The Holiday Mold

My mother had one dish she made every holiday: her strawberry Jell-O ring mold. My dad did all the heavy cooking--in other words, everything but the Jell-O. Mom always waited until the last minute to get going on it, and she usually had to send someone to the market for a forgotten ingredient or two.

It’s made in layers, and “Type A” personalities, as my mom called the excessively organized, will probably want to get a head start on it.

The most challenging aspect of the Jell-O ring mold experience involves putting the bottom half of the mold in a sink full of hot water, without submerging it, and then inverting the mold onto a plate of romaine lettuce leaves.

It usually worked for Winnie, but not always. It just wasn’t Thanksgiving without a little last-minute, Jell-O-related complication.

Winnie’s Ring Mold

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 20 minutes plus 4 hours 40 minutes chilling

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This can be made a day ahead and refrigerated.

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1 (0.6-ounce) package strawberry-flavored gelatin

1 envelope plain gelatin

1/3 cup sour cream

1 (10-ounce) carton frozen sliced strawberries, slightly thawed

1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple

Lightly grease a 6-cup ring mold and set aside.

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Make the strawberry gelatin according to the package directions up to the point of chilling.

Meanwhile, soften the plain gelatin in 1/4 cup of cold water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove 1 teaspoon and stir into the sour cream; set aside. Pour the remaining gelatin into the prepared strawberry gelatin. Stir in the strawberries and pineapple.

Pour half the strawberry gelatin into the mold and chill until firm enough to spread the sour cream, but still moist to the touch, about 11/2 hours.

Gently spread the sour cream mixture in a thin layer over the almost-set strawberry gelatin. Chill 10 minutes. Gently spoon the remaining strawberry gelatin over the sour cream layer. Chill until completely set, at least 3 hours. Unmold and serve.

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8 servings. Each serving: 128 calories; 60 mg sodium; 4 mg cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 1.09 grams fiber.