Christmas Molds

Here are the molds I made for the office party at work. I have a three layer Jell-O mold with plain cherry, vanilla gelatin, and lime with pears. The other mold is an orange peach agar mold for the vegetarians at work.
Enjoy!
T

Redbean Mushroon Mold

Don't worry there's not actually any mushrooms in my redbean mushroom mold. And I was able to use my cute new copper mushroom mold that I got for my birthday! I have to say, this was a very interesting jelly mix I got at uwajimaya. It's pretty good, but I'm not entirely sure what to compare it to. It sort of reminds me of pumpkin pie. It's also made with agar (seaweed) instead of gelatin. Those recipes are always fun to try out, but I'm still working on my liquid to agar ratio.
Enjoy!
T

Experimenting with Agar

This was my experiment with Agar. I can't say it was a success, but it wasn't really a failure either. But it definitely was a learning experience. I learned that Agar is very clear, much more so than gelatin. And it's perfect to use as a clear casing for fresh fruits. But wherever I read that Agar is a lot stiffer than regular Jell-O, well, perhaps it depends on what brand you're buying, but this box was much more... unstable. My previous experience with Agar has been with coconut gel, which is several times more firm than regular Jell-O, but this particular mix was not that solid. For my under layers, I tried mixing this mix with almond milk, which didn't set up at all. Thus I learned, you don't mess with the ratios when cooking with Agar. And I learned that when trying something new, I should always follow the directions. Not that I ever do... but it's good to be reminded of that once in awhile.
Enjoy!
T