Gelatin dessert with milk is simple to make, and with a few additional ingredients, even your foodie friends will be impressed. The key to making a gelatin dessert with milk is to correctly bloom the gelatin. Also, allow the gelatin dessert to set properly before unmolding or serving. Change up this simple yet elegant dessert by adding the flavors of the season such as apple and cinnamon for fall, pumpkin and rich aromatic spices for winter, and fresh berries for the summer.
Step 1
Pour 3 1/2 cups of whole milk into a saucepan; for extra richness, replace 2 cups of the milk with cream. Turn the stove-top burner on medium heat. Add 1 cup of white or brown sugar.
Step 2
Split a vanilla bean with a sharp paring knife; scrape the seeds into the milk and drop in the bean. Add orange liqueur if you choose, or any liqueur that suits your palate. Change the flavor profile by adding spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, or a little espresso and dark rum.
Step 3
Heat the milk mixture until it begins to simmer. Remove the vanilla bean from the hot milk. Set the mixture aside on low heat to keep warm.
Step 4
Pour an additional 1/2 cup of cold milk into a large bowl, and sprinkle two packages or 5 tsps. of unflavored, powdered gelatin into the milk. Let the gelatin rest for 1 to 2 minutes. Resting allows the gelatin to absorb moisture and bloom.
Step 5
Turn the burner off. Pour the hot milk or cream mixture into the bloomed gelatin. Stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved into the mixture.
Step 6
Select multiple small dessert molds or one large dessert mold. Spray each mold lightly with a non-stick cooking spray or grease with butter. Ladle the gelatin dessert into the small dessert molds, or pour into the large dessert mold.
Step 7
Place filled molds into the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight until the gelatin dessert is firm to the touch and set. Cover the mold with a dessert plate, and invert the mold onto a plate. Shake downwards to release the gelatin dessert from the mold onto the plate.