils and the cranberries burst.

Remove from heat and stir in orange zest.