067 / 75 · Something Sweet for a Break
Lemon Yogurt Jelly Cups with Peaches
4 small dessert cups in 1-cup (240 ml) containers · Active 20 min · Total 4 hr 40 min
Print recipe · PDFA lightly set yogurt cup makes a cool, spoonable finish to a packed meal. Lemon brightens the milk and yogurt, while ripe peach slices bring the sweetness of actual fruit. The cups are softly set with gelatin rather than baked. Give them a full four hours in the refrigerator and choose leakproof containers if you plan to take one to work; the dessert must travel cold, not simply sealed.
Bloom the gelatin before heating it
Sprinkling gelatin evenly over cold water lets every grain hydrate. A heap tipped into hot milk can form little rubbery clumps that never dissolve properly. Once bloomed, it dissolves in hot, not boiling, milk. Stir patiently and check the spoon for grains before combining it with the yogurt. Different gelling agents do not behave the same way, so agar is not a direct swap for this quantity of gelatin.
Bring the mixtures together gradually
Cold yogurt can make warm gelatin set in streaks. Let the measured yogurt stand briefly while you prepare the milk, then whisk a little of the warm milk mixture into it before adding the rest. The yogurt should never spend a long afternoon at room temperature. Add the lemon after the mixtures are combined, and divide into the cups while the mixture is still pourable.
Leave room for the fruit and lid
Use cups or jars that hold at least one cup, even though the pudding itself does not fill them. The extra headroom takes the peach slices and keeps the lid clear of the surface. Add freshly sliced fruit near serving time for the neatest finish. These cups suit a refrigerated break room well; if you cannot keep one at 40°F/4°C or below, leave it at home for after the shift.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup cold water (60 ml)
- 2 teaspoons powdered unflavored gelatin (6 g)
- 1/2 cup whole milk (120 ml)
- 1/4 cup superfine sugar (50 g)
- 1 1/4 cups plain full-fat yogurt (300 g)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (30 ml)
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (2 g)
- 2 small ripe peaches, pitted and thinly sliced (200 g prepared weight)
Set out
Small saucepan, Two mixing bowls, Whisk, Four 1-cup (240 ml) cups or leakproof jars
Allergens
Milk; gelatin is animal-derived. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Pour the cold water into a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the surface and leave for 5 minutes to bloom. Put the yogurt in the mixing bowl while preparing the milk; do not leave it out for more than 20 minutes.
- Heat the milk and sugar in the saucepan over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the milk is hot but not boiling. Remove from the heat. Add the bloomed gelatin and its water and stir until fully dissolved, with no visible grains.
- Whisk a few spoonfuls of the warm milk mixture into the yogurt, then gradually whisk in the remainder. Stir in the lemon juice and zest.
- Divide between four 1-cup (240 ml) cups or jars, leaving headroom. Cover and refrigerate promptly for at least 4 hours, until softly set and thoroughly cold.
- Divide the peach slices over the chilled cups shortly before serving or packing. Keep at 40°F/4°C or below until eating.
Keep a dessert spoon with the cup
A chilled spoon dessert needs a spoon and a cold place to wait. Pack both deliberately rather than hoping the break room has the right utensil.
Timing
Includes at least 4 hours in the refrigerator. Chill longer if the cups are not set and at 40°F/4°C or below; keep them cold through transport.
A useful detail
The total includes at least 4 hours of chilling. Gelatin strength and refrigerator temperature vary; allow longer if the center has not set. These are soft spoon desserts, not firm molded jellies.
Another way
- Use 7 oz (200 g) sliced ripe nectarines at the same prepared weight instead of peaches.
- For a pantry fruit version, use 7 oz (200 g) drained canned peaches in juice, patting them dry before adding.
Keep it well
Refrigerate covered at 40°F/4°C or below for up to 3 days; add fresh fruit close to serving and use topped cups within 1 day. Do not freeze. Pack already cold in an insulated bag with two cold sources and refrigerate at work. Discard if left without safe refrigeration for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C.