cardea ~ harvested from nature

With their bright festive colour, these delightful jellies are a perfect dessert for Christmas dinner

Serves 4

4 large pomegranates, seeds removed
2/3 cup (140g) caster sugar
1/4 cup (60ml) cold water
5 tsp (16g) powdered gelatine

Reserve 1 tablespoon of pomegranate seeds. Use a food processor to process seeds until a coarse puree forms. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing with back of a spoon to extract juice. Discard solids. Line a sieve with muslin and place over a bowl. Strain juice through sieve. Measure juice. Add enough water to make 600ml of liquid.
Place pomegranate mixture and sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, place cold water in a heatproof cup. Sprinkle with gelatine and set aside until gelatine softens. Place cup in a saucepan of barely simmering water and heat for 2-3 minutes or until gelatine dissolves. Add gelatine to pomegranate mixture and stir until well combined. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Divide mixture among four 150ml-capacity jelly moulds. Place on a tray in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight to set. Turn jellies on to plates and sprinkle with reserved pomegranate seeds

Tip: To extract pomegranate seeds, cut fruit into quarters, place in a bowl of water and separate the seeds from the membrane. Scoop off and discard any membrane that floats to the surface, then drain the seeds.