Halloween Jello Brain
Victoria BelangerNo Halloween celebration is complete without some good ol' fashioned Jello Brains. I remember visiting "haunted houses" when I was younger, reaching into a bowl of squishy semi-solids and squealing over the thought of actually raking your hands through exposed brains.

The mold for these Jello Brains (available at amazon.com) was given to me by a friend, along with a challenge to make my jiggly brains gross, realistic, and, of course, tasty. I think I succeed with this creamy peach-flavored concoction, that I tinted a little gray for realism. The big surprise comes when the mold is sliced open to reveal a bloody mess of strawberry preserves spilling out. Disgusting and delicious all at the same time!

What You'll Need to Make Bleeding Brains Jello:

  • 3 (3-oz) boxes of peach-flavored gelatin
  • 3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup strawberry preserves
  • Black food dye
  • Water
  • Brain-shaped mold (available at amazon.com)
(Makes 5 cups.)

See below for step-by-step instructions on making the Bleeding Brains Jello.

As a frequent guest at friends' dinner parties, Victoria Belanger was tired of bringing the requisite bottle of wine or box of pastries. She wanted to be more creative and bring something fun that everyone could get excited about. Thus began her popular and successful experimentation with Jello molding. With a formal education in photography, the next logical step was to photograph all her wiggly molds and share them with the world. She started a blog and dubbed herself The Jello Mold Mistress of Brooklyn. Victoria's blog has received press attention from The New York Times, Food & Wine Magazine, and a radio interview for "The Splendid Table," just to name a few. See all her Jello Mold creations at her blog.

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In a medium bowl, add 3 cups of boiling water to the 3 packages of peach gelatin. Stir for two minutes until the gelatin is fully dissolved.
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Stir in 3 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk until mixture in even and creamy. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of cold water and stir until mixture is even.
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Stir in 2 drops of black food dye to give the gelatin more of a "gray matter" appearance.
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Pour mixture into brain mold, filling to 3/4 of an inch from the top. Reserve extra gelatin at room temperature. Refrigerate until the gelatin begins to set but is not firm (about 1 hour). When you tilt the mold the gelatin should not run but it should stick to your finger or to the back of a spoon when touched. If the gelatin gets too firm, when you add the next layer, the layers will not adhere to each other and will slide apart when unmolded.
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Spoon out a well in the center of the gelatin to make room for the preserves. Be sure not to dig too deep or close to the edge or the preserves will bleed through to the surface of your mold.
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Gently spoon the preserves into the center of the gelatin. Leave the mold out at room temperature.
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Refrigerate reserved room temperature gelatin to consistency of gel or pudding and gently pour over the preserves and fill the mold. Refrigerate overnight to allow gelatin to fully set.
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To unmold your gelatin mold, fill a sink, basin or large bowl with warm water. Dip the mold just to the rim in the warm water for about 10 seconds. Lift from water, hold upright and shake slightly to loosen the gelatin from mold. Place a cold, moistened plate over the top of the mold and invert the plate and mold together. Carefully lift the mold; if gelatin does not release, dip the mold in warm water and try again.