Finger Jello Experiment 1: Coconut Ginger Spicy Surprise!

When Tony announced a little Memorial Day dinner gathering for his mom and her friend visiting from Brazil, I decided I needed to make something very American for them. A quick poll of friends offered up some great ideas (deviled eggs, Ambrosia salad, little sandwiches featuring cellophane-tasseled toothpicks, ribs, and even McRib sandwiches). But, when jello became a weird theme of the week, I decided to go with Mandy's idea: finger jello.

A picnic staple growing up, I've never actually made it (and I don't think it was on my mom's radar, either). It's such a bizarre concept, and of course, I couldn't just make something easy or regular. And as Tony's not a huge fan of sweets, I thought I'd take a different route...

What I ended up with was, well, truly unique... After getting over the initial shock of them, many people made yummy sounds, and I think a few went for seconds. Others were obviously kind of weirded out by the combination of jello texture and unexpected flavor.

Guess it's worth playing with this idea? Have at it...

Finger Jello Experiment 1
(I basically followed the "Fruit Juice Knox Blox" recipe on a box of Knox unflavored gelatine, but let my wacky brain intervene...)
• 1 1-ounce box (4 envelopes) unflavored gelatine
• 12 ounce bottle of ginger beer
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 juicy limes
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon fruity hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey

Heat coconut milk, juice of the two limes, 1/2 cup ginger beer, and 1/2 cup water in a pan until just boiling. Sprinkle gelatin over 1 cup of the ginger beer, and allow to stand for about a minute. Add the hot liquid and stir until gelatin completely dissolves, about 5 minutes. Stir in hot sauce and honey. Pour into a 13x9x2-inch pan. Refrigerate until firm (about 3 hours), then cut into small squares.

BTW, Tony actually thought it could be sweeter, so I think I'd try two tablespoons of honey next time around...