Lemon Jelly Slice

 

Jelly Slice - The Lemoning

INGREDIENTS

Base

• 250g plain sweet biscuits (Arnotts Marie biscuits recommended)
• 175g butter, melted
• zest of half a lemon
  

Filling

• 380g can skim sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup (125mL) strained lemon juice
• zest of half a lemon
  
• 3/4 cup (180mL) boiling water
• 2 teaspoons gelatine powder

Topping

• 85g yellow (lemon flavour) jelly crystals
• water as directed by packet (see notes in Method)

 METHOD

1.    Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm x 30cm slice pan, extending the paper 2cm above the sides of the pan.

 

2.    Zest a whole lemon, divide the zest in half, then juice the lemon for the filling. 

Base ingredients

 

3.    Process the biscuits in a food processor to produce fine crumbs. Don't worry if there are a few coarser crumbs in amongst them. Add butter and lemon zest and process again. Press the biscuit mixture into the base of the prepared pan with the back of a spoon. Try to use medium firmness and create a nice level base. Chill for 30 minutes or until firm.

 

Base ready for chilling

4.    Combine the condensed milk with the lemon juice and lemon zest in a medium bowl.

Filling ingredients

5.    Combine boiling water and gelatine in a small jug. Stir until competely dissolved, then stir into the condensed milk mixture. Pour over the biscuit base and return to the refrigerator for 1 hour or until set. You should be able to spread the filling across the base simply by tipping the pan to make it flow to all the corners and edges. Then set it level, and it will take care of itself.

Adding the filling

6.    Meanwhile (as soon as the other parts are in the fridge), prepare the jelly according to the packet instructions, but use 100mL less cold water than directed. Allow it to come to room temperature. This will take about an hour, the same time for the filling to set. When ready, pour the jelly mixture over the set milk filling. Chill for a further hour or until jelly is set.

Adding the jelly

7.    Carefully remove slice from pan, then slice to serve. The paper extended above the pan edge is intended to help you remove the slice for serving.

NOTES - 25 September 2020

This variation on jelly slice came about because I love my wife. Of all the slices I'd made, she only really liked the Speculaas Spread Streusel Slice, and she favours savoury over sweet most of the time anyway. However, citrus is her kryptonite, and I really wanted her to enjoy some of what I was making, so I resolved to lemon the heck out something. Jelly slice seemed like the obvious choice, and it was the correct one.

The quantity of lemon in this was arbitrary, but in the lemon world "start with one" is usually good advice. So it's the zest and juice of a single lemon in the whole thing, with the zest divided between the base and the filling, and the juice going into the filling, where it's always been. This provided a firm but not overwhelming lemon hit, and all reports are that it works well.

I did get a bit of jelly spillage through to the base when assembling this slice, but it didn't seem to matter much. This slice keeps well in the fridge for up to a week, and with each passing day the slice simply transitioned to more closely resembling a lemon cheesecake than anything unpleasant.