Jellinis

Prosecco and peach jellies based on the classic Venetian cocktail, the Bellini, served with grilled pears and almond and citrus biscotti.

Instructions:

1. Make the raspberry coulis:  put the raspberries, icing sugar and lemon juice in a pan and heat until the raspberries start to break down.  Pass through a fine sieve to remove the pips.
2. Make the sugar syrup:  put the sugar and water in a pan and heat gently, without stirring, until the sugar has dissolved.  Bring to the boil and boil for 2 minutes.
3. Make the jellies:  place 200ml Prosecco in a small pan, add the sachet of Vege-Gel and stir to dissolve completely.  Heat gently to boiling point.
4. Mix the remaining Prosecco, the peach purée, 4 tsp raspberry coulis, 150ml sugar syrup and the juice of ½ lemon and add this mixture to the pan, stirring constantly until blended.  Taste and add more sugar syrup or lemon juice, if required.
5. Pour into four cocktail glasses (if you do not have cocktail glasses, you can use lightly oiled dariole moulds), cool and then chill for an hour until set.
6. Make the biscotti:  preheat the oven to 170°C (Fan Oven 150°C / 325°F / Gas Mark 3).  Line a baking tray with baking paper.
7. Put the sugar, egg and grated orange and lemon rind in a large bowl.  Whisk with an electric mixer until pale and thick.  Fold in the sifted flour, baking powder and almonds, then bring the mixture together to a dough with your hands.
8. With wetted hands, form the dough into a log about 25cm long x 5cm wide on the baking tray.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until the dough is firm to the touch and slightly golden.  Remove from the oven and set aside for about an hour to cool.
9. Preheat the oven to 140°C (Fan Oven 120°C / 275°F / Gas Mark 1).
10. When the dough is cool, use a sharp serrated knife to cut the log on the diagonal in 0.5cm slices.  Lay the slices on the baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time, until completely dried out.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
11. Grill the pears:  just before serving, preheat the grill to medium.  Put the butter, sugar, lemon zest and juice in a small pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is syrupy.  Peel, core and slice each pear into 6-8 pieces, depending on size.  Place the pear pieces on a baking tray and brush with the lemon mixture.  Grill the pears, turning and brushing occasionally with the lemon mixture, for 6–8 minutes until tender.
12. To serve:  arrange the jellies with the grilled pears and biscotti, and decorate with raspberry coulis, fresh raspberries and mint sprigs.

This recipe will make 25-30 biscotti; any leftovers will keep for 2-3 weeks stored in an airtight container.