Raspberry Molded Salad

The jolly red sweet on my husband’s family’s Holiday table was this molded salad on a white cloud of topping that ended up on the bottom when you unmolded it.

If you are planning to unmold a gelatin salad, use a mold designed for gelatin instead of one made for cake batter. If using glass containers, spray a paper towel with a little original Pam cooking spray and rub it on the inside of the glass container. You want just a whisper of Pam.

• 2 small packages black or red raspberry-flavored gelatin (sugar-free is fine, too)
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 boxes or a large bag of frozen red raspberries
• 2 cups unsweetened applesauce

Topping:

• ½ pint of whipping cream
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup of marshmallows

Pour the boiling water over the contents of the two gelatin envelopes. Dissolve gelatin. Add frozen fruit and applesauce and stir. Refrigerate and allow it to stiffen.

Whip cream. Mash marshmallows into cream cheese. Fold the whipping cream and cream cheese mixture together and slather onto top of the gelatin. Allow more time to set.

To unmold a gelatin salad, fill a large pan with hot water and dip the mold into it up to the rim. If the mold is thin metal, it will immediately conduct the heat to the “skin” of the salad allowing it to release. A glass pan will take longer and may need hotter water. You may also wish to break the top seal by running a slender knife along the top edge of the mold between the mold and the gelatin. Place a plate on top and invert. If the salad doesn’t release immediately, repeat and give it a shake. Arrange salad greens around the edges of the unmolded salad. This will cover any melted gelatin from the unmolding process.