Martha moments: jelly eggs for Easter (or perhaps not....)

 

As regular readers will know, we're keen on craft stuff here at TWR and worship at the alter of ex jailbird Martha Stewart's home idea-stuffed website. So much so that we have named our Martha Moments feature after her. Admittedly some of these get a bit stuck in a 50s sterotype housewife mode, but nothing ventured nothing gained and at TWR we're game to try all sorts of weird stuff in the name of domestic one-upmanship .

However, jelly eggs might have been a step too far.

I read about these in a weekend supplement recently and though that producing jewel coloured glistening jelly eggs at Easter breakfast for teenage sons (instead of boring old bought chocolate eggs) would be fun, something that would reinforce my position as supremely talented and craft-clever mother. Teenagesons all love jelly so this, surely, was a shoe-in, right?

Firstly, I had to remove the egg from 6 shells, leaving them as intact as possible (and mentally think of what I was going to make from the eggs so as not to feel wretched about the waste). This actually resulted in 12 eggs being cracked in order to get 6 that were more-or-less the right shape. Which is a lot of scrambled egg.

I made the jelly, but not quite firmly enough, I should have used half the amount of liqued to improve the strength, but no mention of this in the recipe. I filled the eggs and chilled them. Quite a bit of the jelly mix seems to soak through the egg into the egg box. A day later I peeled one, thinking that a gem like dome would emerge from the shell, hmmm, instead I got a blobby, wobbly very pot-holed eggy shape that clung to bits of skin and membrane,

I tipped a couple into egg cups. Middleteenageson came to investigate. 'What's that mum?' he says, pointing at the unstable and fast deteriorating globe of gelatin. I tell him it's a jelly egg and he, recognising the slight tension in the air from a project not quite going to plan, wisely chooses his next words carefully. 'Interesting, why?' I can not at this point remember why, so tell him it's an experiment. 'Can I eat it?' he says. to which I nod and he tips the entire contents of an egg cup into his mouth in one go and walks off.

Middleagedad, meanwhile, has been quietly reading the papers while I have been huffing, peeling and blaming the recipe. He nudges the plate of remaining jelly shapes so they wobble, 'I'm finding them quite erotic' he says, putting down the papers and looking at me hopefully. I think next year we'll stick to chocolate.

Happy Easter all.

 

Comments

[Kay]

Don't give up just yet on the dream of jelly eggs! Next year, perhaps try those plastic eggs that are used to hide little treats in for very young children? Do you have those in the UK? (Here they are ubiquitous; my children prefer to find money in them.) I'd think they would make fab molds, perhaps with a little non-stick spray applied?

On the other hand, perhaps this chapter is over.

[Amanda]

Oh yes we do have those plastic egg shapes, now you come to mention it so I guess that would work better, it would be hard to work worse and really I am wondering why I ever thought it was a good idea, I mean what kid wants jelly over chocolate, or money? Ax

[Brandinginc]

Love this post! I can relate in so many ways...tried many Martha project myself and always amazed at the simple complexity of them. I love Easter and admire you gusto to try something new that in concept should have been fab!

[amanda]

Well normally things go reasonably well, but this one seemed a bit doomed. But it hasn't put me off being adventurous!Ax

[Rebecca]

Oh it was so worth trying - just so you could write this post - hilarious!

You could try 'blowing' the eggs instead of trying to crack them - http://www.wikihow.com/Blow-Out-Eggs.

[Danielle]

funny this because my mum showed me a lovely retro picture from the 1950's of a jelly egg and we were discussing how miraculous and novel it was! Enthusiastic 9 year old daughter almost got us doing them, but then got sidetracked into planting carrots in her new veg patch. phew...i did laugh to see your picture.....i can quite imagine the scene.

[Francesca]

Boyfriend says you clearly should have filled chocolate eggs with jelly. Everyone's a winner.

[amanda]

Ah ha! that's the answer for next year! chocolate covered jelly eggs, Love it! Ax