Jell-O sorbet? Â Now there’s an idea worth thinking about.
In 1934, Jack Benny was hired as spokesman for Jell-O, and Jell-O in turn became a sponsor of his radio show The Jack Benny Program, with Mary Livingston, Don Wilson, and the Jell-O Orchestra.  This was also the same year the now famous J-E-L-L-O jingle was introduced; listen to an original version here.
One of the results of this union was Jack & Mary’s Jell-O Recipe Book, published in 1937, and the source of the following recipe for Jell-O Fruit Ice. Â The pamphlet contains some typical Jell-O recipes of the era (prune whip, for one. Â At what point did we stop loving prunes?), surrounded by some pretty unfunny and occasionally disturbing cartoons.
Awkward.
On one of the last pages, there are recipes for Jell-O Ices, described as “a grand new idea.”
Here’s my variation on the recipe: one package raspberry Jell-O dissolved in one cup boiling water; add one cup cold water, one cup pineapple juice, one tablespoon lemon juice and one cup fresh raspberries. Â I did not add the extra sugar the recipe recommends.
My roommate doesn’t trust me after the Corned Beef Loaf incident. Â He eye this mixture up and said “That doesn’t look *too* terrible…”
Freezing a fruit ice in 1937 involved a lot of directions concerning a “freezing tray of an automatic refrigerator” and “the cold bowl” and taking things out periodically and whipping them with a “rotary mixer.” Â I decided the best modern approach would be to use my ice cream maker. Â Done and done.
I poured the Jell-O mixture into the machine and turned it on; I let it spin for about twenty minutes. Â When I stopped the machine, I was surprised to find that the Jell-O had become pale in color and had a light, fluffy texture. Â I stashed the mixture in the freezer to harden.
Jell-O after a spin in the Ice Cream Maker.
A few hours later, I scooped myself some Jell-O ice. Â It was pretty good; the texture is not really icey like a sorbet, it’s much more smooth. Â Like a frozen mousse. Â It was a cold and refreshing treat, and I ate my whole serving, but I still haven’t quite decided if I like it. Â I’m going to serve it to some unsuspecting dinner guests tonight. Â We’ll see what they say.
And don’t forget, tomorrow is the Jell-O Mold Competition at the Gowanus Studio Space in Brooklyn. Â It’s free to attend (there’s a $5 suggested donation) and you’re going to see some amazing Jell-O creations.
I was looking for a lemon ice recipe. I found one here: http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/06/lemon-ice.html. I goofed and left the mixture in the fridge overnight and it turned into Jello. Considering the recipe I don’t know why I found that to be surprising. Anyway, I love that lemon ice recipe and am looking for more, which is how google brought me here. Thanks for the info. I’ll be giving it a try this week!
aw, you’ll get it next time! The Jell-o ices have a very smooth texture,